Do you have the information you need to be successful?

Anyone who has taken on the responsibility of billing for medical clinics or practices probably understands the important role that billing and collecting payments for medical visits, procedures and treatments plays in the stability and viability of the medical practice.

An important question for anyone assuming the billing role and responsibility is "do I have the information I need to be successful?"  The question sounds simple enough.  To be successful, the biller needs to have a working knowledge of the Electronic Medical Record and the agency's billing software.  If additional important questions remain, the biller should seek out mentors or software training and support personnel to resolve questions before attempting to submit claims.  The initial time commitment to proper orientation to the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and billing software will pay dividends in the form of fewer rejected or pended medical claims.

The biller must confirm the patient's information is correct, the ICD 10 code for the visit, treatment or procedure has been correctly identified and that all necessary clinician (doctor) sign offs have been secured, prior to filing the claim.  

Developing an effective working knowledge of the software(s) used for medical billing and assuring the patient information and coding information is correct will significantly improve the percentage of approved claims (the first time) and will reduce delays in payments received by the medical provider.