County board approves MatrixCare for nursing-home billing after fee negotiation

The Stephenson County Board voted 12-3 to hire MatrixCare to provide billing and financial-management services for the Stevenson County Nursing Center, approving a one‑year arrangement that lowers the vendor fee to 3.65% for that trial period.

The decision follows a multi-hour finance committee review and presentations from two bidders: Malaysia Hayward of Hayward Financial Group and Laurie Norseth and Christy Brown representing MatrixCare and its revenue-cycle partner Quality Healthcare. "We do have that insight into the billing, the back office piece, on collections," Laurie Norseth said, describing an accounts-receivable assessment pulled from the facility's existing MatrixCare electronic health-record system.

Board members debated cost, local preference and experience. Malaysia Hayward emphasized local accountability: "We are right here. We are transparent. We can be held accountable," she said, noting her firm’s proximity to the county. MatrixCare officials described an AR cleanup and ongoing collections process and said they could show data from other facilities. Christy Brown told the board that claims older than timely-filing windows require case-by-case review: "Things that are in your 365 days, those are the things that I can't give you good answers for" until they've been investigated.

Board members pressed on price, minimum monthly payments and expected results. Finance chair Tim Whelan and others said the county currently pays roughly 5% to its vendor and wanted savings. Several board members urged giving a local vendor a chance, but other members said integration with the county’s existing MatrixCare records and the vendor’s AR-cleanup offer argued for MatrixCare.

The board approved an amendment reducing MatrixCare’s fee from the originally proposed 4.65% to 3.65% for one year; the amendment passed 14-1. The board then approved the contract on the main motion by a 12-3 margin. The amended deal also lowers the monthly minimum payment to roughly $13,500 (board members discussed a rounded estimate; the exact monthly minimum to be reflected in the final contract paperwork).

MatrixCare representatives told the board the county’s AR over 365 days must be reviewed for collectible items; they estimated that, across the facility, the >365-day bucket is substantial and will require detailed cleanup work. Norseth said the company’s historical net-collection rate across clients averages about 98% but that achieving strong results requires coordinated work between the vendor and the facility: "I can't get you to 98% if we don't have good admission processes," she said.

County Administrator Marcos Perez, newly appointed nursing-home administrator, told the board he had reviewed the proposals and discussed them with board members and staff, and that he believed the county would get the services it needs from the selected vendor.

The board’s packet included a MatrixCare AR assessment and an AR-cleanup offer that the vendor said would target current aging accounts and unbilled claims prior to January 2025. Several board members said the vendor agreed to consider a lower fee and to reduce the monthly minimum for the one-year trial.

The board directed staff to finalize contract language reflecting the one-year 3.65% fee and to bring the final agreement back for signature and implementation steps. The county will then proceed with the AR cleanup and onboarding work described by MatrixCare.

Ending

Board members who opposed the MatrixCare motion said they preferred the local proposer or wanted a longer record of local experience before committing county revenue. Supporters said the vendor’s integration with the county’s existing records and the AR-cleanup offering represented a practical path to restore billing stability and recover receivables.