| The two chiropractors were chatting. One was an | | | | hoped there was a simple solution - a silver bullet |
| older, experienced doctor. He had tried it at low | | | | that he could simply sign up for and that would let |
| volume, high volume, cash, insurance, care plans, | | | | him get back to doing what he loved -- treating |
| fee-for-service. And several times, he had tried to | | | | his patients. |
| outsource his billing -- and failed. The younger | | | | "Control, for one," answered the older doctor, still |
| doctor, having practiced for only a couple of | | | | frowning. It was a problem that plagued almost |
| years, had just brought up the subject of billing, | | | | every billing service out there. Billing services tend |
| and remarked at how time-consuming billing had | | | | to work in their own software systems. It makes |
| become for his growing practice. | | | | them more efficient at follow-up and data entry, |
| His CA, he estimated, was now spending almost | | | | since their billers need to learn only one system. It |
| 20 hours per week entering charges, sending | | | | also allows them to monitor and control all |
| claim batches, printing and submitting secondary | | | | employees centrally. But it wreaks havoc on the |
| claims, and posting EOBs. With all her other duties, | | | | provider's office. Few billing services provide any |
| there was less and less time for claim follow-up, | | | | kind of remote access to their billing system. |
| and the younger doctor was concerned that | | | | Often, remote access is slow and cumbersome, |
| patients were not getting the personal attention | | | | and the office never utilizes it. It's hard to run a |
| they deserved. Worse, he was working harder, | | | | practice when the vital statistics are so hard to |
| but revenues seemed to decrease as claim after | | | | access. Harder still to control the billing and |
| claim was simply not paid. He finally said it: "I'm | | | | follow-up process when the claims and audit trails |
| looking at hiring a billing company. Got any ideas?" | | | | are out of reach. |
| The older, wiser doctor immediately frowned. His | | | | And that was just for starters. Lack of efficiency |
| experience with traditional billing companies were | | | | followed lack of control. With in-house billing, the |
| complete and utter disasters. Each time, he had | | | | charges flowed from one screen to the next, |
| had to move the billing back in-house, find and | | | | with no paperwork in-between. Once the process |
| train new staff and recover from financial issues. | | | | and data were moved out of the office, the staff |
| The billing companies he tried were simply not | | | | started spending hours faxing superbills to the |
| equipped to handle his volume of claims. Besides, | | | | billing company. The faxes invariably died in the |
| there were lots of other issues. | | | | middle or came back as unreadable, causing no |
| "Such as?" asked the younger doctor, obviously | | | | end of frustration. |
| distraught at the prospect of having to hire and | | | | But that wasn't the worst of it. |
| train a separate billing clerk for his office. He had | | | | Continued in Part II... |