Medical Billing - DME Software Overview

In this installment, we are going to be starting a series on DME software for medical billing. This is probably the most popular software on the market because it is responsible for billing more claims than probably any other branch of the medical billing industry.

DME stands for Durable Medical Equipment. This is equipment that is either sold or rented to various Medicare, Medicaid, Blue Cross, Blue Shield and many private insurance companies including Prudential and Web MD. This equipment ranges from wheelchairs to concentrators. The amount of money involved in this industry is staggering. Because of this, there are many brands of software on the market that billers can use to bill these medical claims. Logistically, it would be impossible to review each piece of software. However, because there are so many similarities between the various brands, it is simple enough to go over the main parts that each software covers. This way you will have a decent idea of what is involved in billing DME claims.

The first part of DME software that we'll be going over in detail, in a future installment, are the setup options. These options allow the user of the software to customize it to their liking. Some of this is just cosmetic, such as screen appearance. But much of the setup also involves setting up the type of DME billing that they'll be doing, including designating what kind of provider the software will be billing for, whether it be single or multiple provider.

The next part of the DME software that we'll be going over is how patients, doctors, facilities, items and other things are setup in the system. There is a complex process involved in medical billing of claims that requires everything in the system to be pulled together when either printing out a paper claim or billing electronically. This is probably the most complex part of the whole system. This will be covered in great detail.

The third part of the DME software that we'll be going over is how billing itself is actually done, whether it be via paper or electronically. We'll cover the various ways to print or transmit a claim. We'll also cover the legalities involved with doing so, such as what needs to be signed and when.

The fourth part of the DME software that we'll be covering involves what they call add-ons. These are additional services that many billers use, such as purchase order processing and barcoding of products. This part of the system must also be integrated with the main part of the system so that it works correctly.

Finally, we'll cover some common problems that billers should be aware of with each part of the system. Medical billing, because of all the things that can be billed and all the medical regulations, is complex and confusing, even to the seasoned pro. To the beginner, it can be a total nightmare. Hopefully, after reading this series, you'll have a very clear understanding of the basics of medical billing and the DME software used to bill DME claims.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Medical Billing

Medical Billing - DME Software Install Options

In this installment of medical billing and the DME industry, we're going to focus on the basic setup of the DME software starting with the installation options.

Installation options is the first place that the billing company goes to when first setting up the software to bill. The reason for this is because they want the software to have a certain look and feel for each biller. Plus, as is true with most software for any type of application, they're going to want to setup the software for the particular type of operating system they will be using.

Because most billing companies are fairly large, most DME software packages have the option to setup the software to run on just about any kind of network, whether it be Microsoft, Novell, or even a peer to peer network. However, there are some DME software packages that specifically say not to use on a peer to peer network. So please check with the software company before purchasing their product.

After the software is setup to run on the network, the next step is to customize the look of the software. This ranges from simple things like how the software looks when running to what options are actually shown to the billers. For example, let's say a billing company does not want billers to see patient's social security numbers. An option can be set in the installation options, usually through INI switches, that will make it so that a biller, when looking up information, cannot see a patient's social security number. Most software packages will make this option available for just about any field in the package itself. The most common fields are private information fields, such as social security numbers and credit card numbers and revenue fields, such as total costs. The biller may need to know how much the item bills for, but the company may not want that biller to know what they paid for the item so that the biller can't figure out the profit margin of the company.

Security is a big issue with DME software and this will be covered separately in another installment, but that is something else that is part of installation options. Each biller may have a different level of security.

Another part of the installation options is to designate what parts of the software will actually be used. Many DME software products are so huge that they provide options for a number of things, such as barcoding and purchase order, that many billers don't use. By going into installation options, these extra items can either be added or removed. This is also usually controlled by INI switches.

The final part of installation options usually involves the setup of printers and external devices used for billing and other things. These options are going to vary greatly depending on the capabilities of the software itself. For example. Some DME software will not allow you to use certain kinds of modems or don't support modems at all.

In our next installment of medical billing and DME software, we're cover security in more detail.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Medical Billing

Medical Billing - DME Software Security

In this installment of medical billing and DME software, we're going to cover the topic of security, which can actually apply to any type of medical billing software since security is such a big issue these days.

The whole topic of security pretty much stems from the HIPAA privacy rules. These rules cover just about everything, including health plans, health care providers, health care clearinghouses and billing agencies. If you're associated with the medical profession in any manner shape or form, you are probably under the HIPAA privacy rule umbrella.

The main information that is protected by the HIPAA privacy rule is the patient's past, present, or future medical condition, the provision of health care to the patient, the past, present or future health care to the patient and all the patient's private information including social security number, EIN, or any other private information of the patient, including payments made by the patient or to the patient.

The above is extremely simplified, as the law is pages long. There are also some limited disclosures that are allowed. Some covered agencies are allowed access to this information but they have to show just cause why they need it, such as police, prosecutors, etc. Where this complicates things is with billers. While the billing agency itself needs to know this information in order to properly bill the patient and insurance company, there has been a lot of heated argument about who in the billing agency should have access to this information. Because of this, only people directly involved with the actual billing are granted access to this information. Therefor, non billers, of which there are plenty in a billing house, are not allowed access to this information. This is where the problem comes in.

The solution is DME software security. By restricting workers to certain parts of the system, such as inventory personnel, the administrator of the software can make it so that these people are only given access to their area and therefor gain no access to patient records. This is done in the security options section of the software under each users name.

