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Charge Entry In Medical Billing

How to Do Charge Entry In Medical Billing?

In the revenue cycle management system, charge entry is a vital step in the whole process. This process gives us a clear indication of the amount of reimbursement the health service provider will receive from the insurance payer.

As said earlier, this process is vital in the revenue cycle management system because n the medical billing management system the chances of error are also very high and it can lead to increasing denial rates. 

This article will help you to effectively manage your charge entry. We assure you of a well-structured and effective process that will eventually increase your revenues. Let’s find out!

What is Charge Entry in Medical Billing?

A charge entry process is a complete and well-structured process in which the charges for the medical services rendered to the patient and other treatments details are submitted to the insurance payer to claim a reimbursement.

Step By Step Process of Charge Entry In Medical Billing 

 The charge entry is a complex process and it took time for an effective charge entry process. Following is the step-by-step process for charge entry in medical billing.

  • Receipt of Documents

The first step in charge entry is to get a patient registration and some details about the financial responsibility for the particular treatment. We will also collect all the essential forms and documents termed as an explanation of benefits (EOBs).

Other financial statements like checks, card payments, and relevant payment options are also added from the client in a secure way through the FTP server.

  • Entry of Necessary Details

The second step consists of patient referencing and billing Referencing. We will collect details like demographic information which includes the name, age, address, and a brief medical history of the patient. On the other side, the billing referencing includes the time and date in which the services are rendered to the patient.

Complete details about the insurance service provider and the amount paid for that particular service. These are essential steps for the proper coding practice which will eventually be used in the submission of the claim. 

  • Follow up on Explanation of Benefits (EOB)

The third step is pretty much important for the service provider. It will help the service provider to get all the proper share for the services rendered to the patient.

In case of a partial payment like some dues are pending on the patient. These pending dues are surely not part of insurance coverage and the patient is liable to pay for it.

To get all the remaining payments the provider can initiate an investigation through EOB to acquire all the essential details of the patient coverage to take some necessary legal actions.

  • Proper Denial Analysis and Recovery

In many cases, health service provider faces denial rates after submitting the claim. In addition to the case when patients refuse to pay the remaining amount considering it a responsibility of their insurance payer.

A very similar conflict occurs with the insurance companies. When they refuse to pay for the services by indicating that these are not part of their coverage.

A billing team in that phase needs a detailed and in-depth analysis of all the processes. Reviewing the coding and other documentation can help to get the remaining payments.

  • Customer Feedback

It is considered an optional step. While customer feedback is also essential if you want to establish long-lasting contact with your customers. It also helps you to improve the overall charge entry process.

Like if you are getting negative reviews regarding the data collection process then you have to figure out the gaps in the process and immediately resolve them.

Many service providers consider it an important part of their operations.

Outsourcing 

In medical Billing, the charge entries are complicated procedures and the chances of errors are also very high especially when you are dealing with coding.

While many health service providers facing the problem of low reimbursement due to mismanagement and lack of resources to have an expert in-house billing team to control the RCM, In this case, It’s reasonable to hire a billing expert for your health care system.

Med-Miles is the leading medical billing solution company with an experience more than 8 years. We are serving the health service provider in effectively managing their revenue cycle management at reasonable pricing.

Here are some of the features of our billing services.

  • We are strictly compliant with HIPPA. We are well aware of the standard rules and regulations set by the American medical association.
  • A non-disclosure agreement will assure you of the safety of the confidential data of the patient. We maintain a strict security framework for our clients which will save your essential data from a third party.
  • As an outsource medical billing service provider we adopt the latest innovation and billing software solution to keep ourselves updated and minimize the time taken for the charge entry.
  • We ensure a proper analysis of denials and a swift recovery Process.
  • An expert team of coding will assure that there would be no coding error in the claim.
  • A dedicated follow-up team will help you to get timely payment for your services without any conflicts.

Our services will help you to get maximum reimbursement with lower denial rates in affordable pricing. Call us at  (888) 598-9181 for details. 

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Outsourced Medical Billing

A Future for Outsourced Medical Billing

Many medical practices are now seriously considering managing their financial activities through medical billing experts. Outsourcing has become a need for every health service provider, because of consistently higher denial rates and low reimbursement from the insurance provider.

On the other hand, it is not easy for every health service provider to hire staff exclusively for billing activities. The hiring process and lack of resources also put in-depth stress on them to have assistance from a medical billing expert and most probably we will see this trend growing in coming years. 

While there are lots of speculations about the future of Outsourced Medical billing. We will show you why its future is bright but first, we look at the difference between outsourced medical billing and in-house medical billing. 

Difference Between In-house & Outsource Medical Billing 

If you will start figuring out the differences between in-house and outsource medical billing then you will see that there are some pros and cons associated with in-house medical billing and there are some pros and cons associated with outsourcing medical billing. Here is the difference between both these processes.

