When you are setting up a physician’s office, you need to create efficient systems that will do everything your patients need. There are a few tips below that make payments and billing easier for customers, claims simpler for your clerical staff, and create reports for your practice. As you implement these changes, your practice will make more money, serve more patients, and reduce frustration among the staff.
Tips to Make Payments and Billing Easier
#1. You Need a Billing System and Practice Management Software
The billing system that you use should automatically create invoices, adjust for claims, and adjust for payments. Plus, your medical office should send invoices to patients instantly. Plus, your system should allow you to make adjustments based on electronic input.
You can use practice management software that will help you schedule appointments. Plus, you can create a webpage that allows your patients to make their own appointments. You can make more appointments when your patients are with you, and you can add to their medical records during each appointment. You do not need to reconcile paperwork at the end of the day.
#2. Create an Efficient Collections Process
When you are managing a medical practice, you must consider how collections work. The physician completes several services per day, and you will bill for all these services. You cannot control how your patients pay their bills, but you can create a collections process that makes sense.
The program that you use should allow your patients to make payments online. Plus, the system should send email and text alerts to patients who need to pay their bills. When the patients make a payment online, the system should be updated automatically. If you want to send your bills to a collections agency, you can transfer all this information electronically. This program helps to make payments and billing easier and convenient.
#3. Use a Claims Management Program
The claims process for the doctor’s office should use an electronic system that sends bills to the insurance companies automatically. You need to get feedback from the insurance company in real-time so that you know what is covered, and the system should update every bill when a claim is paid.
Doctors are expected to file their claims, and that is why you need a management system that does the work for you. You can instantly tell your patients what they are eligible for, and you do not need to spend time on the phone figuring out which services you can offer.
Also, you will know how much your practice is paid for each service. You have agreed to price for each service, and you can check that pricing quickly. Your patients will no want to come to the practice if they are surprised every time they get a bill. Plus, you can use NextGEN EPM reporting that shows your customers the cost for each service.
Final Note
NextGen EPM reporting is just one part of managing a medical practice. Yes, you need to know how much each service costs, how many patients you saw every week, and how much the insurance companies have paid. Your patients should have the option to make their appointments online, and the automated bill system will send alerts to your patients so that you can collect on each bill promptly. You need instant feedback from the insurance companies, and your patients will never be surprised when you send them a statement.