Most software will have basic access categories so that the administrator doesn't have to go into each individual section and give and deny access one section at a time. By having categories, such as biller, inventory, supervisor, etc., the administrator can just assign a category to the worker and the programs associated with that category are then given to the worker. All other programs are blocked. If individual program access is needed under special circumstances, this is also provided by the software as well.

The job of the software administrator is not an easy one. For one thing, most administrators themselves are not billers and therefor are only allowed certain access. So while they are allowed to give access to patient records to various people, they themselves are not allowed this access. It's a tricky situation to have to deal with but not impossible if the security is set up just so. This makes medical billing just a little easier.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Medical Billing

Medical Billing - DME Software Biller Setup

In this installment of medical billing and the DME software setup, we're going to briefly cover what is involved with the setup that is specifically designated for the people who do the actual billing of claims. This is a very complex process that involves a number of items that all have to work together.

In order to bill an insurance carrier for a claim, there are a number of items that the biller needs access to. This includes the patient personal information, the item being billed, the carrier the bill is sent to and the method by which the bill will be sent. In order for this to happen, these things have to be setup in the system for the biller.

The first order of business is that the biller needs to have patient access. When the bill comes in, the patient number is usually on the first page of the bill. This number should have then been entered into the system along with the patient information. The biller will then have access to this information through what is called a patient lookup feature. These features usually have several fields by which the biller can lookup the patient, such as by last name, ID number, etc.

After the patient is found, the next thing the biller needs to know is what the item is being billed. These items all have to be setup in inventory, which is usually done by the inventory manager. Another lookup function is then provided to the biller for looking up inventory items. This is usually done by item name or sku number. Once the item is found in inventory, the item is then added to the billing sheet.

The next thing that the biller needs is the carrier that is going to be billed and the method by which the bill will be sent. The carrier is usually attached to the patient when the patient file is setup. But in some cases, the insurance carrier is not known at the time and the biller has to add it at the time of billing. For this, another lookup table is provided with all the insurance carriers that the system supports. These are usually updated on a regular basis. The way the biller knows which carrier to pull is by looking at the billing sheet that came in. The carrier is listed there.

The method by which the bill itself will be sent is usually determined by the billing agency itself. Not all agencies have electronic billing capabilities. In the cases where such capability doesn't exist, the default billing method will be via paper claims and the biller won't have to do anything. The claim will automatically go to the print que upon submission.

Naturally, the above process is greatly simplified, but for the most part, that is all that is involved with sending a bill for a medical claim. The truth is, if medical billing was this easy, there wouldn't be so many claims that get denied each day. The problem is that billers are not properly trained and the medical billing software itself can only do so much.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Medical Billing

Medical Billing - DME Software Lookup Tables

In this installment of medical billing and DME software, we're going to cover a brief overview of lookup tables, which is probably the heart and soul of the whole DME system. Without lookup tables, the whole operation of the system, including the medical billing itself, would be extremely difficult.

A medical biller has a hard enough job as it is. When billing a medical claim, there is an enormous amount of information that has to be sent to the insurance carrier, including patient information, item information, insurance information and so on. If you read the series on DME NSF 3.01 record specifications, then you already know that hundreds of fields of information are transmitted to the insurance carrier. If the medical biller had to enter all this information by hand, the billing of one claim would literally take hours. To speed up this process, lookup tables are used.

A lookup table is essentially a self contained database that has information pertaining to that area of billing, whether it be patient, item or carrier related. The reason that many tables are used is because of the amount of information that is contained in each table. If they were all combined into one table, the lookup process itself would be slowed to a crawl because of all the records the lookup would have to go through. As it is, with very large billing agencies, these lookup procedures can take several minutes depending on how large the network is and its capabilities to handle the load.

Each lookup table is indexed, usually in several ways. By doing this, a medical biller can lookup patient information in a number of ways. For example, if the biller doesn't know the patient's ID number, they can look it up by the patient's last name. Some lookup tables allow you to do a broad search via city and state. For item lookup tables, if the biller doesn't have the sku number, they can look up the item by description. Of course, with many of the same items in the system, this method can be time consuming.

The main point of a lookup table is that for each table, there is a large amount of information that is tied to it. So by looking up a patient, the biller is pulling all the information associated with that patient, such as name, address, phone, date of birth and a number of other things. In the process, all these items are automatically pulled to the various forms that need to be filled out. So what would normally take maybe 5 to 10 minutes to fill out, can literally be done in seconds. Obviously, this is a real time saver for medical billing agencies and greatly reduces costs, which are high enough as it is.

Quite simply, without lookup tables, DME software would be pretty much worthless, as the bulk of the operation would be the manual input of hundreds of pieces of information, which would totally defeat the purpose of having the software, to speed up operations.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Medical Billing

Medical Billing - DME Software Item Inventory

In this installment of medical billing and DME software, we're going to cover the topic of item inventory. We're going to explain how the inventory functions work, what information inventory tables contain and how this all ties in with the medical billing of a claim.

Item inventory is a very large part of the DME system. Because DME billing is for durable medical equipment, thus the name DME, a lot of items get dispensed to the patient. These items range from small things like test strips for diabetics, to large items like wheelchairs, beds and oxygen concentrators. Some of these items are sold and some are rented. There alone lies a big distinction and the reason why the inventory tables have to be broken up into what are called purchased items and serialized items. Purchase items are pretty well self explanatory, but some explanation is needed for why rental items are referred to as serialized items.