In-house Medical Billing

The in-house medical billing activity is conducted by the health service provider within the healthcare system. The staff members are responsible for all the revenue cycle management.

In this system, the health care staff is supposed to enter all the required details in the medical billing software when a patient comes for the services.

This documentation has essential details about the patient’s medical history and his insurance coverage which will later define whether he is eligible for the services or not.

Before submitting the claim to the insurance company the claim is forwarded to the clearinghouse whose job is to review the claim before submission. 

After submitting the claim to the insurance company they will let you know about the acceptance and denial of that particular claim.

Outsource Medical  Billing

When health care service providers choose to have assistance from a third party known as medical billing services to manage their revenue cycle management.

In this activity, your practice loses control over their financial management and all the related tasks will now be managed by an outsource billing team. 

An outsourced medical billing service will manage all the activities like submitting a claim, data entry and even they will follow up on the denied claim. 

They will also send invoices to the patient and strictly monitor your outstanding account receivable. 

Most of the billing services charge a percentage off collection or they may charge on a monthly basis for their services.

Challenges in Medical Billing 

Right now the health service providers are facing multiple problems in the revenue cycle management system. These challenges are crucial for every health care system in order to maximize their revenue to operate at their full potential. Here are the challenges in medical billing.

Higher Ratio of Denied Claims

In recent times it has been seen that the ratio of claim denials increased significantly. Many health practices lose a significant amount of revenues due to denied claims.

We can say that the inexperience in handling the billing activity and lack of effective resources to handle the RCM is one of the top reasons behind this. While many of the denied claims are avoidable and can be resubmitted after the correction.

Incomplete Data

There are many health practices that are still using the manual way of documentation of essential details. Which eventually will increase the chances of errors in any documentation that might be the reason for low reimbursement and higher denial rates.

Insurance Eligibility

Patient eligibility for certain treatment is one of the reasons behind the denial rates. It is the responsibility of health service providers to take a proper assessment of the insurance scope before rendering the treatment.

The Rise of Telehealth

Recent events like the covid-19 pandemic have completely changed the behavior of the general population. During the pandemic, people prefer to have a general check-up through online video conferencing so they can avoid going to the health centers due to the high risk of the virus.

New technology comes with new challenges same case applied to telehealth services in which the risk of getting lower revenues is still high and many of the health service providers are consistently focusing on it.

Why Outsourcing Is The  Future?

All the health care service providers need an efficient setup to manage their RCM. On the other hand, they also have a responsibility to give their patients better health facilities.

Managing both activities at the same time is not easy for every practice. Changing regulations and mass adaptation to telehealth services also raise challenges for the healthcare service provider. In that scenario outsourcing is the best option right now and here are some of the reasons behind it.

Cost-Efficient

The cost related to billing activity is much lower when you opt for outsourcing. It is cost-efficient in a way that when you opt for an in-house building then you have to spend a lot of your money in the hiring process and sometimes on the training process. Your practice also requires the latest software solution for the proper assessment of your document which is very costly.

Reducing Billing Error

Outsourcing assured you the minimum error in your billing as they have an experienced team. They are well aware of the insurance companies and common occurring coding errors in the claim. So, they can better manage all these activities compared to the in-house building team.

Following up

Many billing service providers have an active team for following up the denied or unpaid claims. which will eventually enhance the chance of getting maximum reimbursement for the services.

Higher Transparency

A high transparency rate is one of the prominent features which makes it more valuable for the medical service provider. Teams are bound to provide the services and a comprehensive performance report which will allow them to evaluate the present scenario of their financial system and they can also forecast this activity.

Need Help?

Now you have seen that outsourcing can give you an edge in better management of your RCM. If you are looking for medical billing solution for your practice then Med-Miles can help you in managing your financial affairs as we are well aware of the regulations by the financial system and we are also well aware of the common errors in the claim. You can call us at 8885 989 181 for more details.

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Dental Insurance Denials

How To Properly Appeal Dental Insurance Denials?

Dental Insurance denials are very common in the medical billing process. For the health service provider, it becomes so frustrating and they try their best to avoid denial rate as much as possible. 

Similarly, the dental service provider faces equivalent kinds of issues. In some cases, the insurance company decided to deny the coverage to the patient.

At that point, the dental care handled this situation in a different manner by submitting an appeal. But first, we need to have a quick look at the reasons behind the dental denial rates.

Top Reasons Behind the Dental Insurance Denials

Getting a full reimbursement for the services you rendered is sometimes very frustrating but if we know the exact reason behind the lower reimbursement rate then we can better manage our revenue cycle management. 

There might be many reasons behind the insurance denial rates but if we closely observe in the perspective of dental denial then there are various other reasons behind it.

In this article, we will try to explain some of the main reasons behind the denials in dental insurance.

