Basics of Medical Billing

Whether you are planning on starting a medical billing business, already own a medical billing business, work for a billing service or in a medical office, it is crucial that you completely understand the entire billing process. From the time a patient schedules an appointment to the time that full payment is received, everyone who interacts with either the patient or the billing process can affect the payment.

Billing is such an important part of a medical office. The money brought in from the billing is what keeps the office running. It pays everyone’s salary, including the doctor. It always amazes me that so many providers do not make sure that their billing is being done properly and that their office staff isn’t all working together to make sure all is being done that needs to be.

When a patient calls to schedule an appointment it is important that the person doing the scheduling not only gets all of the necessary information from the patient but also that they understand how insurance works so they can tell if anything needs to be done prior to the patient’s appointment. Having someone who understands medical billing can reduce visits that end up not being covered by insurance.

The person responsible for actually submitting the insurance claims needs to know the different requirements by each carrier and understand how to handle all aspects of billing. Following up on unpaid insurance claims is an area that most offices lose a ton of money. If you don’t have a very good follow up system then you are definitely losing money.

Many medical providers think that only the billing person needs to understand medical billing. Actually it is important that all staff have some knowledge of insurance billing in order for things to run smoothly. The more that the staff understands, the less money you throw out the door. Providers deserve to be paid for all the patients they treat.

Copyright 2008 – Michele Redmond