Medical facilities all over are struggling to stay afloat amid pandemic-fueled staff shortages, widespread illness, and uncertainty about the future. That’s why the time to consider supplemental staffing services is right now. Although most medical facilities prefer to handle financial processes in-house, seeking outside assistance can be very helpful. If you’re curious about the supplemental staffing services available to you, you’re in the right place. In this article, you will learn about four supplemental staffing services and how they could benefit you.
Claims and Billing Supplemental Staff
Countless medical facilities are overwhelmed with billing and claim submissions as a result of an influx of COVID patients. This is a pertinent issue, given that untimely and inaccurate claim submission lead to denials and diminished cash flow. For this reason, your facility just can’t afford to fall behind on submitting claims.
The sooner you bill patients, the more likely they are to pay up. So, if your facility is weeks or months behind on sending out billing statements, your patients may not even remember the services and are much less likely to comply and pay. Therefore, it’s in your organization’s best interest to get those bills out expeditiously.
It’s no question that billing and claims submission processes can be tedious and complicated. Day after day, regulatory bodies and health insurance companies introduce new rules, limitations, and technologies that throw practice managers and staff for a loop. There’s no wonder why medical facilities fail to keep up with these processes.
Supplemental claims and billing staff can help take the burden off of your institution by taking over a portion, or all, of the billing and claims submission functions. Professional billing assistance is a lifeline for any practice or facility that is short on staff or would like to improve their level of functionality in this area.
Allowing an outside company or professional to assist your facility with something as sensitive as billing or claims submission can be difficult, but it has the following benefits:
- A decreased burden on your institution’s staff.
- More time to perform other functions that keep the business running.
- The creation of a better overall billing process. Professional billers often employ innovative time-saving or error-reducing procedures to expedite and refine the billing and claims submission processes.
Accounts Receivable Resolution & Follow Up
In an ideal world, you would receive your funds as soon as the claims and bills are sent to their respective parties. But the reality is there are tons of roadblocks that can stop you from obtaining those funds. Perhaps, the diagnosis code on the claim was invalid, or the service code was off by a digit – issues like these are common. This is where accounts receivable resolution and follow-up shines.
If you resolve outstanding debts promptly and follow-up regularly, you’ll enjoy freer cash flow.
Denials can come in like a flood due to the increasingly strict coding requirements put in place by insurers (among other things). That’s why many medical business offices have a pile of denials piling up in a dusty corner. Ignoring denials and failing to follow up can translate to financial difficulty and wasted time.
The following are some signs that your facility could use some help with accounts receivable for insurance claims:
- Your current AR resolution process is dated and inefficient.
- Your staff makes errors that cost you time or money.
- No time has been allocated for resolving denials and requesting claim status.
- You want to expand your practice but don’t have the manpower to do so.
If any of the above points resonate with you, it’s time to consider some additional help with AR resolution and follow-up. A seasoned AR professional or team can put you at ease and begin collecting your outstanding debts now. Increasing your firm’s available cash will allow you to allocate funds to improving your practice.
Payment Posting
It may seem like a menial task, but ongoing payment posting is integral to the continuity of your business. It provides staff a matter-of-fact look at any money problems the facility may be facing. Unless you make payment posting a high priority, you are at risk of missing payer issues that could lead to loss of revenue or even legal complications. Therefore, it’s essential to keep things under control by appointing enough trained staff.
Payment posting staff are well-versed in the same. They can perform any or all of the following functions for your facility:
- Tracking payments from insurance companies and patients.
- Managing ERAs.
- Conducting audits of the firm’s finances.
- Reconciling the facility’s accounts.
Supplemental payment posting staff can make a huge difference if your firm needs help with any of the above processes, or if you suspect that the business could perform better in any of these areas.
Credit Balance Resolution
Healthcare facilities are regularly plagued by excessive credit balances. And this is a huge problem, as no firm can afford to leave money on the table.
If your facility has overpaid on multiple accounts and hasn’t been able to get your refunds sorted out, getting assistance may be worthwhile. Supplemental credit balance resolution staff address credit balances systematically to maximize results and minimize wasted time. Your facility could undoubtedly benefit from a trained credit balance resolution specialist or team.
Consider a Leader in the Industry
Whether your facility needs assistance in one of the above areas or even all four, DataSearch is well-equipped to lend a helping hand. The firm has provided accounts receivable support to facilities of all types for nearly 50 years. Here are some of the AR functions DataSearch can assist with:
- All aspects of business office management.
- Claims denial resolution.
- Patient Collections.
- Complete revenue cycle services from end to end.
- And more!
You can think of DataSearch as an extension of your facility’s business office. They’ve got extensive experience working in AR exclusively in the healthcare industry, so their staff and management know the industry intimately. Armed with their unique expertise, you can breathe a sigh of relief and let them handle everything. We encourage you to supplement your existing staff with bonafide experts – that way, you can focus on providing the best possible care to your patients!