Rental items are referred to as serialized items because each item that is rented has a unique serial number attached to it. This serial number is tracked for the purposes of billing monthly rentals, which is usually how either the patient or insurance company pays for these items. If a rental item has to be replaced because it is defective or broken, then a new item has to be issued and its serial number noted for future billing. The old item is then put back in inventory and either fixed or thrown away and deleted from inventory.

The information that is contained in inventory is more than what most people realize. It is more than just the description of the item. For purchase items, it includes how many of the items are in stock, how many sales of the item were made, so that companies can track how well an item performs, reorder points so that they don't run out and a number of other things. For rental items, the information includes when the item was rented, how many months of billing have occurred, when the item is scheduled for maintenance and a host of other items. Most normal inventory records contain anywhere from 30 to 100 fields depending on how much information the company wants to track and the capability of the software itself.

How does this all tie in with medical billing? Well, the biller has to know how each item needs to be billed. So for starters, they have to know if it is a rental or purchase item. They have to know the price of the item. They have to know when maintenance is due on a rental item so they can send a bill for that maintenance. They have to know when an item is low so that they can notify inventory, just in case they're not aware of it, which they should be. If a biller has to replace an item, they have to know what replacement items are available. The list of things that a medical biller needs in relation to inventory is endless.

Without item inventory tables, the medical billing process would be a total nightmare because billers wouldn't know where anything was, what it cost and if it was even in stock.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Medical Billing

A Guide to Billing Software

One of the most recent developments in the use of billing software is its use in the medical profession, which has allowed physicians and hospitals have access to an effective and efficient billing system. To have access to such a system, most physicians and hospitals outsource their medical billing services, which means that they have to pay companies to provide them with an effective system. However, as the developers of medical billing software have made their product more user-friendly, physicians and doctors now have access to medical billing software that they can use themselves.

User-friendly medical billing software

Before, medical billing software packages were complicated to use because almost all of them were text-based interfaces filled with awkward textual fragments. As a result, only companies with trained personnel could provide medical billing services using the software. However, the medical billing software of today has been designed to be simpler and more convenient to use, which can mean that there is no need to outsource medical billing services. The medical billing software of today is designed to make learning how to use it easier, allowing any member of a doctor?s staff or the hospital staff to do it. Evidence to this is the step-by-step process that users can follow in using the software. In addition to this, they have also been designed to generate correct and easy to understand documents that doctors could present to their patients.

Apart from these, some of the newest medical billing software has also been designed to allow doctors to configure it based on the requirements of his practice. In relation to this, medical billing software has also been designed to contain more information, which can eliminate the need to file documents with information that can easily be stored in their computers. All of these factors can make a doctor?s practice more efficient, especially with regard to billing.

Billing Software provides detailed information on Billing Software, VoIP Billing Software, Chiropractic Billing Software, Free Billing Software and more. Billing Software is affiliated with HIPAA Complaint Medical Billing Software

Automotive Shop Billing Software

You have a busy automotive shop and not enough time in the day to take care of all your accounting yourself. Sure, you have an accountant, but you don?t even have the time to put together the materials to take to him so that they can do your bookkeeping. Automotive shop billing software is a great way for you to keep your business organized and functioning properly. The more organized the business is, the easier it will be to make a profit.

To find the best automotive shop billing software, you will first need to do your research. Ask other shops which software they like. Look online to find companies that have the software you are looking for. Find product review sites and magazines to see which program has the best reputation. You can also ask questions in forums to see what other people have to say.

In general you will want your automotive billing software to be easy to use yet still get the job done. Your software will need to keep track of your customer information. It will also need to keep track of work orders and be able to print invoices. You will also need to have their auto insurance on file. This is especially handy if you repair their car after an accident.

Once you find the automotive shop billing software that seems the best, you can then begin to comparison shop. Different companies often have completely different prices on their products. You can also consider buying the software used. Used software is much cheaper. However, you run the risk of getting it damaged, and the warranty may either be expired or it won?t transfer when the ownership switches.

Automotive shop billing software can help you manage your business better. Just do your research to make sure you find the program that best meets the needs of your business. Also research to find the best prices. Once you learn and use the program, you will feel much more organized.

Billing Software provides detailed information on Billing Software, VoIP Billing Software, Chiropractic Billing Software, Free Billing Software and more. Billing Software is affiliated with HIPAA Complaint Medical Billing Software

Billing Software Advancements

In recent times, companies have been able to use billing software to help them have an efficient system by which they can charge and collect payments from their clients for the products and services that they provide. However, as with any software, the people who develop billing software are in a constant process of finding more applications for the software, allowing them to have access to a wider market. One recent development in billing software is that it can now be used to cater to very specific requirements of companies and individuals. One of these is the use of billing software for medical billing purposes, allowing doctors and hospitals to take advantage of the benefits that billing software provides.

How billing software is used in the medical profession

The use of billing software in the medical profession can be considered unique because, unlike most companies, some physicians and most hospitals outsource medical billing services. This is mainly because of the complexity of the process in medical billing, which includes giving treatment descriptions and filing the necessary claims with insurance companies that medical billing companies take care of for their clients. In addition to this, having a company to do the medical billing can help physicians and hospitals ensure that they are paid on time and with the proper amount because of the efficiency and accuracy that medical billing companies provide.