Eligibility Issue

For any dental service provider, the verification eligibility of the patient for the insurance should be the topmost priority. In many cases, patients are not aware of the insurance coverage of their plans and they might take the services and treatment that might not be part of their insurance coverage.

On the other hand, the insurance regulation plans are not constant throughout the year. So when a patient came for the services you need to take the essential documentation on the first interaction. 

Your front desk staff can note the following information carefully the patient’s name a brief detail of his primary insurance, social security number, insurance carrier details, identification number, etc. It will help you to verify all the necessary details first hand and it will also minimize the chances of error later.

Root Planning or Periodontal Scaling Coverage

In Dental Practices, Root Planning and Periodontal scaling are supposed to get higher denial rates compared to any other treatments. For insurance purposes, they required a special documentation list that includes some clinical indicators and evidence.

The periodontal chart required a pocket depth and full mouth radiographs and digital images.

This documentation should be embedded with the patient record first hand.

On the other side, the correct use of CPT and CDT codes is also essential in this stage. Many a time Insurance companies fail to present guidelines for the relevant purpose and codes.

In SRP claims you can make your case even stronger by giving them additional documentation of periodontal charting description of the procedures that are used during the treatment and some radiographic evidence of bone loss.

Core Build-up Procedure

The core build-up procedure is applied to maintain the crown retention in the internal anatomy of the tooth. The purpose of this procedure is to completely replace the missing tooth structure and make a proper symmetry to protect the integrity of the tooth. Usually, this procedure is denied with the statement of no benefits or low benefits.

There are multiple complexities in this procedure like when the dentist conducts this treatment then they have to further remove the irregularity and all the existing filling from the tooth and use the material to fill these irregularities. 

This procedure is pretty much similar to the D2950 build-up. It is the same procedure but for different purposes so it might create some mess.

Let it be very clear with your patient about the lack of benefit in doing this procedure. Use radiographic evidence to get reimbursement from the insurance company while performing this kind of treatment.

How To Deal With Dental Insurance Denials?

Dental insurance denials can be managed in various ways. Here are some of the ways in which you can minimize your insurance denials. 

Prepare an Appeal Letter

An appeal letter is an essential step for getting reimbursement for your dental services from the insurance payer. In this letter you need to fulfill all the essential details required by the insurance provider this information consists of;

  • Complete details of the patient like his name, policy number, contact information, and information about the policyholder.
  • In this letter, you should also mention the complete details about the denial rate.
  • Like you have to mention that what was the reason behind the denials, the date of the denial and also specified some main reason which leads to this.
  • Lastly, mention the details of the dentist who performed the whole treatment for the patient.

The purpose of this detailed appeal letter is to tell the insurance company to have a look at the case as soon as possible and your practice is strongly eligible for reimbursement.

Make a Template of Appeal Letter

For your convenience, you can also prepare a template appeal letter in case you are filling multiple appeal letters. In this template, you can add a similar process and treatment and you just need to switch the name and claim number and relevant information associated with each patient.

This template will eventually not only save you time but also increase the efficiency and productivity of your practice.

Proper Coding 

To get a maximum reimbursement the proper coding is an essential part to be done.

Make sure that your practice has a team of professional coding experts who are aware of the proper CPT coding or dental terminologies coding CDT by the American dental association.

Now you are pretty much aware of how you can effectively make an appeal for your dental insurance claims and what is the real reason behind the increasing denial rates and how you can manage it by following steps like appropriate coding practices, understanding the agreement of different insurance companies creating awareness about lack of benefits among the patient and preparing proper documentation of all the required procedures. To avoid hassles you can also take assistance from a medical billing service provider.

Med-Miles is one of the most prominent names in medical billing services. We have been serving our clients for more than 8 years and our professional team is pretty much aware of the challenges dental health service providers face. We have the best billing solution for your practice call us at 8885 989 181 for the services.

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Revenue Cycle Management

Revenue Cycle Management: Get Paid For What You Do

In the medical billing process, Revenue Cycle Management is the key for any practice to smoothly manage its revenue and make the health care center financially stable.

The whole revenue cycle management system revolves around managing, identifying, and collecting revenues.

It has become essential for any health service provider to efficiently manage its revenue otherwise an outstanding account receivable can badly affect the operations of the services.

Steps of Revenue Cycle Management

The revenue cycle management system revolves around multiple steps. Some of them are described below:

  • Patient Details

When the Patient comes for the services, the first step for the revenue management system is to record all the essential details of the patient. It includes his name, age, address, etc.

Your front desk staff can note all these details with accuracy and these details are essential for the billing process.

  • Checking Insurance Coverage

The next step is to verify the insurance eligibility of the patient. In many cases, some services are excluded by the insurance coverage and the patients are unaware of it.

After checking the eligibility the next step is to make them aware of their insurance coverage and tell them that these services and procedures are excluded from your insurance scope and you need to pay for them.

