5 Reasons Why You Should Hire an ENT Healthcare Consultant
One of the most difficult things in life is knowing when to ask for help. The same holds true for those who run a medical clinic or practice. Recently there have been a lot of changes to the medical industry, in particular with Medicare reimbursement and the coming ICD-10 change. Many practices have opted to hire a healthcare consultant to come in and help them with clinical coding optimization to ensure that everyone who works the department of otolaryngology billing and coding is aware of all the changes, is properly trained for the pending changes and that all of the software and other tools are properly prepared as well. There’s nothing wrong with asking for help, as long as you do so from a trusted provider.
The Reasons
Hiring a healthcare consultant can be a very smart decision for otolaryngology practices who want to increase efficiency, profitability and productivity. The better your staff is trained at Medicare reimbursement and other important areas of clinical coding optimization, the more successful your entire practice will be. Imagine having a boost in your revenue cycle due to improved management skills – how much would something like that be worth to you?
Reason #1 – You Need Help
There are certain situations when hiring a healthcare consultant isn’t a “nice to have” service that can help you get through the impending changes and assist in training your staff in the latest technologies. There are times when hiring a healthcare consultant is a “have to have” type situation where if you don’t hire someone to come in and help with the otolaryngology billing and coding at your office, you could go out of business. Many practices will hire a consultant when they are literally on their last leg and will then ask themselves, “why didn’t we do this sooner?”
Reason #2 – You Are Ready to Grow
So you’ve had this nice little ENT practice going for a couple of years and now all of a sudden your patient load has doubled. Referrals from other physicians at the local hospital, coordinated efforts with local general practice facilities and word of mouth from your regular patients has helped to grow your practice beyond your current capacity. A heathcare consultant can come in and help you with clinical coding optimization and show you other methods that will help you to keep up with the increased workload and demand.
Reason #3 – Just Getting Started
Maybe you are just opening up your very first practice – either fresh out of college or just breaking out from the medical group and out onto your own. Either way, hiring a healthcare consultant can be a very wise decision. You will need to learn all that you can about the ins and outs of proper otolaryngology billing and coding so you will be able to keep up as your new practice grows. Starting out on the right foot can help you avoid making common mistakes made by other physicians.
Reason #4 – Specific Issues
Sometimes a healthcare consultant is brought in to help overcome a specific issue, such as the ICD-9 to ICD-10 conversion. Training and education, as well as in-person, over-the-phone and online support can be extremely beneficial to your staff so they will be able to keep up with Medicare reimbursement and billing once the deadline comes to pass.
Reason #5 – Staffing Concerns
Every now again a practice will experience a problem with staff members. Either once reliable billing department personnel will suddenly start being unreliable or a new employee just isn’t working out. Other staffing issues can be regarding budgeting or time management. All of these issues can be ironed out with the help of an experienced healthcare consultant. Rather than firing staff, a consultant can help you with education and support for otolaryngology billing and coding as you need it.
MD Pro Solutions Can Help
Our team of consultants, trainers, educators and support staff are experienced in ENT clinical coding optimization, account management and other related billing and coding solutions. We can help you find the best solution for your unique situation and at a price that you can afford. Give us a call at 508-946-1665 to find out more about our services or to schedule a consultation.