To be able to provide efficient and accurate medical billing services, medical billing companies use the most up-to-date software. This software allows them to input the billing information provided to them by their clients, which they can process and send to either the people who received the medical services or the insurance companies that pay for medical services. In addition to this, the medical billing software also allows the company to produce a number of reports that could help their clients analyze their cash flow and profitability. Moreover, medical billing companies also answer any billing questions that patients or insurance companies may have, and they are also responsible for following up on overdue payments.

One of the most recent developments in the use of billing software is that they are now being used in the medical profession. However, the ones who use the software are usually not the doctors or the hospitals themselves because they usually outsource their medical billing services from companies who use the software. However, given the newest developments in medical billing software technology, physicians and hospitals may no longer need to outsource their medical billing services. This is because the newest medial billing software has been designed to me more user-friendly, making it easier to use, more convenient, and more practical.

Billing Software provides detailed information on Billing Software, VoIP Billing Software, Chiropractic Billing Software, Free Billing Software and more. Billing Software is affiliated with HIPAA Complaint Medical Billing Software

Billing Software Guides

You have your own business and it?s doing well. However, you feel a little disorganized. Your accounting and billing system could use some organization. You need to find some billing software guides that will help you find the perfect software program for your business. Billing software is designed to help you keep track of customers and generate statements, invoices, and other business documents.

Billing software guides are designed to help you choose the billing software that is right for your business. When it comes to billing software, you can get as general or specialized as you need to. For example, medical billing software has special features designed to accommodate the needs of a thriving medical practice including a place to enter patient insurance information. Automotive billing software is designed to meet the needs of an auto body shop. What kind of business do you own? Is there specialized billing software designed for your type of business? If not, then you will need to choose a more generalized program.

Once you choose the billing software program that is right for you, you will need to learn how to use it. The best software program is one that is easy to learn and easy to use. If a system is too complex and confusing, it won?t have the desired effect because you may not use it. That?s not to say a learning curve will not exist or is not normal. But it shouldn?t take you too long to figure out how to use it.

Billing software guides help you choose the billing software that is right for your business. If your industry doesn?t have specialized software, as is the case with medical billing, then you will need to purchase a more generalized system. When you do find the software that is perfect for you, it will make your job so much easier.

Billing Software provides detailed information on Billing Software, VoIP Billing Software, Chiropractic Billing Software, Free Billing Software and more. Billing Software is affiliated with HIPAA Complaint Medical Billing Software

Billing Software Peripherals

Among the different computer peripherals that are available on the market, one of the most important is the memory of the computer. The memory of computers can determine how well a computer will perform different tasks because there are certain computer tasks that have very specific memory requirements that may require a computer user to get more memory. Usually, there are five scenarios in which a person may need to get more memory. These scenarios include operating systems upgrades, installation of new applications, installation of multimedia cards, installation of computer peripherals, and hard disk ?chugging.? With regard to installing billing software, which is a new application, there is a need to get more memory to enable the computer to effectively perform the tasks of the software.

Memory for billing software

Given the various tasks that billing software performs that sometimes need to be done simultaneously, there is a need to get the adequate amount of memory so that the system can effectively carry out the tasks of the software. To determine how much memory is needed, check the user?s manual of the software because it usually contains the system requirements of the software, including its memory requirements. However, if the user?s manual does not specify the memory requirements of the software, you can try to do a little research on similar software and their requirements and buy the average amount of memory that they require. As a rule of thumb, applications like billing software, which falls under the executive/professional category of software, usually require about 512 MB to 1 GB of memory.

One of the most important computer peripherals is computer memory because it can determine the performance of the system in carrying out a number of tasks. With regard to billing software, this is also very true because an adequate amount of memory allows a person using the software to maximize the benefits he can get from the software. An adequate amount of memory can allow the system to perform the numerous tasks that billing software needs to carry out to serve its important functions.

Billing Software provides detailed information on Billing Software, VoIP Billing Software, Chiropractic Billing Software, Free Billing Software and more. Billing Software is affiliated with HIPAA Complaint Medical Billing Software.

Dental Billing Software

Dental billing software is an essential part of the medical billing industry. Dental offices either take care of their own dental billing or hire a medical billing specialist to take care of it. Either way, the need for dental billing software that is fast, effective, and inexpensive, is a prevalent one. Do you need to purchase dental billing software? Here is some advice that will help you.

Your first step in purchasing dental billing software is to do your research. Which dental billing software programs are considered the best? Which ones have the best prices? Find reviews of the software in magazines and on websites. Ask other dental billing specialists which software they use. The more information you can find, the easier it will be to make a wise purchase decision.

After you do your research, you will need to purchase the dental billing software. Once you have a particular software package in mind, you can start comparison shopping on the price. Check online, in stores, and in catalogs. Make sure you understand the warranty information and the return policy. When all the factors meet your approval, you can make the purchase with confidence.

Good dental billing software has a few functions. It helps manage patient accounting. It issues bills and invoices. It also manages patients? insurance and helps make the process of submitting a claim much easier. It is also important for the software to be easy to learn and easy to use.

When it comes time to purchase dental billing software, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, do research to find the best product. Search for information online, in magazines, and ask other billing specialists. Once you are confident you found a good product, you can start to compare prices. Keep in mind that you want the software to be easy to use.

Billing Software provides detailed information on Billing Software, VoIP Billing Software, Chiropractic Billing Software, Free Billing Software and more. Billing Software is affiliated with HIPAA Complaint Medical Billing Software.

Downloadable Billing Software

You run your own business. Do you have a system when it comes to billing? If not, then you could be losing money. Downloadable billing software is a great option when you are looking for something that will make your billing tasks easier. Are you not sure you need to buy downloadable billing software?

