How to Become a Better Medical Biller This Year

Medical billing is a difficult job. Even the most experienced billers run into problems every now and then. The process is tedious for a reason though—after all, protecting patient data and ensuring it’s securely transferred during the billing process is paramount to your success as a biller. If you’ve been thinking about how to improve your skills as a biller but aren’t quite sure where to begin, we’re excited to be a part of your journey. Every biller is different, and every practice operates differently, but these tips generally apply to most billers in the industry. 

Transparent Communication

Communication is key, and this includes both with your internal team and with your patients. On the patient side, it’s important to clearly explain the patient’s financial responsibility before their appointment. This should also include signing paperwork that acknowledges payment details. If your patients have questions about their billing, upcoming appointments, or anything else, they shouldn’t have a problem reaching your office and getting answers. Likewise, your team should be in constant communication about best practice. If one of your billers has a question, they should be able to quickly turn to another team member and find answers. A team dynamic is always the best way to be successful, and the medical billing field is no exception. 

Keep Patient Files up to Date

It’s absolutely crucial that you keep your patient files up to date. When a patient arrives for their appointment, you should ask them if their insurance has changed. Even if they say no, it’s a good idea to let them review their current information to make sure nothing has changed. If you’re using software, this is as simple as passing someone a tablet with their information and having them sign off that everything is correct. Verifying data takes only minutes, but fixing a claim with incorrect data can take hours. Do yourself a favor and make your job easier from the start. 

Automate Your Billing Process

Let’s face it: doing your billing by hand simply doesn’t make sense anymore. Filing and submitting claims manually takes hours of your time—not only that, but you run the risk of submitting claims with errors. Even the best billers make mistakes, and unfortunately, human error will only set you back further. An automated billing system gets you ahead of the curve. Claim information is automatically filled out based on patient data already in your system, so you don’t have to worry about inputting the wrong data. Additionally, billing software can batch bill claims, so you can send dozens at a time. Every claim is scanned for errors before it’s officially sent, so you can feel confident that your claims are correct and your reimbursement will arrive on time. 

Prioritize Proper Training

We all know how important training is when you hire a new employee, but it shouldn’t end there. Ongoing training is a great way to ensure your team is up to date on policies, sharpening their skills, and getting the chance to work on problem solving skills together. The amount of training you conduct will vary based on your company’s individual needs. If you feel that your team would benefit from monthly training sessions, have at it. If you think quarterly trainings will suffice, that’s great too. There’s no reason to put pressure on yourself as a business owner or manager to hold training sessions just to say you did it, but it’s also important to see the value in them, and to take note of how they impact the way your team works. 

Track Denials and Learn From Your Mistakes

Unfortunately, you’re going to face denials eventually. Rather than becoming angry with your team for allowing a denial to slip through, use it as a learning opportunity to figure out why denials are happening. Denied claims are extremely frustrating, but they can also tell you a lot about how your business is operating and where you can improve. That being said, you can’t settle for denials forever. Eventually, you need to make the switch to NY Medicaid billing software to reduce billing errors and improve the process overall. 

Find the Best Medicaid Billing Software for Your Business

There are a host of Medicaid billing solutions on the market, so how do you know which is right for you? If you’re thinking about investing in software, take the time to sit down with your team and discuss what you want out of a system. This is an important step so that you don’t go into your search blind. Once you have a good idea of what you want, it’s time to book some demos. Seeing the software in action is a great way to understand whether it’s something that will actually work for your company, or if it just sounded good on paper. 

Follow Up on Unpaid Claims

Unpaid claims means lost revenue for your business. If you’re waiting on reimbursements that you should have received by now, don’t be afraid to reach out to the insurance company and ask if there’s a problem. Every unpaid claim is a threat to your profit, so if there’s any question of whether you’re getting the money you’re owed, you need to take action. Software will help you avoid unpaid claims, but there’s always a chance of this happening. Don’t quietly sit around and wait to see what happens. Take initiative and make sure you get every penny you’re owed. 

Schedule Your Free Billpro Demo

Don’t put off your free Medicaid billing software demo. If you want to see how software can change your billing process, there’s never been a better time. Get in touch with the team at BilPro today to schedule your demo and see how Medicaid billing software simplifies your job.