There are many things that affect the urgent care billing industry. Whether it’s patient behavior being changed, trends in patient payments, or the current global pandemic, there are many variables that can make urgent care billing more complex. Urgent care billing is changing all of the time, and we want to take a moment to go over some challenges the industry is facing.
Inefficient Processes at the Front-of-House
The front desk is where all processes of urgent care billing facilities start. A struggle that many facilities face is that there are no dependable systems available. Instead of gathering co-pays at the end of patient admission, it should be done right at the beginning.
It’s strongly recommended that previous balances get collected before providers offer any more services to their patients. Not abiding by these processes could cause facilities to lose revenue and raise bad debt.
To solve these problems, having financial systems offered by the front desk is a good place to start. Make sure that the front desk staff has the related procedures, and offer your staff training and retraining workshops so that your practices are never outdated.
Bad Contracts
You need precise reimbursement rates that will represent all of the services that your facility provides. Payer/Provider contracts are legal documents, and must be reviewed carefully. Many physicians sign payer contracts without negotiating. To fix this issue, try negotiating a raise in reimbursement rates with your payers. It can help to have a medical billing company assist you when discussing these matters so that you can get the reimbursement rate that is right for you.
Under-Coding and Improper Documentation
Even if you have a great EMR or electronic medical system, you still need your providers using the system properly. If providers don’t document the right way, you could under-code, or over code, by accident. This can cause your practice to lose revenue.
Make sure your providers know how to use your EMR system and review the notes for accuracy. On occasion, consider doing refresher courses with your staff so that they are always sure of the right way to use your facility’s EMR system.
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