There are a lot of benefits for using downloadable billing software for your business. The first is that it will help your business run smoother. When you need to type and print every invoice by hand, this wastes time, especially if you have a lot of work to do.

Downloadable billing software can also help eliminate paper waste by making your business more electronic. Printing extra copies of your business transactions is not necessary, as long as you constantly back up all your customer files. If you only have your files in one location, if something happens, it can spell disaster. Possible ways to back up your files include having an extra hard drive, putting all on a DVD or CD, and putting the information on more than one computer.

Another benefit is that downloadable billing software can do more than just take care of accounting tasks. The extra features are nice, especially if they save you money. Some let you print out labels and create reports and other business documents. You can also have the software automatically generate statements on a specified time period, which is nice if the service you perform for the customer is ongoing, such as a long-term contract project.

Downloadable billing software makes running your business a lot easier. It helps automate your business, keep track of billing and accounting, and generate automated statements. Once you find the software that is best for your business, it will make your business run a lot smoother.

Billing Software provides detailed information on Billing Software, VoIP Billing Software, Chiropractic Billing Software, Free Billing Software and more. Billing Software is affiliated with HIPAA Complaint Medical Billing Software

Used Billing Software

One of the best ways to save money on our purchases is to tap the 'used' market, which means buying second-hand items. This is because doing so can provide access to some of the best deals and the lowest prices for quality goods. However, people who tap the second-hand market are not only given access to lower prices on products like appliances and clothes. Nowadays, people looking for a good price on software can also tap the used market. This is especially true for billing software because as companies expand, the billing software that they use needs to be replaced to accommodate the expansion, meaning that they have to replace their existing software. However, getting used software requires that you take the necessary steps to ensure that you are getting good quality software for your money.

Tips on buying used software

To get good quality used billing software, there are a number of steps that you can take to help you. They usually involve employing the same amount of meticulousness, if not a little more compared to when you buy brand new software. One of these steps is to read the customer reviews of the software you are considering because knowing what people think of the software can give you an idea on whether the software fits your requirements. Another step includes making sure that the software you are buying is compatible with your computer, which is very important for billing software because of the specific system requirements that it has.

More importantly, you should also make sure that you are buying from a reputable seller, by making sure you are getting the original version of the software and not copies. Other steps you can take include making sure that you are able to get the manuals that come with the software and asking for a warranty and return guarantee from the seller.

Nowadays, people looking for a good price for billing software can access the second-hand market. Individuals and companies that have replaced their old software sometimes opt to sell their old software to those who may find a use for them. However, buying used software also requires the same amount of meticulousness that people employ when they buy brand new services to ensure that they get good quality software and a good value for their money.

Billing Software provides detailed information on Billing Software, VoIP Billing Software, Chiropractic Billing Software, Free Billing Software and more. Billing Software is affiliated with HIPAA Complaint Medical Billing Software.

VoIP Billing Software

VoIP is an acronym for Voice over IP (Internet Protocol), or in more common terms, phone service over the Internet. Basically, it's a set of common Internet standards that allows a user's voice to be converted into small packs of digital data which can then be sent over computer networks. At the receiving end, VoIP computers reassemble the data packets back into a conventional audio signal that can be heard just as if on a regular telephone line. This is an online scheme that has been bubbling around the Internet community for the past few years. A major advantage of VoIP is that it avoids the tolls charged by ordinary telephone services.

There is VoIP billing software also that handles billing and other processes. This software can be used by all kinds of businesses. It helps in keeping track of customers, the bills to be sent to them and other such details through a protocol. This software has features like broadband phone, PC to phone, wholesale (termination), traffic exchange, international callback and prepaid calling cards that meet your VOIP business needs.

VoIP billing is tightly integrated with popular gateways, gatekeepers, proxies and soft switches from vendors like Quintum, Cisco, Sylantro, Veraz, Nextone, IPtel, Mera, and other compliant devices. Most telephony billing systems currently used today are based on non-IP standards, making them not equipped to handle or accurately bill for IP services; hence, VoIP billing rose to prominence. The reasons why most of the service providers and enterprises chose the VoIP billing software to expand their business is that it integrates the core functions like authentication, authorization, and accounting with vital functions that facilitate the effective management of all billing-related processes, like customers, services, finance, service distribution, reporting, traffic partners, and user rights.

VoIP billing software allows service providers and enterprises to expand their business by including cost-effective VoIP services in their offerings. It also enables the pre-paid or post-paid billing options for call usage and provides the ability to offer flexible call plans.

VoIP Billing Software provides detailed information on Billing Software, VoIP Billing Software, Chiropractic Billing Software, Free Billing Software and more. VoIP Billing Software is affiliated with HIPAA Complaint Medical Billing Software

Free Billing Software

Billing software is business accounting software that helps you manage your billing. It was created to help you keep track of projects, hours worked, and what your clients owe you. You can use billing software to manage your professional services business. It automatically creates a variety of reports, so you know how much you have worked, how much to bill, and who owes you what.

Billing software was designed for service industry professionals and anyone else who provides services. There are many kinds of free billing software available on the Internet, including:

Integra Office 5.2: INTEGRA OFFICE combines a powerful time and billing system with the "ultimate scheduler." Bill formats are completely customizable. The software allows any of a client's last ten bills to be re-prepared at any time.

