To Go Cash Or Not to Go Cash, That is the Question

dy">- Coding is becoming more complex (ICD 10)
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to sufferThis means the overall cost of billing insurance
The slings and arrows from insurance companies,goes up, shrinking profitability, and the affordability
Or to take arms against a insurancefor the patient continues to go down. Eventually,
reimbursment checks,the patient will not be able to afford their health
And by opposing, end them.plan, with chiropractic coverage, and or the doctor
With the hassles of precerts, increasing codingwill not be able to afford to bill the insurance
complexities, increasing insurance post paymentcompanies. These are the only things that we can
audits, decreased reimbursements, and risingcount on going forward.
deductibles, this question seems to become moreMy suggestion to my clients is outsource billing to
and more prevalent every day. My answer isa company that can help you manage all these
maybe, eventually.variables with ease. In other words a company
If you are a doctor who is tired of trying toand or technology that makes it easy for you to,
explain to you patients what medical necessity isbill with coding guidelines, create complaint
and why their care might not be covered evendocumentation quickly and easily, warn you of
though they have '30 visits', you are not alone.insurance audit red flags, and maintain
The fact remains, however, that there is still atransparency into the billing and follow up process.
substantial amount of money that you would beWhen you are able to do this you can continue to
leaving on the table if you decided to gobill without fear of losing an audit, and be sure
completely cash. Patients will still want to use thethat you are coding properly while maintaining
coverage they have and going cash will result in,profitability. In addition you will be freed up to
at least some drop, in the new patient conversionfocus on building you patient base and delivering
rate. That being said, the trends are clear:quality care.
- Premiums continue to riseWhen the profitability of doing this finally dwindles
- Deductibles continue to riseaway and patients can no longer afford coverage,
- Reimbursements continue to shrinkit will be a good time to go cash. In that case the
- Post payment audits are increasing in frequencysame technology should be able to manage a
and dollar amountcash practice as well so you can make the
- The definition of true compliance remains vaguetransition seamlessly.
and elusive.