Medical billing service is an administrative payment process within the health care system. The entire process typically involves a health care provider getting insurance verification from a patient, submitting a claim, and following through with reimbursement. While most of this occurs between office visits, some billing does happen at the time of a surgical procedure or hospitalization. Some insurance companies require specific processes before they will cover medical billing costs. For this reason, some providers turn to an administrative medical billing service to take care of all these steps.
Medical billing process
Many different administrative services can be used in the medical billing process. However, not all billing services are created equal. As such, an individual needs to perform due diligence when researching the many practices available. A good way to do this is by considering what types of processes best fit their needs, the price charged for the service, and the reputation of the service.
Most popular types of medical billing service
One of the most popular types of medical billing service is the electronic claim. With this type of service, a medical practitioner submits claims to insurance companies via the Internet. This service has many benefits, especially for small practices, because of how quickly the information is updated and disseminated. However, some claim specialists are not set up to handle certain insurance coding needs, leaving some patients’ claims in an inaccurate state.
Percentage-based pricing structure
Another service that is becoming more common among smaller practices is the percentage-based pricing structure. Under this method, a percentage of each medical claim is paid by the insurance company. This means that if a patient only makes a small claim, the percentage of the overall cost goes down. This can make it easier for patients to pay off small claims without increasing their debt or decreasing their coverage. Because of this, some practitioners prefer to use this type of service when they have several patients who need to get treated simultaneously.
Third option for medical billing services
The third option for Medical billing service is to send out emails regarding customer service. This can be helpful for practitioners to increase patient retention and prevent the occurrence of patient dissatisfaction. A good service will always give patients the option of leaving feedback about their experience with the doctor. In addition, this type of communication helps practitioners gain patient loyalty and keep their patients coming back. However, some of these services may not offer the level of support to ensure that the patient receives adequate customer support.
Health insurance claim
Some medical billing services will also assist those patients who need to take care of a health insurance claim. When a patient submits an insurance claim, the service will help them fill out the claim forms and provide documentation to the insurance company. This type of service will also give them advice on how to take care of the forms if filing with their insurance company does not take care of the situation. If the insurance company rejects the claim, the service will refer the patient to an agency that files insurance claims.
Coding staff
Some medical billing services have different options for their coding staff. They will assign a single person responsible for processing insurance claims, processing online claims, submitting forms to insurance companies and tracking all patient records. However, some clinics will use a combination of these options. They may still need a single staff for in-house billing, but they may have extra staff on contract to handle online requests, take care of phone calls and other requests for information. The number of medical providers using a combination of these options may vary, depending on the size of the clinic and the needs of its patients.
Even when a medical billing service uses one staff member to handle the entire job of coding, some clinics may still encounter coding errors. A practice needs to review each coding job that is performed carefully. Staff should check for typos, misspellings and other inconsistencies in formatting and locations. A professional service will ensure that all information provided is correct. This will help the practice avoid potentially costly mistakes. The coding errors found can also be used as evidence against a practice in the event of a lawsuit.
