As a new medical practitioner, you have entered the post-university, real-world existence with all the enthusiasm and optimism that comes with the many thrills of starting your own clinic. You are excited to get started and ready to make a difference. Seeing patients and helping people is what you were meant for! Now comes the really fun part: choosing a medical billing services.
While insurance regulations, invoicing, coding, and bill collections may indeed be the stuff that dreams are made of, if you really want to help all the people you can, you just won’t have time to do them all well. So, now you need to choose a medical billing service. Here's what to look for.
The first mistake most of us make when hiring anybody for anything at all, whether it be for a handyman, a financial advisor, or a medical billing service, is to go with the cheapest option. You do your homework, get three quotes from three different companies and simply choose the cheapest bidder. Just like with the handyman or the financial advisor, chances are that selecting the cheapest option will result in the cheapest level of service and ultimately more work for you.
When selecting from among the plethora of medical billing services, choose a company with the experience and predictably helpful service level that will allow you more time to do what you do best: serve your patients. Select a company with a proven track record and seasoned professionals that will attend to your clinic's unique needs.
You should make particular note that some companies will provide just billing alone, while others will serve on a deeper level, providing full service options that include a guaranteed rate of acceptance of claims, collections services, and integration with accounting software. Equally important is hiring a company that stays updated on the fast-paced, changing world of insurance regulations, medical coding, and how health care reform may affect you and your clinic.
Sure, price is important in any economy, especially this one. But perhaps it should be a little lower down on the list of priorities.
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