BS/1 Professional 3.06: BS/1 Professional is an integrated time billing and accounting system, handling accounts payable, accounts receivable, general ledger, inventory, time billing, and sales analysis. Multi-currency features facilitate purchasing and international billing.

Excel Invoice Manager Platinum 2.1.1007: by integrating with Microsoft Excel, Excel Invoice Manager Platinum 2.1.1007 provides a true interface, not only for creating and editing invoices, but also for designing your own invoices with various tools provided by Microsoft Excel.

kBilling 1.2.11: kBilling - the ultimate software to use billing application runs on virtually any computer (even Windows 95) and is very simple to operate. Context-sensitive help and an intuitive user interface allows even the most novice computer user to invoice customers in seconds, not hours.

VOIP Call Shop Billing Software 5.1: using this system, you can even grant customers credit by taking payments before even they make their call. You have two options: bill your customers after the completion of a call (post-paid billing) and accept payment before they make a call (pre-paid billing).

InstantInvoice 3 3.4.8: InstantInvoice 3 3.4.8, an invoicing, billing and quotation software for small businesses, tracks customer payments and outstanding invoices. There is a powerful search-and-find option to find past invoices and quotes.

All of the above software runs on Windows 98, NT 4.0, 2000, ME and XP.

Billing Software provides detailed information on Billing Software, VoIP Billing Software, Chiropractic Billing Software, Free Billing Software and more. Billing Software is affliated with HIPAA Complaint Medical Billing Software

Billing Software

Every business or company needs efficient, fast and quick results from their employees; they are more dependent on the manual work than machines for a few accurate and quick processes. The major places where there are problems, faced by either small businessmen or tycoons, are accounts or cash procedures. Even in an age where machine power is the norm, many businesses yet depend on manpower. This gives rise to inefficient and delayed results. Billing software, also known as invoice software, is software that helps us to maintain bills or accounts accurately.

It simplifies the process of manual billing and provides features like automatic invoicing, integration with other systems, time management, self service, payment processes and more. Added to this, it can be used to maintain a complete client and staff history with billing adjustments and time-slip production. This software can be also used in creating invoices, quotes, proposals and customer statements, and also to keep track of outstanding invoices and customer payments. This is a very important component that can be used in any type of business.

If the billing isn?t on time and accurate, or if the billing processes are inefficient, then there are chances of losing customers and revenue. Billing software can be the perfect solution to your problem. It can not only help get your billing done fast, but manages to save your customer contacts and provide sales reports. This software meets the requirements of not only a one-person office, but also a large network-based organization getting fast and immediate results.

If you are looking for software that will get your billing done with minimum time and maximum flexibility, get billing software in your office. Spend less time billing your customers and more time filling their needs.

Billing Software provides detailed information on Billing Software, VoIP Billing Software, Chiropractic Billing Software, Free Billing Software and more. Billing Software is affliated with HIPAA Complaint Medical Billing Software

Invoicera: An Invoice Billing Management and Tracking Software

Are you looking for a payment tracking and invoice software which is simple and powerful? Are you spending too much time entering bills, invoices, purchase order and other data that reoccur periodically?

Invoicera (Invoice Software) has the solution.

Invoicera is professional billing & invoicing software for small to medium businesses invoicing. Invoicera is an invoice billing software which allows you to manage and track your invoicing data. With this flexible billing & invoicing software, you can create invoice, email invoice as a file and manage customer accounts and bills. It is a highly integrated Invoice Software which makes invoicing easy and automatic. The Invoice Billing software allows you to easily manage customers, invoices and payments. Invoicera is a highly integrated Invoice Software which includes a user friendly interface and several easy to use tools to track your payments and make your invoice billing better. The software is simple, easy to learn and allows you to create detailed invoices with ease. It keeps a track of your customer payments, simplifies your bookkeeping and print or email your invoice or quotes. Invoicera includes several easy to use tools to help you manage your professional business and invoicing better. It is an online invoicing software which assists you in invoice tracking and invoice management

Invoicera creates professional invoices automatically. You can print these invoices or save them to a file that you can email. Invoicera is a highly affordable and easy to learn invoice program. Instant reports, track of monthly sales, customer payments, outstanding invoices and tax reports.

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Invoicera is an Online Invoicing Software for Invoicewhich provides invoice-billing-featuresInvoicera is the perfect invoicing software, invoice tracking software, invoice management software and invoice billing software

Your All-In-One Medical Billing Software

Do you have trouble keeping all your files, data, and reports sorted, yet easy to find? The latest medical billing software will do that for you as well as save the amount of time you spend searching and accessing that information; the costs it takes to manage all the different databases, and the headaches you get from worrying about all the various aspects of your business.

Consolidate Offices?Medical billing software allows you to consolidate all your offices together. You will not have to log-in and log-out of a bunch of different databases; that?s all taken care of with this system. All you need to do is log-in through this billing system, and manage each separate account without the hassle of going into multiple databases.

Work From Home?Do you have a computer and broadband connection? That means you are ready to go. Once logged into the system, you can work from your home, office, or on the road. If you?re not in the office, you don?t have to worry whether or not your business information is staying up-to-date. With medical billing software, you?re able to manage and stay on top of your business functions at all times and places.

Easy-to-Use?The #1 web-based software is simple to use. Your clients will reap the benefits from you using this system. Without the hassle of going through multiple databases, you will be able to close out all your business day dealings in a timely manner. The data always stays separate and doesn?t require duplication or extras hassle. Quick, easy, and efficiently, the job will get done right and on time for the convenience of your customers.