  • Check Code

In the next step, all the documentation is converted in the form of codes by the coding team. Because insurance companies process only those claims that are in the form of coding.

  • Submitting The Claim

When all the documentation has been done in the form of coding then the next step is to submit the claim to the insurance company. Your claim will be processed by the insurance company.

If there is no error found in the claim then it will be approved in case any error is found in the submitted claim then it will be rejected. 

  • Follow-ups

It’s one of the essential parts of revenue cycle management. When your practice faces a denied claim then your billing team must follow up. Check the claim and find the error and resubmit it.

And for the services that are excluded from the insurance coverage and patients are liable to pay for them then it’s the responsibility of a follow-up team to send them reminders to pay their dues.

How To Make Your Revenue Cycle Management Efficient?

It’s essential for every health service provider to manage their revenues at full potential. Here are some ways in which you can maximize your revenues.

Keep The Record With Accuracy

Record keeping is one of the first steps of the medical billing process and it should be accurate. This information is important to get the right coding done. So if your practice is successful in keeping the record then you can easily get the reimbursement.

Highly Skilled Staff

A highly skilled staff minimizes the chances of error in your billing activity. Your practice should spend more resources in the training of the staff or can hire a professional staff to manage the billing activity.

Reducing The Manual Working

There are higher chances of error in the manual form of working. The paper records can be lost and they are very difficult to manage.

On the other hand, you can lessen these errors by using the automation process, utilizing the latest EHR/EMR technologies and administrative tools, and cloud-based systems.

Efficient Coding Practice

An efficient coding practice is necessary to minimize the claim denial rates. While coding use CPT and HCPCS coding approved by the American Medical Association. Follow the set regulations and hire an expert coding team.

Give Your Patients An Alternative Payment Method

These services are exclusively for those patients that are liable to pay their bills. Many times patients can give your practice an instant payment because you don’t give them multiple payment gateways.

Some might prefer to use their credit/debit card or some might be interested in paying through any mobile application. Make sure that you give them maximum options for payment so that you can receive the revenues without any delay.

Timely Submission of The Claim

The insurance companies only approve those claims that are timely submitted. If your practice fails to submit the claim on time then your account receivable can expand at a significant amount. So a timely submission can save you revenues.

Tracking Denial Rates Frequently

Tracking denial rates are essential for any medical service provider. A consistent denial rate in your billing is the indication that there is something wrong that needs to be corrected. It might be due to frequent errors in coding or late claim submission or might be the inexperienced worker.

A team that monitors the denial rates can give you solutions to overcome them is essential for revenue cycle management.

Financial Responsibility

Many times, patients are unaware of their insurance coverage. So after verifying the insurance eligibility it is the responsibility of your practice to make them aware of their insurance coverage and tell them that they are liable to pay the uncovered bills.

Outsourcing

Outsourcing is one of the best ways to manage your Billing activity. The majority of the time your practice lacks resources to effectively manage the revenue cycle management. Either you have a lack of staff, improper infrastructure, or inexperienced staff or ineffective management.

A Billing service possesses a team of experts who can manage the revenue cycle of your practice. At the same time, they are managing the billing of many other practices so they better understand the regulations and latest trends and nature of different insurance providers.

Revenue cycle management is an essential part of any medical service provider. If you fail to get the desired results after all the hard work then you can outsource your billing activity. 

Med-Miles can help you to achieve your goals. Our vision is to provide a smooth billing process with better solutions. We assure low denials rates with a maximum profitability ratio. Call us at (888) 598-9181 for more information. 

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Medical Billing Errors

Resolving Medical Billing Errors Can Save You Money

As a medical service provider, your practice can lose a significant amount of money due to medical billing errors. It’s not possible to fully eliminate the chances of errors. 

The billing activity revolves around the measures when patients visit for the services and the service providers record all the essential details for the coding purpose to get a claim from the respective insurance company. 

Between these measures, the chances of errors are extremely high, and due to these errors service providers lose an enormous amount of revenues each year.

In this article, we will discuss the common billing errors faced by medical service providers and how we can reduce them to save money. 

Common Medical Billing Errors & Solutions

The medical billing process seems to be very complex, but if done efficiently you can overcome it and save your practice a substantial portion of remuneration.

Here are some of the errors in medical billing and their solutions.

  • Inaccurate Record Keeping

A complete and error-free record is essential for further proceedings. When the patient comes for the services your front desk staff needs to record all the essential details accurately like Name, Address, Contact number, and Insurance provider details.

It will save you from billing errors. Many a time claims are denied due to missing and inaccurate information. So make sure that the details must be accurate.

  • Insurance Verification

It’s very important to verify the coverage given by the insurance providers. The majority of the patients don’t know about the coverage by the insurance companies.

So your practice needs to check the eligibility as well as the service range. Tell the patient that these services are excluded from your insurance scope and you have to pay for these services. 

