Take Control: Improve ENT Account Management & Record-Keeping
The success of your medical practice as a business can be measured by looking at the management of your accounts receivable department. Comprehensive record-keeping is an important part of ENT account management and billing, especially with all of the recent changes to the healthcare industry. It is vital that you and your staff are aware of the regulations and requirements, and that you provide your team with all of the training and support they need to effectively process patient claims and invoices.
One way to ensure that everything is running as it should is to work with a healthcare consultant who specializes in otolaryngology practices and clinics. In addition to providing education and support, they should also offer additional services, such as surgical chart auditing, offside CPA audits, credentialing services, and specific programs for authorization training and other essential tasks. Taking control and properly managing your accounts receivable department is the best way to maintain the financial health of your ENT practice.
New Patient Financial Responsibilities
The recent healthcare changes through the Affordable Care Act and other industry regulations have put more of the financial responsibility for medical care payments on the patient. High-deductible plans are much more common than they ever have before. Practices and clinics need to be assertive in taking copay and deductible payments upfront prior to appointments, in order to stay on top of their burgeoning ENT account management.
Staff must be trained in things like insurance verification and best practices for patient data collection as well, in order to maintain current records. Comprehensive record-keeping for each and every patient should now be a top priority to keep payments flowing and prevent any outstanding charges from lingering too long. It is important that your entire staff, from the receptionist desk all the way to patient care providers, are aware of the way that modern healthcare insurance works and what is required at the office level in order to ensure payment from both the patient and the third-party payers.
Auditing & Reviews
If you suspect that you need help in the area of ENT account management, either in receiving additional coding, billing, and authorization training for your staff or just in the implementation of better practices overall, you may want to start with a complete evaluation. MD Pro Solutions specializes in otolaryngology practices and clinics. Our staff can provide you with a wide range of options for auditing and review that will help you to quickly identify small issues before they become big problems.
In addition, our healthcare consultants will work with you to find viable solutions that will make major improvements across the board, offer continued patient and surgical chart auditing services, and offer suggestions to increase comprehensive record-keeping skills for the whole team. We can help you dig out from under piles of unpaid accounts receivable invoices and claims while working with you to find a way to streamline your efforts. MD Pro Solutions can also help you out on a temporary or ongoing basis with outsourced ENT billing and coding services if you need to get caught up in a hurry.
Data Collection & Verification
One of the most overlooked areas of ENT account management is in the collection of data and verification of insurance. Authorization training is vital to the success of any practice or clinic, so you must make it a priority. Your staff should be checking the eligibility of each patient’s insurance in advance of each appointment to ensure that nothing has changed since the last visit. Software programs, payer websites, and other third-party products can all be used to help streamline the effort of insurance verification and improve your overall ability to provide comprehensive record-keeping for each and every patient you serve.
In addition to verifying insurance coverage, practices must now also check:
- the amount of the copay for office visits
- how much of the deductible has been used
- whether the policy is in danger of cancellation due to unpaid premiums
All of the information must also be shared with the patient prior to the visit. This will help prevent unhappy patients from becoming upset in the office at the amount that they are expected to pay upfront before seeing the doctor or receiving a treatment. ENT account management may seem overwhelming at first, but if you can stay on top of each patient, each situation, and each account on a case by case basis, you will ultimately win the war.
Contact MD Pro Solutions
If you are in need of assistance with ENT account management, authorization training, surgical chart auditing, practice management reviews, credentialing services, or best practices with comprehensive record-keeping, contact MD Pro Solutions by calling 508-946-1665. Our team of highly trained and experienced healthcare consultants can help you find the best solution for your unique situation and your budget. Call today for a FREE evaluation and get on the road to better overall office and account management.