When you run an ambulance service, you need income to drive your organization. In order to concentrate on your organization and see that it is the best in its field, your crucial component to help you is your billing area. If you have a strong, dedicated, and knowledgeable staff then you are good at meeting your goals. However, if you have outsourced your Ambulance billing service, then there are a few things you should know what to expect to meet your high standards and also avoid fraud.
Are they technology advanced?
For your billing and data entry, conforming to the National EMS Information System and being HISPCs compliant is very essential. Your billing system should work in tandem with the NEMSIS. Thus your outsourced billing service should be using the latest and updated billing system for ambulance providers. Their coders should be professionally certified for the competent handling of complex billing data. And their coding system has been updated to handle the transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10 with all codes and placements installed.
Documentation & Support
With the new ICD-10 coding system coming into play, documentation is a crucial factor in the billing system to generate the revenue required. The coders and billers may be certified, but they need to work in an integrated manner with your staff that will provide the “run sheets” that have all incidences documented from when they pick the patient to when they drop the patient. To be able to deliver insurance and payment support to your patients, your billing service needs to complement your work on patient transportation and staying compliant with all healthcare & CMS regulations and requirements. Any claim denials should be followed up by them, with supporting documentation and close monitoring of accounts receivables should be done.
Fee Control
Even with the most updated software and professionally trained staff, your outsourced billing service should have transparency and openness when it comes to fees, especially since you will be paying them for increasing your revenues. Monthly statements should be automated to come in at a pre-fixed date with all supporting invoices and claims issued. This verifies their in-principle integrity and helps keep the business relationship professional and profitable for both.
Setting Quality Assurance Standards
One way to maintain quality assurance by your outsource ambulance billing service is that from the initial days insist on tailored reports for your business and how improvements and enhancements should be introduced. Secondly, get qualified coders to assess your documents for quality control. When you employ an outsourced medical billing service company to handle your billing demands, and with their reports, you can check and monitor where procedures need to be enhanced in-house to help increase your profitability and thus your Revenue Cycle Management process.
Open Lines of Communication
A successful partnership depends on its lines of Communication. In an emergency, all information may not be verified on the spot. Hence, delays in reimbursements in the accounts receivable could be present. Here, payment options and insurance billing should be communicated by the billing service company, as time is crucial to collate the information, check eligibility, and verification all documents submitted.
Control Costs & increase profit
You need to choose wisely when contracting out to an outsourced medical billing company, along with monitoring checks in place. Control your costs, choose wisely from the list of ambulance billing companies, and don’t necessarily settle for the one with the lowest fee. But choose the one that assures you good customer service, with advanced technology and certified coders and billers who are up to date with the healthcare state & federal rules and regulations.
Remember, billing is a key component that helps sustain the efficacy of the ambulance service you provide. So while you can concentrate on providing the best service to the patients and healthcare providers, your billing service should be supporting you with the groundwork and timely inputs when required.