  • Medical Coding Errors

In the medical billing process. Coding errors lead to claim denials, late reimbursement, and view as fraudulent activity if done intentionally.

Your RCM suffered a lot due to coding errors if not addressed timely. Below are some common coding mistakes to look at for saving your revenues.

Unbundling

Using multiple codes for a single medical procedure. The American Medical Association claims that using multiple CPT codes is one of the most common coding errors.

Upcoding

In this type of coding error, the Patient is charged for the services that are relatively much higher than the actual treatment performed. It’s considered a clear violation of the False Claim Act. 

Under coding

When a patient is not charged fully for the services he availed during his stay in the health center then it is termed as under coding. Your practice can lose revenues due to under coding.

Inaccurate Reporting of Data

As said earlier the accurate data holds significant importance in the billing process.

Missing or errors in any essential information lead to the wrong coding and these claims are denied by the insurance companies.

Coding errors are very common in medical billing, Your practice can lose remunerations if it is not resolved earlier, make sure to use the American Medical Association-approved coding procedure. 

  • In-Experienced Staff

It has been estimated that some common errors occur due to the negligence of the staff member. Like missing information and not checking the insurance coverage and errors in coding.

Due to these mistakes, your medical practice bears the loss of revenues Make sure that your In-house staff is trained enough to handle the administrative as well as billing activity or you can hire professionals who are experts in managing the medical billing. 

  • Higher Claim Denial Rates

Tracking denial rates is essential for the smooth flow of your revenue cycle. If your practice is unaware of the rising ratio of denial rates then you lose revenues.

The common reason behind the higher denial rates is due to the coding error, late claim submission, and mistakes in the verification process. 

  • Late Claim Submission

Insurance companies only process those claims that are submitted on time. If your practice failed to submit the claim on time then you will lose payments. 

  • Aging Accounts:

Aging accounts are the leading cause of an outstanding account receivable. If you are not tracking your aging accounts then you need to put some extra effort to get dues from those accounts.

By tracking the aging accounts you also came to know about the patients who hold secondary insurance.

Your In-house team should frequently track the aging accounts in order to get maximum reimbursement. 

  • Not Following-Up Frequently:

If your team is not following up on the overdue accounts then your account receivable will expand surely, A timely follow-up is key in increasing the revenues.

Your account receivable follow-up team should closely monitor those claims that are not paid within the 30 days period and actively follow up on those accounts to collect revenues. 

Patient follow-up is also important. For the services that are not part of insurance coverage and patients have to pay for them, usually, patients forget to pay their dues.

Your account receivable team is responsible for actively following the patient by sending them Emails and calls to make sure that they pay their dues on time.

How Do Medical Billing Services Help To Save You money?

Outsourcing your billing services is a great way to save money. The in-house billing team usually lacks experience so the chances of errors are relatively high. 

Like for coding, your practice needs to make a lot of investment in your In-house staff for their proper training.

Even if you are interested in hiring professional coders for your in-house billing activity then you need to invest a lot of time and energy in the hiring process. 

Medical billing service providers have a team of experts and their primary task is to manage the billing activities of the health service providers. 

They can help you with accurate coding by following all the regulations, tracking denial, and actively follow-up to manage the account receivables. 

Why Med-Miles? 

Med-miles have experience of more than 8 years in providing billing solutions to health service providers.

Our excellent services assure maximum reimbursement and low denial rates. For more information call us at  (888) 598-9181 

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Physical Therapy Billing

How do Physical Therapy Medical Billing Services Work?

In every industry, some rules and regulations need to be followed to prevent issues like fraud, and waste, especially in the medical field. 

As in the case with most practices, physical therapy has its unique coding and billing techniques and challenges. Not only is it a defensible documentation challenge but service providers also need to know the guidelines each client uses for time-based reporting, and they must count attentively.

As a physical therapy specialist, you do a lot of work, whether it’s treating patients and monitoring data to running a profitable and sustainable business. 

So it comes as no surprise that you’ve got less time to keep up with all the processes of physical therapy medical billing service.

Talking about physical therapy we all hear about rules like the 8 minutes rule but are unable to understand them. In this article, we will not only tell you about physical therapy billing guidelines but also provide information on its functionality.

Tips To Improve Your PT Medical Billing

Billing Dashboards

To get better billing results for your PT practice, you require tons of data. Not just any data, you need accurate data that directly relates to your revenue production. Here’s a shortlist of some of the most important factors suggested to track on your PT billing Dashboard

  • Location Specific Reporting

The best dashboards allow practitioners to track success across multiple locations. If your practice is running in different locations, it’s a great practice to review your profits by location and analyze the performance in both locations separately. So, if your practice has multiple branches, regardless of your numbers, tracking them by location can be very handy.

  • Number of Visits

Track the number of patient visits in your PT Clinic is one of the most basic and important tasks.  High-quality dashboards give practitioners a detailed analysis of how the number of visits you experienced in the past few weeks and what you can expect in the future. Breaking down total visits and evaluations gives you great insight into your clinic’s performance.