Security?Your data is safe and backed up at all times. Medical billing software is protected through HIPPA-compliant servers that only you and other authorized staff members can access. If you ever have a problem, a team is ready and willing to help at all times. The support team will answer as quickly as possible to solve any needs or concerns about your system.

Payment?Medical billing software won?t take much money out of your business either. You can pay monthly as you go and don?t have to worry about or deal with large, up-front software fees. Best of all, no long-term commitment is required. You?ll see and experience the benefits right away as you use the software to maximize your business.

If you?re looking to upgrade, or just want to save time and money, give medical billing software a try. With less headaches and stress, you will be able to concentrate on the really important matters of your business. Medical billing software is definitely your solution to smarter billing and efficient client service.

Jordan Bartlett is a client account specialist with an Internet marketing company (http://www.10xmarketing.com). For more information about medical billing software please visit AdvancedMD (http://www.advancedmd.com)

Count the Ways Medical Billing Software Helps You Save

Wouldn?t you want the newest billing software that meets all the needs of your business? Your clients will be more satisfied with the service you give them. Your staff will stay on top of details and be more efficient. You will be able to manage your practices with less worries and stress. Medical billing software is the easy, simple solution that will help you treat your patients right, make life on your staff less complicated, and help you stay in control of your business.

Now let?s count the ways medical billing software can help save you time and money.

1. Easy-to-use and maintain

2. Efficient and accurate in data entry process

3. Customizable to your office

4. Can work efficiently and effectively with multiple clinics

5. Doctors can schedule and manage patients from their office

6. Entry screens are easy to handle

7. Save on data entry time

8. Costs less than old software

9. User friendly

10. New employees will learn how to use it quickly

11. Tracking reports are ever changing to fit practices needs

12. Stay connected and updated with all your offices

13. Work anywhere with an Internet connection

14. It?s secure?HIPPA-compliant servers back it up 24x7

15. Technical Remote Service always available for your needs

16. Tier 1 data center facility ensures system upkeep

17. Reduce IT costs across the board?no extra servers, log-ins, or installations needed

18. Synchronize data

19. Pay-as-you-go?upgrade or keep it simple depending on your practice needs

20. Updates installed often (usually weekly) and major upgrades as you go along

21. Guided setup makes it easy on staff and you for use

22. Professionals train staff and offer continuous help

23. Organize and retrieve client folders without hassle

24. Multiple locations can work on the same real-time data all day

25. Reports are always up-to-date no matter where you are

26. Can archive, download and run reports day or night

27. System speed is quick

28. Pre-configured defaults

29. Have option for patient and appointment data imports

30. It?s web-based and easier to handle for your office than the old software

What do all of these mean for you? They mean better accuracy, more efficiency, and greater benefits for all involved. Not only will you save in time and money, but you will also reduce the amount of stress dealing with outdated software that doesn?t meet your needs. Medical billing software meets and takes care of your clients? needs, your staff needs, and your needs. It will change the way you manage and keep up on all your office affairs for the greater good.

Jordan Bartlett is a client account specialist with 10x Marketing ? More Visitors. More Buyers. More Revenue. For more information about medical billing software please visit http://www.advancedmd.com

Count the Ways Medical Billing Software Helps You Save

Wouldn't you want the newest billing software that meets all the needs of your business? Your clients will be more satisfied with the service you give them. Your staff will stay on top of details and be more efficient. You will be able to manage your practices with less worries and stress. Medical billing software is the easy, simple solution that will help you treat your patients right, make life on your staff less complicated, and help you stay in control of your business.

Now let's count the ways medical billing software can help save you time and money.

1. Easy-to-use and maintain

2. Efficient and accurate in data entry process

3. Customizable to your office

4. Can work efficiently and effectively with multiple clinics

5. Doctors can schedule and manage patients from their office

6. Entry screens are easy to handle

7. Save on data entry time

8. Costs less than old software

9. User friendly

10. New employees will learn how to use it quickly

11. Tracking reports are ever changing to fit practices needs

12. Stay connected and updated with all your offices

13. Work anywhere with an Internet connection

14. It's secure--HIPPA-compliant servers back it up 24x7

15. Technical Remote Service always available for your needs

16. Tier 1 data center facility ensures system upkeep

17. Reduce IT costs across the board--no extra servers, log-ins, or installations needed

18. Synchronize data

19. Pay-as-you-go--upgrade or keep it simple depending on your practice needs

20. Updates installed often (usually weekly) and major upgrades as you go along

21. Guided setup makes it easy on staff and you for use

22. Professionals train staff and offer continuous help

23. Organize and retrieve client folders without hassle

24. Multiple locations can work on the same real-time data all day

25. Reports are always up-to-date no matter where you are

26. Can archive, download and run reports day or night

27. System speed is quick

28. Pre-configured defaults

29. Have option for patient and appointment data imports

30. It's web-based and easier to handle for your office than the old software

What do all of these mean for you? They mean better accuracy, more efficiency, and greater benefits for all involved. Not only will you save in time and money, but you will also reduce the amount of stress dealing with outdated software that doesn't meet your needs. Medical billing software meets and takes care of your clients' needs, your staff needs, and your needs. It will change the way you manage and keep up on all your office affairs for the greater good.

Jordan Bartlett is a client account specialist with 10x Marketing - More Visitors. More Buyers. More Revenue. For more information about medical billing software please visit AdvancedMD

How To Choose The Right Small Business Billing Software

If you own or manage a small business, you know how much time can be spent chasing down paper invoices, purchase orders and sales reports. It can be a real nightmare! That is where billing software comes in. It allows you to record all your customers, sales, invoices, inventory, suppliers (and more) in a PC-based system that is easy to use.

