One may ask why practices require medical billing specialists. A crucial reason might be that taking up the services of a medical biller or a coder may lower overhead costs and expenses but definitely will help the physician to collect more revenues. Physicians across all states are constantly facing difficulties in insurance coding and payment reimbursement in terms of their insurance claims. For them optimizing reimbursement is accompanied with a lot of complexity since there is flux in the medical billing rules and regulations frequently.
Engaging the services of professional medical billers will help the providers to effectively steer their clinic’s operations towards other functions which can help them grow their practices. Hiring professional services will give the providers an opportunity to manage and organize their business in areas that require critical attention including better patient care, healthcare documentation needs, marketing their own practice and increasing the number of new patients they can retain.
Now, before hiring medical billers, a particular practice should take into consideration a few aspects such as:
1. Experience of Billing Specialists:
A thorough and deep understanding of medical billing in terms of multiple specialties is a necessity for any biller to have a holistic view of the insurance industry. Their experience in handling various processes such as insurance eligibility and benefit verification, charge capture, payment posting, claims transmissions, denial management and follow-up on account receivables gives you the confidence to rely on them. [Prerna Gupta] The number of years of experience definitely counts when complex billing situations arise.
2. Medical Billing Software experience:
Before hiring a medical billing service, providers should consider that they are appropriately trained in the usage of medical billing software used in your clinic such as Medisoft, Altapoint, NueMD or any other software. An important characteristic to look for in medical billing software is that it should easily and effectively process both insurance as well as patient billing and should have the capacity to handle different types of claims. These may include secondary or third-party claims and workman’s compensation.
3. Flexibility:
The term ‘flexibility’ can apply not only to the software but to the billing specialist as they must be willing to learn more. This will be demonstrated by his/her ability to process different types of insurance claims and at the same time handling a number of medical billing situations while dealing with insurance companies and patient queries.
4. Certification:
Certification does not mean everything for a Medical Biller but most Billers who undergo certification process are confident about their knowledge. They also develop the best industry practices and apply them for your clinic. The most popular certification organization, AAPC – American Academy of Professional Coders holds CPC exams across the United States to determine the authenticity of billing and coding professionals. The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) also provides most of the certifications and advocates the correct application of CPT, HCPCS procedure and supply codes and ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes. Having certified personnel on board guarantees error free billing for you.
5. Their Network:
It is important for Medical Billers and coders to network with as many professionals as possible specializing in different specialties and billing software. If a particular biller is not confident about the reason for denial or other nuances of the specialty, they could refer their doubts to their peers and seek solutions faster. These Billers are also willing to grow and advance as professionals.
6. References:
Reference can help medical billers to go a long way toward building a healthy client base. This can help providers to trust a medical billing specialist to handle their billing requirements for them. Along with the list of credentials, a crisp resume, references from former employers or seniors can help the provider to make sure that the medical biller is experienced and trustworthy.
These aspects can be taken into consideration only if you find appropriate candidates to interview, the question arising here is where to locate them? It is best to take the help of medical billing consortium which show the billers willingness to learn, network and grow. Medicalbillersandcoders.com is one such consortium with its reach in all the fifty states of the United States and at the same time provides trained medical billers and coders to physician groups without a fee.
Going to Medicalbillersandcoders.com is a welcome step because it can help physicians to locate Medical Billers and Coders in their city, state, specialty and having experience in their software. Medicalbillersandcoders.com is one of the easiest way to find the best medical billing specialist, just log on to the website and match your requirement with the available profiles. It is a consortium having hundreds of billers and coders for your preference. They are a specialized lot having experience almost all the specialties including cardiology, dental, dermatology and general surgery.
This consortium was created by specialists of the healthcare industry for the convenience of the healthcare providers keeping in mind the best criteria to shortlist the best medical biller or coder in your area.
FAQs:
1. Why should practices hire medical billing specialists?
Hiring medical billing specialists can reduce overhead costs while improving revenue collection, allowing physicians to focus on patient care and practice growth.
2. What key factors should practices consider before hiring a medical biller?
Practices should evaluate the specialist’s experience, software proficiency, flexibility, certification, professional network, and references to ensure quality service.
3. How does experience impact a medical biller’s effectiveness?
Experienced billers possess a comprehensive understanding of billing processes and can navigate complex situations, leading to more efficient claims management.
4. Why is certification important for medical billers?
Certification indicates a professional’s knowledge and commitment to industry standards, which helps ensure accurate and error-free billing practices.
5. How can practices find qualified medical billing specialists?
Practices can utilize medical billing consortiums, like Medical Billers and Coders, to connect with trained professionals who match their specific needs and specialties.