5 Common Mistakes ENT Specialists Make With Their Medical Billing
Aug 22, 2022
Your focus may be your patients, but no ENT practice can run without billing. However, some common mistakes can hold your practice back from maximizing profits.
Mistake #1
Codes Aren’t Accurate
Mistakes with coding can cost your practice in multiple ways. To start, inaccurate codes are more likely to be rejected by insurance companies. This then results in a delay in collections because the claim has to be filed again. On top of that, repeated mistakes can result in your practice getting flagged for auditing. This is because inaccurate codes are a sign of fraud.
Solution
Outsource your medical billing to an expert who will be familiar with specific codes and regulations.
Mistake #2
Insurance Isn’t Verified Often Enough
Billing can take a long time if you’re not sending claims to the correct insurance company. It’s therefore essential to frequently check with patients that you have the right insurance information for them. Asking patients if they’ve changed their insurance every time they come in can help to ensure you’re billing the right place.
Solution
Ask patients for insurance information every time they visit.
Mistake #3
Claims Aren’t Filed on Time
Filing claims late is another mistake that ENT specialists can make. Your practice is busy treating patients and sometimes claims can be delayed. However, this can result in lost profit because claims typically have a deadline. If that deadline isn’t met, you may be missing out on potential collections.
Solution
Choose one staff member to focus on billing.
Mistake #4
Patients Aren’t Billed Enough
Another mistake that ENT specialists may make with their billing is not billing enough. Underbilling frequently occurs when the staff members handling claims aren’t knowledgeable enough about different rules and codes.
Solution
Make sure that staff members handling claims are fully trained.
Mistake #5
Codes Aren’t Specific Enough
If your codes are too general, you could be missing out on collections. This could result in lower profits for your practice.
Solution
Outsource your billing to a company with experts in CPT codes and billing.
How Outsourcing Can Help You Maximize Your Billing
An external company can help ENT practices to maximize their collections by ensuring accuracy and timeliness in filing claims. This also helps to increase collections by allowing you to take on more patients.
For informational purposes only.
"My husband and I have a small practice but we were looking for a medical billing company to consult us. We originally started with a local company with some satisfaction. However, our biggest problem was that they wanted us to change our existing EMR to software that they worked with. Quest National Services worked with our existing software so that we didn’t have to make expensive changes to our infrastructure. That saved us a lot of time and headache. I would definitely say that was one of the main reasons for why we switched and why we continue to work with Quest. As a small practice, they helped us without draining our resources."
Adriana C.
