ANSI 5010: 5 Ways an Outsourced Medical Billing Company Can Make the Transition Pain-Free

The worries about implementing ANSI 5010 by January are piling up. Last month, the Medical Group Management Association has asked for a contingency plan for those physicians not ready for the ANSI 5010 deadline in January 2012. What about those physicians who just aren’t ready for ANSI 5010?  This follows on the heels of the Healthcare Information and Management System society concerns, recommending providers create their own contingency plans.  And it isn’t just ANSI 5010 that is worrying some.

Last week, the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates voted to stop revisions on ICD-10, The ICD-10 codes do not go into effect until October 1, 2013. With 68,000 codes, ICD-10 far surpasses the amount of codes in ICD-9, which are about 14,000. Not only are physicians having difficulty with the amount of codes, but the complexity of it.  Other concerns were for the economics of time for physicians to learn the coding system, along with adopting EMR.

With all of these groups voicing concerns, it is easy to wonder how to ensure that by January 2012, everything in your practice will be running smoothly.  People can have a difficult time with changes, no matter how well they perform their jobs. One of the best ways to ensure that you will be compliant by January 2012, especially if you haven’t started yet (!), is by outsourcing your medical billing.

If you are panicking about becoming compliant, here are some things that an outsourced medical billing company can do for you:

1. Medical Billing companies often have their own software solution- Outsourced medical billing companies ensure that the software used is tested and ANSI 5010 compliant, leaving your practice without any worries.
2. Training- Medical billing companies often will train your staff for using the software and any questions you might have about ANSI 5010.
3. Conferring with a consultant- Finding someone who knows how to keep your practice going during a transition, were it be to ASNI 5010 or going to a new software program is key. Often, the best resource is your outsourced medical billing company, as it is their entire business to keep up on any changing medical billing rules. They can also help by advising on increasing cash flow.
4. Contingency plan- No one wants to think about computer glitches, problems with people not understanding new rules or anything else that might arise when trying to get bills paid. But spending the time trying to figure out what to do if something happens- only people who work day and day out would have the knowledge to come up with a great contingency plan for any glitches. They also would be able to fix it the fastest, mainly by seeing it first. As a physician or office manager, you wouldn’t have to see any of those issues, as the medical billing company takes care of them first.
5. Continue to do what they do best- Physicians and office managers are busy. Part of their time is devoted to ensuring proper coding is occurring in their offices, but they would much rather make sure that a patient is receiving quality care.  Outsourced medical billing companies will continue to do with they do best during this transition- make sure you have cash flow to run your practice.

Sometimes, it’s just best to let someone else handle all the details.  If you select this route, the outsourcing medical billing company will take on the responsibility to make sure your practice is ANSI 5010 compliant.  You can sit back and relax.

Clinic Service is happy to answer any questions about the ANSI 5010 process.  We are prepared and ready to transition any medical practice to the new regulations and our C-Suite software is approved for ANSI 5010. We also provide consulting services for any practice. You can contact us here.