How to Choose A Medical Billing Service

How to Choose A Medical Billing Service:
When a physician chooses a medical billing service, there are several things to consider before making a final decision. First, you have to decide what you want your medical billing service to do. Some just handle insurance claims. Others help with collecting money from patients. And some provide extensive practice management services.

Medical billing services submit insurance claims one of two ways: on paper or electronically. It is important to choose a medical billing service that does electronic submissions as much as possible. This will result in quicker claim acceptance and payments from insurance companies. Physicians must also consider what medical billing services charge for their services. Some companies charge on a per-claim basis, while medical billing services that provide more than just claim management charge more.

You should also ask a potential medical billing service if it specializes in certain kinds of medicine. A doctor would need a different medical billing service than a dentist, and a podiatrist would want a different service than a gynecologist. This assures that the medical billing service will be familiar with its own insurance regulations regarding claim submissions and payments. Some medical billing services are more user-friendly than others. Avoid services that require a setup-fee or ask that insurance payments be deposited to their account.

Ask ahead of time how many of their insurance claims are denied. And ask what their average turnaround time is. Insurance companies are notoriously slow, but that’s no reason to wait months for claims processing. Also, ask potential medical billing services how they will help you track your claims and monthly transactions, so you can see where you stand at a glance.

View all Articles by: Melissa Clark, CCS-P