Essential Training & Support for ENT Billing and Coding Staff
It is vital for practice managers, clinic administrators, and physicians to understand that in addition to providing patient care, they also need to be responsible for staff development. The education and training necessary to keep your team on top of the latest medical billing solutions will help you to increase revenue and improve account management. However, this is not just a problem within the healthcare industry, as business owners and managers rarely give thought to provide employees with education and support.
Recent changes to the healthcare industry have caused problems, such as delays in payment, rejected claims, and outright denied claims, resulting in issues with cashflow for many practices. The more you can do as a physician, administrator or manager to ensure that your team is current with comprehensive record-keeping requirements and billing regulations, the easier it will be to provide timely payment for services rendered to patients.
Why Staff Development Matters
It could be argued that ENT billing and coding staff are technically responsible for keeping up with their certification and training, but in a busy office, this might not be possible. As a result, the skill level of your billing department could suffer, resulting in issues with basic coding requirements. The recent change from ICD-9 to ICD-10 caused many Otolaryngology practices and clinics to sit up and take notice of the importance of training and support for billing and coding staff.
There are many benefits associated with staff development, including having the ability to improve account management, increase patient satisfaction, and provide every member of your team with more time to spend giving superior patient care. Encouraging staff development, by providing the opportunity for ENT billing and coding training, keeping medical billing solutions up-to-date, and leading by example, can help you to make improvements across the board. Your staff needs to know that you understand the importance of continued education and professional ENT support. You can show them how much it means to you through your actions and by ensuring that it has a place in your budget.
Getting a Return on the Investment
When you invest time, money, and support into your staff, you expect to get something out of it. If you are the kind of person who frequently asks, “what’s in it for me?” then this section will help you figure it out on your own. The success of your practice going forward depends significantly on cash flow and reputation, as well as the quality of care that you provide your patients. If you see a lot of patients and they are happy with the care that you deliver, you might think that would make your practice a success. However, even with satisfied patients, if the ENT billing and coding is full of errors due to out-dated practices and methods for submitting claims, then you might be in hot water.
It is your job to make sure that your office is always working to improve account management. The proof of these improvements can be seen in the payments received from third-party payers and other insurance providers. Your medical billing solutions should include all of the tools that you need to evaluate your progress in real-time or by looking at the month, quarter, and year in review. The payoff for investing in your employees and billing department as a whole will be seen in the success made for account receivables. If you are not receiving payments or have claims regularly rejected or denied, this is a definite sign that something needs to be done right away to improve everything from medical coding to comprehensive record-keeping.
Contact MD Pro Solutions
Our team of consultants, instructors, and support professionals have many years of experience working with ENT billing and coding. We specialize in helping Otolaryngology practice and clinic managers, physicians, and staff in making positive changes that will help them to be more successful. We can provide you with a complete evaluation of your billing department and assist in efforts to improve both the effectiveness and efficiency of every member of your staff. We can help with credentialing services, auditing and reviews, reporting and communications, and offer training and support designed to improve account management. Give us a call at 508-946-1665 to speak with a consultant or to schedule an evaluation.