Opting to delegate your medical billing responsibilities call for a lot of consideration over given the fact that it deals with private patient health information. To help you decide whether outsourcing medical billing is a good solution for you, below are some of its benefits and drawbacks.
For healthcare providers, delegating billing duties to an external company can mean being able to realize operational efficiencies since they will have less administrative commitments and thus more time and energy to concentrate on more important areas of their business, such as attending to the needs of their patients. In addition, the clinic staff will become more effective and have higher morale because they are not as burdened from handling patient care and administrative responsibilities while working. With your staff more focused, clients will also be more content with the services you render. Billing agencies can send claims before they’re due and avoid costly mistakes, which mean you will get increased revenue with limited or no income stream interferences. Medical coding is somewhat esoteric and the ever changing regulatory landscape makes it a lot more challenging for small practices to stay abreast of.
By using the services of medical billing agencies, you can minimize the time and resources allocated by you and your staff to be updated with these ever-changing billing regulations. Another important advantage is cost savings since you will devote less for employee benefits, training expenses, office supplies and tools. Also, the majority of billing companies charge per claim, either as a flat rate or a portion of the reimbursement which can translate to financial savings for you during seasons where there is less amount of work.
Then again, outsourcing can also signify relinquisihing some control which naturally, many people are not very at ease with. If giving up operational control in relation to billing is a concern for you, working with a contractor may not be the ideal solution for you. Moreover, a number of patients prefer that they have a chance to walk into their doctor’s clinic to discuss payment arrangements or inquire about their bills. By outsourcing, there will be that risk of alienating some clients because they would need to speak with medical billing firms instead of you if they have billing problems. Contract issues can also be another drawback and it may cause work flow interferences as well as legal and financial consequences.
Delegating your medical billing can also bring about a problem with regards to patient information confidentiality. The more individuals who have access to confidential patient health information, the more significant the risk of confidentiality breach. Then again, new technologies and practices are constantly created to ensure that this does not occur.
Outsourcing medical billing has its own share of advantages and disadvantages. Understanding these pros and cons will help you decide whether it is a good decision to outsource your billing needs or not.For more information on medical insurance please click here.