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Medical Billing
Jobs
Medical Billing Services:
What To Look For by John Burke Apparently, many people have
been promised things that were never delivered when dealing
with medical billing services. Sadly, I don't know of any
companies that I really feel comfortable recommending. What
I can offer is a few tips when looking for a billing service:Experience:
Personally, I put this at the top of my list.
I don't want to spend time and money
dealing with someone trying to climb the learning curve.Investment:
What are they doing specifically to stay ahead of the ever
changing world of medical billing? If they are paying for
people to take classes, ask to see some certificates.Size:
I don't like to go with massive companies, but I refrain from
hiring one man shops as well. Basically, I want the company
to be small enough that if I call, I am never on hold for
more than one minute. However, I also avoid being the only
client a company has.References: I take this part very seriously.
It isn't just about verifying that the references exist, I
like to ask the references specific questions. I would ask,
for example, if the billing company had ever fallen behind.
If the reference says no, I know right away they are not telling
the full truth (everyone falls behind at some point)..
Reports: Don't just ask what
types of reports they can produce. Ask what they have experience
in doing and then request to see two examples from a past
month. If there is any delay in producing this, I'd begin
to wonder how truthful they were being.HIPAA: What metrics
have they taken to meet with the necessary guidelines? Many
people feel that outsourcing the work to other countries creates
a liability.
I don't agree that non US citizens are
any more or less likely to violate HIPAA standards when standards
are in place.There are obviously many other details to consider,
but these are a few that I always like to keep an eye out
for. They may also apply to other types of services as well.Our
billing staff is small in our office, so when accounts go
past due for more than 120 days, we send them to a collection
agency. It is the ugly fact of modern medicine that some people
cannot pay for proper care, so it is with a heavy heart that
we do this.The agency we use charges 30% of what's recovered,
and they have a pretty good track record. Click
here for the rest.
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