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The health care system plays a vital role in today’s economy, as healthy citizens make up a healthy economy. Improving patient experience and giving them access to quality care at a lower cost especially needed at a time like this. And it is up to healthcare organizations to take up this responsibility. An effective way to do so is by adopting the standard medical billing process.
However, achieving these healthcare goals is not automatic. Patients may still have to deal with ineffective medical billing processes if caregivers fail to be innovative and improve their services. But with the right medical billing company, health organisations don’t have to spend months collecting medical claims that put their patients in bad or unpaid debt.
That said, healthcare providers and patients shouldn’t have to suffer from that inefficiency anymore. Instead, patients can have a smoother experience and for care providers; an improved business operation.
Without further ado, here are the different ways to improve your medical billing process.
Communicate the collection process upfront
Being open and completely honest about the cost of collecting medical claims is an effective way to ensure a seamless billing process. This gives them a sense of financial responsibility. Waiting to collect their payment after service has rendered could disrupt the revenue cycle management of your organisation and lead to inefficient billing. So, be sure to request payment at the time of service.
To make this method more effective, you can have your organisation create a payment policy. That patients could always read and a form that they should fill in agreement to this policy. The policy improves company reputation and transparency. As patients and providers both have a guiding principle to services offered and rendered. It could also boost patient-to-organization relationships, which plays a huge role in enhancing positive experiences on both ends.
Frequently maintain and update patient files
To keep your patients accountable for their medical bills. You need all the vital info necessary to keep track of their billing info and history. So, every time they pay a visit to your organisation ensure that all their details are up to date. Why? They might have changed jobs or locations, which means they most likely have different insurance coverage from their last visit. A sudden increase or decrease in their bill associated with their insurance coverage should expressly stated before any deductions made to ensure transparency.
Automate the process
Medical billings are 100% prone to human errors. Instead of having your staff do everything manually, introduce software and tools that make the process easier. This gives them time to focus on other operations that actually improve patient’s experience. With automated systems, you can save more, reduce denied claims, and reallocate staff to more patient-centric roles.
Monitor denied claims
Denied claims should properly monitored and analysed to improve business operations. When the denial rate is unusually high, it is a sign that your organisation needs improvement in certain areas. So, rather than counting it as a huge loss. Take it as an opportunity to address the primary cause of the increasing denial rate. You can either train your employees or adopt a better approach that suits your workflow.