  • Utilization

For running a smooth business practice, setting goals is crucial. Tracking the number of office visits a month compared to the goals of the clinic helps you remain focused on achieving them.

Not tracking these data points? It’s a good idea to start doing so by building your billing dashboard to track your performance and general financial solidity. This gives you a chance to track some of the most critical information about your medical billing cycle that you need to see. Leading to you managing your PT Practice more efficiently.

Lag Time

Lag time is the delay from the Date of Service to the First Billed Date. Reduction of lag time is a great way to increase the quality of operations in your PT Clinic. Most practices experience lag times of 10-20 days which is not good enough as this is 100% in the practice’s control. 

There are many aspects of your PT Billing Process that are not under your control, like the time it takes for the payer to process claims or the time it takes them to approve the bills.

Medical billing lag time is calculated like this: First Billed Date – DOS. Lag time can be reduced by billing your claims the same day the patients visit you.

Below are a few tips on how you can execute this more efficiently so that your medical claims get paid faster: 

1. Let your Physical Therapists Chart on devices like an IPad

Documenting your patient visits on an iPad or a Tablet,  the chances of billing your claims on the same day go up significantly as these devices are faster. 

By billing your claims the same day, your lag time will be reduced significantly, and your revenue flow will be quicker. So introducing Tablets and IPads can give some major benefits in documenting Eval, Progress Notes, and Daily Notes.

2. Voice Dictation

Voice dictation accelerates the documentation process by charting your visits more quickly.  Most PT Electronic Medical Records Software allows you to use voice dictation from your devices.

3. Track Lag Time

There should be a simple report running in your Management Software and Billing Software that allows tracking of lag time. Another way is to dump your e-claims and billing into a spreadsheet and apply the formula of lag time (First Billed Date – DOS).

Incomplete Patient Charts

Being a PT, you should not forget to complete patient charts on the same day, and if you are a clinic owner, make sure you review the work of all your therapists so completing all the charts and submitting them as claims are not forgotten.

PT is something that gets you busy, so therapists occasionally forget to complete charting their visits in their systems. The bottom line is that all charts must be completed in time ensuring speedy, efficient payment for all medical services. The best way to complete PT Documentation is a dashboard showing the following list of Charts: 

  • Missing Documents

This is a list of PT EMRs that contain a list of all patients with past appointment dates that have not been documented.  This is a great way to ensure you document visits for every patient 

  • Open Notes

This is a list of all open progress notes that are started and not completed. Reviewing this list daily makes sure you complete all notes.  

  • Open Evaluations

Most evaluations occur on the patient’s first visit so it becomes critical to make sure you get paid for the evaluations you made. This can only happen when you send the evaluation through your clearinghouse as an electronic claim.

Schedule Patient Follow-Ups

Proactively scheduling patient follow-ups allows your practice to run smoothly, and makes sure the patients get the best possible care. The easiest way to achieve this is to schedule follow-up PT visits using EMR software.

If not available there is always an option to manually schedule the patient according to the duration of their plan of care. This will take a little longer to complete, but it creates some solidity in the process. Most PT clinics don’t have a great patient outreach program in place, so considering setting one up can help out a lot. 

Here’s how you set up a proactive patient outreach program:

  1. Export all of your patient’s data into a spreadsheet.
  2. Create a script that your staff can use to call them to schedule a follow-up appointment.
  3. Most patients prefer to avoid going to see the doctor or Physical Therapist if there’s not a serious medical issue, so it will take some skills to make sure they come back to your practice. Some clinics use ways such as inviting patients for Yoga, free exercise classes, and personal training sessions.  To increase follow-up visits, your staff can say something like: We haven’t seen you for some time! Did you know that we have been inviting patients into our clinic for a free one on one health assessment?”. These are just examples of questions or ways you might use.

Improve Your PT Practice Now!

Looking after your practice and your PT bills is a lot of work. Sometimes, too much work can cause your staff to enter bills with small errors or it can also cause them to give less attention to the patient and more to the bills. Which is of no help! 

Well, don’t worry! As medical professionals here at Med-Miles are here for your assistance. We will give you professional advice on improving your PT Billing Practice so your work doesn’t get affected.

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Medical Billing Service

Medical Billing Service- How To Select The Right Service Provider?

Medical coding and Billing is a very crucial task that provides a huge responsibility to healthcare providers. 

The competition of outsourcing this service is high, there are tons of organizations to choose from that provide medical billing services. 

With so much saturation, you must look at your options in deep detail before choosing the right one. There are several ways to find the company that fits your practice. 

Let’s find out how you can select the company that perfectly fits your desires.

Types Of Billing Services Out There

Before jumping into the process of choosing your company let’s look at what types of companies regarding this service are there.

