As of May 2013, in the US, the average past due rate is 18.30%. The longer those overdue accounts receivable (AR) decline, the less likely it is that your medical practice will ever be paid.
Every single day, various services are provided by physicians, nursing homes, and hospitals to various patients. The patients are given the required treatment and care as a part of these services, and in return, the patient owes a specific amount to the hospitals and physicians. The hospitals and physicians then get paid by the insurance companies as well as by the patients.
So now you are well acquainted of how important the insurance model is for every medical organization and practitioner. This model helps physicians recover the over-due payments. The accounts receivable follow-ups help in efficiently running the business of such organizations.
In medical billing, AR stands for Accounts Receivable. Accounts receivable, or AR, are claims that are unpaid by the insurance companies or patients. An AR caller is a person who tries to resolve the reason for unpaid claims and makes sure you are reimbursed well for your services rendered.
One of the key functionalities and the biggest department of medical billing is the Accounts Receivable (AR) department. It is one such department which makes other departments revolve around it and is the back-bone of any medical billing company. This is the only department that determines the revenue of the doctor, as well as, the billing company.
In the initial period, account receivables were merely looked upon as a departmental activity. But in recent times, it has turned up into specialized skilled professionals. In fact, it has become an important part of any billing services company. However, since the passing of HIPAA (The Health Insurance Portability and accountability Act) in 1996, it became compulsory for medical practitioners to use administrative and management functions as well.
The AR caller is a more important part of any billing process. The AR caller follows-up the job of Accounts Receivable. He monitors the receivables to ensure that it is well within the control. He also keeps in mind that his main motive is to maximize the collection of the billing company. He is in-charge for calling the insurance companies on behalf of the physicians to follow up on the outstanding dues. He always works towards a common goal to make sure that the cash flow is maintained. So you can imagine what sort of work needs to be done before the physician can actually claim their money. This explains why accounts receivable callers have become so important in the billing process.
The purpose of AR team is to analyze and examine the denied claims, prejudiced payments and non- payments. If any claim is submitted inaccurately, then AR team corrects it and yield the claim again. AR team also communicates continually with the patient, and the insurance company or nursing home. The above qualities make these people a dear asset of the organization.
Apart for all of this, the AR caller team performs other duties like:
Thus, we can conclude that AR callers are the most important aspect of any medical company. The effectiveness of the AR caller will determine the financial health of medical billing companies, nursing homes and hospitals.
Advantages of having an Account receivable (AR) calling team: