Reverification season in physical therapy has a way of sneaking up on everyone. Schedules are packed, patients want clear answers on costs, and staff are overwhelmed with portals, phone calls, and spreadsheets. At Mary Freebed Rehabilitation Hospital, this annual crunch reached a breaking point as outpatient PT volumes surged after the pandemic, especially as the team struggled to keep up with physical therapy eligibility verification at scale.
In this session, Dan Heamstra, Revenue Cycle Manager at Mary Freebed, shared how his team transformed PT reverification and prior authorization by partnering with Infinx and embracing intelligent automation and AI-driven patient access solutions.
From Charity Bed to High Volume Rehab Leader
Mary Freebed began nearly 150 years ago with a simple charitable mission: to ensure anyone in need could access a “free bed” and receive care regardless of ability to pay. That spirit of access still defines the organisation today.
Over time, Mary Freebed evolved into a comprehensive rehabilitation network, offering both inpatient and outpatient services. On the outpatient side, they provide neuro and pediatric therapy, musculoskeletal therapy, pain programs, and care from physiatrists and psychologists.
After the COVID pandemic, outpatient therapy volumes grew rapidly across the main hospital and multiple off-site locations. What had once been a manageable in-house verification and authorization workload became a constant race to keep up, further highlighting the need for healthcare revenue cycle automation.
Why Mary Freebed Turned to Infinx
Leadership explored third-party options and evaluated several vendors. Infinx stood out because Mary Freebed did not have to buy a rigid, all-inclusive package. They could start with a focused scope, prove value, then expand.
Once contracting was complete, Mary Freebed launched Infinx at the start of the year, right as PT reverification season began. They started with two locations. Each day, Dan’s team sent a CSV file of reverifications to Infinx—kick-starting PT reverification automation that allowed them to offload the most time-intensive work.
Those cases flowed into the Infinx platform, where AI agents, intelligent automation, and tech-enabled services orchestrated the work across portals, APIs, robotic process automation, and human specialists when needed.
Mary Freebed staff then logged into the Infinx portal, pulled the returned benefit details, and updated their electronic medical record.
The results were significant. Average time per verification dropped from 12 to 15 minutes to roughly 5 to 7 minutes. Staff no longer spent large chunks of time on hold with payers and could redirect their energy to higher-value work, such as complex prior authorizations and denial prevention.
There was initial resistance. Some team members worried Infinx would replace them rather than support them. Dan addressed that by requiring new verifications and authorizations to flow through Infinx so the team could experience the difference directly. Over time, scepticism faded as staff realised the process was faster, easier, and less stressful.
Handling Payer Changes Without Constant Retraining
PT teams often feel the impact when payers change requirements mid-treatment. Dan recalled a UnitedHealthcare Medicare product that suddenly required prior authorization for every therapy visit. Notification was limited, payer staff were unprepared, and Mary Freebed spent months figuring out the process manually.
With Infinx in place, the platform tracks payer rules and determines when a prior authorization is required. That requirement is clearly surfaced for staff. With one click and one set of notes, the team can trigger an authorization request instead of reinventing the workflow for each payer and plan. This streamlined approach aligned perfectly with their growing need for modernized AI-driven patient access solutions.
The Future: Full Integration and Smarter PT Workflows
Mary Freebed is now working toward full integration between Infinx and its electronic medical record. Once live, cases will flow automatically to Infinx and results will write back directly into the EMR, eliminating manual uploads, downloads, and copy-paste steps.
PT will always involve evolving plans of care and shifting schedules, but intelligent automation, AI agents, and human expertise working together are helping Mary Freebed reduce administrative friction, protect revenue, and keep patients on track with treatment.
If your physical therapy organization is heading into reverification season with growing volumes and shrinking bandwidth, Infinx can help you modernize eligibility and authorization with AI-powered, tech-enabled services that support your team instead of replacing it.
Explore how our Eligibility & Benefits Verification or Prior Authorization Software can support your organization or request a demo if you’re interested.