Small-Scale

If you are running a small medical practice then this is the option that can work out for you. Many medical billing firms nowadays, work on a small scale and some are also home-based.

If your service has little data management and a limited budget, investing in a small-scale billing company is the best choice. 

Professional

Medical Billing from a professional medical billing company costs more than a small company. However, the extra service provided adds value and tends to be worth the extra spending.

If you have a higher budget, a professional medical company can be a good option for you.

Physician Management Company

These companies have trained professionals and a well-developed hierarchy. This leads to timely submissions of assignments with high productivity.

Costing more than small and professional firms, these companies are worth the money as you completely hand out the medical billing process to them. As a result, focussing more on your practice rather than diverting your focus on other things.

Points Of Consideration Before Choosing Your Company

Services

The most obvious thing to look at before choosing the medical billing company is the services the companies offer. As a company, you need to be clear about the services that the medical billing company is offering and whether or not it matches your needs! Another point to notice is the services that the company does not offer.

Because getting all the services from one company is much more efficient than hiring separate companies for tasks. Another necessary point is taking into account the specialization of the company. If the company meets your requirements it will lead to a lot of benefits.

Cost

For any service that you outsource you need to be sure about how much it costs. The cost of the service a company is willing to spend depends on the budget a company has.

Discussing and finalizing the cost of the service is important. You must have a strategic approach to dealing. Many medical billing companies offer different rates of services so, choose the right package that fits the budget and needs.

Technology Used

Technology is the most important tool needed to get results quickly. However, not every medical billing company has the budget to equip itself with the latest and best tech.

This is why you need to be clear of the service you outsource and also the latest software needed for the task to be completed in the best possible way. You need to communicate this need beforehand, this will allow you to know if the medical billing company has the software required to do the work.

High Response Rate

Not only a good medical billing company, but any service provider takes measures to ensure that they respond to customer’s questions as soon as possible, to not have stoppages in work. Speed and availability are something that top healthcare providers look for. Medical billing partners should quickly respond to concerns before and after the service.

HIPAA

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) focuses on data protection and security requirements. Ensuring that your company meets HIPPA’s requirements is important, to not have any law-related issues that can ruin a company’s reputation. The law makes sure the patient’s sensitive details are protected and do not get into the wrong hands.

Is Your Data Secure?

In any tech-related field security is a major concern. This question increases in the case of medical practices. You need to remember that by outsourcing you are handing out highly sensitive data and in case it is used wrongly the company will be held responsible.

If you want to ensure the protection of confidential and private medical records, it is important to choose the best billing organization. Medical billing company needs to be truthful to you and provide reliable information on time. Honesty is the best policy!  So make sure you pick a company that makes things clear and immaculate.

Related Medical Billing Services Near Me: How Can I Find Them? 

Advantages Of Outsourcing 

Focus On Important Tasks

There is no denying it, medical billing is essential to your healthcare practice. However, the most important factor of your service is the well-being of your patients. By hiring a Medical Billing, you have more time to give to your patients. This allows the increase of your patient’s satisfaction.

As a result, this will result in more revenue for the company. It’s hard to do this when your employees also have to look at billing duties.

Errors Reduced

Without correct training of employees or if you still use paper-based systems, it results in bad errors taking place. With such a focus on technology, medical billing ensures that all your claims are accurate and quick in submission. This reduces rejected claims and increases efficiency. 

Safety Of Data

Medical-related files information is more valuable than other types of digital data. Outsourcing medical practice, medical experts invest the money to protect patient information and ensure that the chance of a data breach is minimal

Increased Productivity

Medical billing companies have more tools to use the data more effectively than you can. Data mining information in the patient database will reveal a range of patterns that can help you be more productive. 

Examples include adjusting staff schedules to handle patient flow appropriately based on historical patterns and projections, and identifying obstacles in the schedule. You could determine that certain patients need more time in the examination room than previously thought. A little knowledge goes a long way toward helping you operate more efficiently.

Why Med-Miles?

Finding a medical billing company that fits your needs is crucial. While searching for one you will notice that most of the companies you have seen are not perfect for one reason or another. However, Med-Miles ensures that all the boxes of your needs are ticked off. We ensure first-class quality and operational standards as customer satisfaction is our main goal.

For professional medical assistance feel free to call us at (888) 598-9181 or mail us at  info@med-miles.com.

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In-House

In-House vs. Outsource Medical Billing – Which One Is Best?

It has always been a discussion or debate on whether medical bills should be outsourced or kept in-house. To be fair, this is not a hard and fast rule.

It depends on the dynamics and visions of organizations. It also differs from practice to practice based on multiple factors: age of the business, size of clinical staff, and the financial health of a healthcare organization. So, there can’t be one rule that fits all

In-House Medical Billing vs. Outsourcing – What’s the Difference?

