Medical Billing Software, Where To Start?

Have you performed a search lately for medical billing software on Google? It brings up approximately 1.2 million results, now mind you, alot of these sites have nothing to do with medical billing software, and alot of those that do sell the same software. I have no idea how many different types of medical billing software there are, nor do I care because there are only a couple of applications that I would recommend anyway. Those being Medisoft and Medical Manager.

These 2 medical billing software applications perform essentially the same functions but with their own flare and various added features, however the prices vary quite a bit depending upon which of the 40,000 or so dealers that you buy your software from.

That’s right apparently anyone can become a vendor and sell these software applications, especially Medisoft, it can be found for sale by a huge number of companies on the internet which leads me to believe that no one is getting rich selling the software except the software company itself.

OK back to the software,

They both simplify managed care,

The both create ledgers and balance sheets,

They both bill the remainder to the patient,

They both allow customized monthly reports,

They both submit claims electronically,

They both have a user-friendly interface,

and they both ultimately handle all aspects of your billing process.

So what makes them different? why do some billing companies choose one over the other?

Part of it is the fact that some physicians like to continue to use what ever software they have in there office, or do not want to convert and will choose a billing service accordingly.

I have never worried about software compatability because there are a huge number of offices out there that are using both types of software, the key is to be able to sell your services to those practices.

Another part is simply, how much do you want to pay for your software and what medical billing software are you comfortable, or have past experience with?

I personally have found that it doesn’t matter so much about who is using what software, but more about whether or not they know how to use what they have? You can purchase the “Mercedes Benz” of medical billing software and a “Hummer” of a computer but if you don’t know how to use it properly, you just wasted alot of money!!

For Someone Wanting To Start A Medical Billing Business:

I do not recommend that you purchase any software until you have the proper training and credentials from an accredited school in medical coding and billing principals. It will be next to impossible to obtain any clients without knowing what you are talking about and being able to answer the many questions a potential client will have about your operations. Not to mention that if you do get a client, how long will you keep them when they start losing income due to your mistakes? Think about it, the whole lively hood of that physicians business is in your hands, wouldn’t you ask alot of questions?

View all Articles by: Melissa Clark, CCS-P