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Is Outsourcing Medical Billing Worth the Cost? Essay

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Outsourcing medical billing in today’s economy; is it worth the cost? This is a question I am sure many physicians find themselves asking. When the real question should be: “Can you afford not to outsource your medical billing in today’s economy? “

Having worked in a medical office for many years and doing medical billing in that office, I have seen first hand the lack of attention and dedication that is placed on the medical billing department. Many times in a busy medical office the job of doing the billing may be placed on someone who has extra time on their hands or has “down time” from their regular duties. If the physician does have an actual billing department with staff dedicated to billing, many times they do not work as …show more content…

It is crucial to the success of a practice to have a very personalized relationship with the billing company. The billing company should function as an extension of the physician’s office working toward mutual goals.

It is imperative to research the billing company prior to hiring them. Do they have certified coders working for them? Do they have the resources to know the most up to date changes from the insurance carriers? What software do they use? Do they provide in- depth reports on a regular basis to track A/R ? Do they provide training and updates to the front staff of the office, (where the actual medical billing process begins)? These are questions that should be asked of any prospective medical billing company. A physician should feel confident in the billing company’s answers and have an excellent rapport with their staff.

Training front office staff is one of the most crucial aspects of the billing process. The front staff is usually responsible for obtaining the correct demographic information as well as insurance information from the patient. Without the correct information the claims will never be paid. This is why training front staff on insurances, collecting co-pays and knowing when to collect for additional charges that may not be covered by the patient’s insurance is

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