4 Powerful Ways to Improve Medical Billing Services

Medical billing services are a vital player in the US healthcare industry. Without them, physicians would have to face dire consequences in the revenue cycle. However, when the focus is upon refining the quality of care, the healthcare providers demand the same quality criteria for medical billing companies as well.

Outsourcing medical billing is a way for dedicated billers to take control, but it also supports the whole revenue cycle management process. When we talk about taking the healthcare industry ahead, medical billing companies must equally go through the process of screening according to set standards. It will benefit physicians and patients alike.

Two physicians from Johns Hopkins University researched in this sector and concluded the following arguments.

Let’s find out!

Medical Billing Services Should Be Transparent

Medical claims should clearly state the codes to get an estimate of the total bill without difficulty. Not only physicians but also the patients can read the claims. They must have the facility to check if the rendered services are accurate and billed correctly.

Firstly, it empowers patients and then the doctors, making them independent financially. Secondly, it checks costs as they turn out to be accurate for patients, useful to both doctors and patients. Ultimately, it leads to increased transparency in the billing procedure.

Automate the Medical Billing Process

One thing that can resolve many issues in medical billing and coding services is automation. We see many errors in claims that is one of the major causes of lost revenue. Even some patients remain confused about the healthcare coverage, which affects the overall performance of the billing process.

The modern medical billing outsourcing companies are therefore investing in methods that automate the claim compilation process right from the start. They know inaccurate claims add to the denied claims, which means all the efforts that a healthcare worker invests in the patient can go to vain.

The denial management is again a lengthy process where billers reinvest efforts from scratch. Automation helps to avoid inconvenience in this matter. You can automatically verify healthcare benefits while preventing human errors. Ultimately, there is a lesser administrative load on physicians or billing services with lesser paperwork.

Opt for Price Transparency 

Another suggestion by physicians is to make prices public for patients. Although some medical practices in the US offer this facility to patients, it is still not the norm everywhere. The vast majority haven’t made them public yet.

Allowing patients to view prices of diagnostic and surgical procedures is to offer them price transparency. Moreover, patients would know their out-of-pocket expenses beforehand, and physicians would know their bills.

To know more about quality medical billing services, this might be a good read:

10 Steps of Medical Billing Services for Effective Revenue Cycle Management

Involve Patients in the Billing Process

In order to improve medical billing services, it was suggested to encourage patients to speak with the concerned person in case of any ambiguity in the bill.

With this facility, bills would often be correct, on time, and accuracy would increase while preventing errors resulting in reduced denials. Moreover, patients would get more involved in the billing process, and their input can be utilized to compile cleaner claims.

Another thing that can help patients empower is informing them about their financial obligations beforehand. Often, clinicians have trouble getting reimbursements from patients. The reason remains patients are oblivious of the out-of-pocket expenses.

If there is a team, be it the front-desk department, that stays in touch with the patients since the appointment phase, the communication gap reduces significantly. Consequently, the payment process becomes speedy, resulting in smooth revenue cycle management.

Don’t Burden Patients Unnecessarily

Looking into the payment system, patients have to pay higher than the insurance plan devises for them. This approach is actually unfair in terms of the transparent flow of money. Furthermore, medical billing services should consider complications that may occur while the patients receive care.

The idea is to offer value-driven healthcare services to the patient alongside an optimized healthcare expense.

The financial aspect is crucial for the healthcare industry. The focus has to be only on the quality of services, but also on optimization and transparency of prices. It is observed in a survey that a large population of patients thinks of delaying healthcare services due to concerns in medical bills.

Thus, CMS and other governing bodies have to empower patients in the billing process for better outcomes. Let’s do that right away.