In-house medical billing refers to the medical billing process in your medical practice office. There will be a team sitting in your organization of place of medical practice. Oppositely in outsourcing, all of your medical billing will be conducted through a third-party organization.

Whether it’s in-house medical billing or outsource medical billing, both aim to accomplish the same goals that are to prepare and submit claims and ensure accounts receivables faster.

In this blog, we provide you a complete difference between In-house medical billing and outsource medical billing, so you can make a decision about which is right for your practice.

In-House Billing Pros

When we talk about the in-house medical billing process it seems ideal for any billing company to have an in-house team for medical billing. But, in reality, it is not. 

In-house medical billing is beneficial for only large companies because they can afford high-cost equipment and technologies. In-house has its own advantages. 

Let’s have a look at it.

Complete Control

The first and foremost benefit of in-house medical billing is to have complete control of everything. For the execution of billing activities, there are employees so that it is easier for healthcare providers to give instructions and implement all the standard procedures without any difficulty. 

Return on Investment

By managing in-house medical billing, you can check the cost of every little process. It will be under your control. Which results in a higher return on investment and increased revenues. 

Read Also Why Should You Outsource Your Medical Billing?

In-House Medical Billing Cons

Still, there are some cons to the in-house medical billing process. Let’s also have a look at them.

Higher Costs

The most important disadvantage of in-house medical billing as it involves a lot of capital in equipment, latest technologies, and software. 

Besides all this you also require a skilled billing team, for this, you have to invest in the recruitment of a team which may lead to the financial loss of your practice.

Liabilities

When you hire an in-house medical billing, your liabilities will tend to go up because it requires a lot of cash flow and expenses that have to be paid. However, by outsourcing, your liabilities will become lesser and allow you to get enough credit period. 

Support Issues

One of the major issues with in-house teams is the support system. It is difficult to manage your billing process without adequate resources. When you manage your billing process on your own, you will need optimum resources to serve your clients. It is really a challenging task to have your in-house medical billing team.

Outsourcing Medical Billing Pros

Why do you need to outsource? Simply because you want to get benefit from it. Here are some benefits of outsourcing medical billing to a third- party.

Cost-Effective

The major benefit of outsourcing medical billing is that it is highly cost-effective. 

When the operational and customer support work of the medical practice is outsourced to the third-party medical billing company, the cost will automatically go down. 

This is because of the currency conversion that makes it viable for business. Things like infrastructure, expertise, procedures come at a lower cost. However, outsourcing medical billing is profitable for healthcare providers. 

Transparency

By outsourcing, a specific set of standard processes, systems, and procedures can be created. Consequently, the medical company knows each and every detail that goes on through outsourcing. 

In addition, software tools are used to monitor and manage billing processes on a day-to-day basis. In short, outsourcing medical billing tasks will bring transparency.

Consistency

Consistency is the key solution for any business. When you choose the right medical billing company you can see consistent growth in your practice. Also, the outsourced company has skilled billers and coders who put effort to deliver consistent results.

Easy to Expand

Outsourcing billing tasks will give you the benefit of expanding faster. You don’t need to invest in infrastructure, recruitment, and training. All is done by the Medical billing company.

More Focus On Patient Care

Nowadays, medical billing has become a daunting task for healthcare providers. This time-consuming and overwhelming task will divert the provider’s precious time and prevent patients from receiving quality treatment. 

Through outsourcing, medical practitioners can focus more on patients and will be able to provide better service to their patients.

Accuracy

With a team of experts and their vast experience, medical billing companies will help you to get paid faster without any error. They are used to the process of getting payment efficiently.

Compliance With The Standard Medical Practices

By outsourcing your medical billing, there is no issue of compliance. Medical billing outsourcing companies have trained staff and teams that will help you in getting compliance with HIPAA standards.

Faster Claims

As mentioned earlier, most of the leading medical billing outsourcing companies have extensive experience in this area. Hence, this makes the claims process easier and quicker. 

Outsourcing companies handle the tracking and collection of payments. When claims are received on a regular basis, it will benefit the medical practitioners to have a steady cash flow. 

Outsourcing Medical Billing Cons

While having a lot of benefits, outsourcing medical billing is not without cons. Here are some issues faced by the outsourcing company:

Less control

When the majority of operations will be outsourced, then you will lose control. If there is any delay in reports or data transformation, it will affect healthcare providers in terms of claim collection and their practice reputation.

Variable Cost

Variable cost is another issue of outsourcing billing. When companies grow, variable costs will also increase.

Want to get financial benefits for your practice? By looking into the comparison above, it is easy for you to make a decision which one is the best option according to your practice. If you prefer in-house medical billing there will definitely come a time when you will face the need for an outsourcing company for medical billing.

So going to an outsourcing company after why not go first hand? If you had made up your mind of going for a third party in order to have the medical billing outsourced. We recommend you do your medical billing through us. Why is that? Find out for yourself via Why Med Miles for billing outsourcing?

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