Basic Outsourcing Questions
Will my claims really be paid faster?
Why should I pay for your medical billing services in addition to my current staff?
Will my patient charts ever have to leave the office?
What information is needed and how long will it take to setup my medical practice account?
What information does your medical billing service need from us to process claims?
How will we send this information to your medical insurance billing service?
How will you follow-up on claims?
What safeguards are in place for security of data backup?
How will we know the status of the claims and the balance of each of our patient's accounts?
What practice management software does your medical billing service use?
Electronic Filing FAQ
Why are you being "Pushed" to file electronically?
What is happening to your paper claims?
How much are you paying for your paper claims?
Why should you file electronically?
If electronic filing is the way to go... Why don't all doctors do it?
Have your considered outsourcing to an outside medical billing center?
What are some of the benefits of outsourcing?
Basic Outsourcing Questions
Will my claims really be paid faster?
Most definitely. Electronic claims are always processed before paper claims and because of electronic medical billing tracking methods in place, the insurance companies can't say they never received your claims. Notification of rejected claims are received within 24 to 48 hrs. Your claim can be paid between 10-14 days.
Why should I pay for your medical billing services in addition to my current staff?
- You will save time, money and increase your cash flow.
- You and your staff will have more time to spend with your patients and medical services, we will take care of your billing.
- You will save employee costs (hiring, training, taxes, insurance, benefits), the cost of purchasing and maintaining extra equipment, office space and software, you will save the cost of supplies, continued training and additional utility costs associated with billing.
- Your cash flow will increase because of the fast payment from the insurance companies.
- Your cost for medical billing will only be paid after you receive the payments from the insurance companies.
Will my patient charts ever have to leave the office?
Positively not! We will contact your office manager and request by fax, email or phone any pertinent information not included in the initial information package. You send only information that is necessary for filing claims and paperwork needed for the type of services you are requesting. All patient information is kept in the strictest of confidentiality and is only used for medical billing purposes. Our medical billing service will only have access to what you provide, and that we will keep secure and private
What information is needed and how long will it take to setup my medical practice account?
To set up your practice, we will need your practice information, your provider's information, and a copy of your superbill for the transaction codes and fee schedules. We will also need insurance carriers that your medical practice accepts, EMC agreements, where applicable. We will do all possible to shorten the time needed for your medical practice to be setup and fully functional for electronic filing. It takes about 4-6 weeks to set up Medicaid and Medicare, the commercial insurance companies may take less time. We will submit paper claims for you until all processes are complete.
What information does your medical billing service need from us to process claims?
To process the claims, we need copies of your daily activity sheet, patient enrollment form, insurance card front and back, and your insurance verification form. For posting payments, we need copies of EOB's, and daily activity sheets.
How will we send this information to your medical insurance billing service?
We will set up the most convenient and secure method for you. We use Fax, Email, for the fastest method. For a slower method we use mail, and UPS.
How will you follow-up on claims?
Daily we use the tracking management system that is included in Synergy Medical Billing Software. Any claim not paid in 7 days needs aggressive follow-up. Chickadee Medical Insurance Billing will challenge any and all rejections with perseverance. We'll start with direct phone calls to the carrier. If we need more information from you, we'll call you the provider, and resubmit the form with denial and any paperwork necessary in getting the claim paid.
What safeguards are in place for security of data backup?
We back up daily and perform full backups weekly, on removable storage devices. These devices are stored securely in a locked area, labeled and dated. Monthly a complete backup is locked in a safe off premises, for emergency and environmental disaster recovery. We have APC power protectors on all our equipment to protect from power fluctuation.
How will we know the status of the claims and the balance of each of our patient's accounts?
We will upload a file on your computer as often as you need. This file will be a detailed accounting for each patient and a summary of the entire accounts receivable.
What practice management software does your medical billing service use?
We use Synergy Medical Insurance Software. Since 1980, Synergy MIS has been a leader in the electronic claims processing industry. It is HIPAA compliant and has constant updates and training to ensure that both the software and the users are current with all the changes that are constantly taking place in this industry.
Electronic Filing FAQ
Why are you being "Pushed" to file electronically?
Medicare and some contracted insurance will begin penalizing your paper claims by reducing reimbursement in the very near future. Paper claims are crippling the Insurance Industry. Considering that only 38% of all claims filed today uses electronic billing; the other 62% still file manually, using over 450 different forms. According to a recent study conducted by Arthur D. Little, Inc, the annual US healthcare bill could be reduced more than $30 billion simply by compiling and transmitting patient information electronically.
What is happening to your paper claims?
Are you seeing a trend towards more and more of a delayed payment of your paper claims? It is not your imagination! Paper claims carry a mandatory 28 day hold and can only be reimbursed if the payment reserve has not been exhausted once the claim is eligible for determination. Electronic claims are adjudicated first and without he growing number of providers jumping on the Electronic Claims Submission bandwagon, your paper claims are continually being forced to the back of the reimbursement line!
How much are you paying for your paper claims?
You would think the answer to this is simple, but it isn't . Your paper claim cost is not equivalent to just the postage, stationary and staff time! A sturdy by the American Medical Association estimates that it costs physicians between $6 and $12 in labor and overhead to process a paper claim. Factoring in errors at an average of 25% of all paper claims and the time it takes to reprocess unpaid claims, the inefficiency and wasted dollars is alarming!
Why should you file electronically?
Processing claims electronically provides many benefits over traditional paper claims.
The average rejection rate of the electronic claim is only 2%
Electronic claims are considered priority and are paid between 7-21 days.
Following up to insurance companies by your staff is drastically reduced.
The electronic claim saves you and average of $7 per claim filed.
Processors do not need to re-key your claim into their system, thus reducing adjudication error.
If electronic filing is the way to go... Why don't all doctors do it?
Many doctors don't have the time or training to implement a whole new set of office procedures. They are reluctant to make the financial investment in specialized software and additional hardware needed. Some doctors are completely satisfied with their system which does not offer the capability of electronic claims submission; while there are others who simply do not want to open themselves up to the technicalities involved with electronic claims submission.
Have your considered outsourcing to an outside medical billing center?
Outsourcing your medical billing claims can be very profitable for physicians because it eliminates all the daily expenses associated with keeping their medical billing in-house. It is their responsibility to relinquish these expenses from your practice thereby enabling you to receive greater profitability.
What are some of the benefits of outsourcing?
- Shortened insurance payment cycles of 10-14 days
- Increased cash flow
- Reduced outstanding accounting receivable
- Decreased office paperwork
- Lowered supply and postage costs
- Customized reports analyzing your practice
- Patient account management by highly qualified professional
- No need to invest thousands of dollars into a new office management system
- No need to train your staff on a new and sometimes complicated system
- You save money and time!
- Access your patient account information via your own computer.
