Posted on April 6, 2022
Patient insurance billing might not be one of the first things that come to mind when you imagine what it takes to run a thriving orthodontic practice, but it should be. In addition to prioritizing a high quality of care and thorough medical knowledge, you, as a business owner, need to account for how crucial billing is.
Running an orthodontic practice is costly. If your billing process isn’t practiced and perfected, mistakes will be made and you are unlikely to be consistently paid for the services you are providing. This is especially true considering the delay that comes with billing third-party insurance after a patient’s appointment has already been completed. To streamline your patient collection process, follow these simple tips!
This may seem like a given, but many business owners find themselves avoiding learning the ins and outs of the orthodontic insurance collections process. This could be because they are occupied with other aspects of the business or because they are intimidated by just how much goes into it. That being said, once you invest time into really understanding the complexities of the billing process, you will feel empowered in your knowledge and be able to make more informed decisions.
Once you understand the process and are able to form a regulated billing system, the next step is to train staff members so that they can execute it. Invest real time in this step and be sure that all questions that your staff has are answered so that they can move forward confidently. Quick training results in mistakes being made and money being lost, so equip multiple people with thorough knowledge so that they can turn to each other when questions arise.
When submitting claims, it’s important to be overly cautious. Claims that have been incorrectly filed won’t be paid. Every dollar matters when trying to run a successful orthodontic practice. Set aside time for employees to pay close attention to details. If staff feels rushed, they are likely to make mistakes. Get staff members, and yourself, into the habit of double-checking codes and requirements. Mistakes also lead to patient frustration and could result in poor reviews. According to Spectrio, 77% of patients use reviews online when searching for a new healthcare provider.
To learn more about the patient insurance collections process, or to boost your online reputation, consult the experts at OrthoSynetics. Our professionals look forward to helping you master patient billing.