Deciding that you need to invest in good quality billing software is not hard. The tricky part can be choosing the right software package for your requirements. There are dozens of systems on the market claiming to be the holy grail of all your business problems, but choosing the wrong one can cost you valuable time and money.

Here's a simple checklist of 11 things to look for when purchasing billing software for your small business:

1) Customer records This is the core element of any billing system. What sort of information do you need to record about your customers? There's the obvious things like address, phone, fax, mobile, email and web address. But what about marketing-related information like "how did the customer find out about your business?", and "standard discounts" for key clients.

2) Multiple contacts & Communication history If many of your clients are businesses with multiple contacts, can you record individual contact details for each person? Word of mouth is the most powerful form of advertising, and statistics show that one of the most important factors in customer satisfaction is good customer service. Have you thought about keeping a log of all communication with your customers? It can be extremely helpful for improving internal communication within your business, and results in a more personalised service for your clients.

3) Multiple shipments Obviously your billing software will need to create sales orders - that's a gimme. But do you need to record employee-related information, like who the "salesperson" was? What about flexible dispatch options, like multiple shipments per sales order?

4) Search facility There's no point recording all this really useful information if there's no easy way to get to it. Check that the search facility is flexible and easy to use. What criteria can you search by? Here are a couple useful fields you may want to use: customer phone number, customer address, order date, dispatch date and dispatch consignment number.

5) Tax & regional support Are you able to change the tax rates on an order line basis? What about currency formatting? If you and your clients are in Europe, then there's no point using billing software that can only handle US dollars.

6) Reporting Producing accurate reports in seconds is something you no longer have to dream about. In fact it is a necessity in today's competitive market. Ensure your billing software can calculate information on sales based on date, salesperson and customer type. If you operate a B2B business, another key performance indicator may be dispatch totals, based on date, and employee. But one important thing to remember about software... you can only get out what you put in. So if you are looking for a specific report, make sure that information is being recorded by your billing software package.

7) Backup I've seen first-hand how devastating a hardware failure can be. Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of data can be destroyed in seconds... if you do not have a backup procedure in place. Ensure you select a billing software package that has a built-in backup utility or works with your current backup system.

8) Online help & support If you're a new computer user, then you'll definitely need a software package that has a comprehensive online and easy-to-use help system. Also check out what direct technical support is available through the vendor. Some software companies charge very high fees for personal support, so ensure you include this in your budget.

9) Budget How much are you going to spend? That really depends on the complexity of the software package you are looking for. Smaller software packages can be found under US$100, and larger more complex packages can cost well over US$3000. Take a look at the number of customers you have, the number of sales orders you process, and choose a solution that fits your business.

10) Customisations If you purchase an off-the-shelf billing software package, you may require minor customisations to suit your unique business processes and industry. Some software vendors offer customisations at quite reasonable prices. But ensure you include this cost in your budget.

11) Other features What else do you want from you billing software? If you deal with fixed price products, you may need a comprehensive inventory management system allowing you to purchase stock, manage inventory levels and supplier relations. Some quality software packages also include a useful follow-up diary, allowing you to keep track of tasks and assign them to other staff members.

When choosing a billing software package for your business, make sure you check that it offers everything your business needs. And then the only thing you'll have to worry about is what to do with all your newly found spare time!

Josh Bender is an experienced database developer and qualified software engineer. He helps small-to-medium businesses streamline processes and improve efficiency using reliable and proven software solutions. Take a free test drive of 'InstantSalesTracker', easy-to-use billing software: http://www.InstantSalesTracker.com

How to Choose the Correct Chiropractic Billing Software

One important step in finding the perfect chiropractic billing software program to fit your needs is to take a look at your existing computer equipment. With system needs changing on a virtually daily basis, it is necessary that the software program you choose be compatible with your hardware.

You also have the option of upgrading your system if it is not currently compatible with the software option you choose.

Giving a rough estimate, there are approximately 30 different vendors that deal in chiropractic billing software. Prices can range from a couple hundred dollars to several thousand dollars. While cost is certainly a consideration, assuring that you get the best quality software to meet your needs should be the primary consideration. Many new chiropractors, fresh out-of-school may decide to go with a discount software solution in order to save costs. Experts in the field suggest that skimping on costs in the beginning can cause a huge headache in the future. It is often a lot of trouble and work to change over systems; not to mention that your files will temporarily be on hold while the change occurs. A good word of advice is to thoroughly examine your needs and then choose the appropriate chiropractic billing software program for your practice base your decision on need, not cost.

Chiropractic billing software can be a godsend for many practices. Not only will you save valuable space from limiting your need for paper files, your office staff will also be able to retrieve important medical information in a virtual instant. Most offices claim that the best aspect of the electronic billing software is the ability to instantly file insurance claims. This is an excellent way to reduce the cost of office staff and postage. Many of these billing software programs also have a built-in clearinghouse feature to enable the business manager to track and locate any outstanding claims.

Those using some of the more advanced chiropractic billing software programs are able to perform a wide variety of tasks that, in the past, could have taken hours or even days. Some programs allow the administrator to submit claims on a patient to multiple insurance companies. Other programs make billing less complicated when dealing with HCFA, Workers Compensation and Medicare: these programs have the necessary forms built into the program and are easily accessed. It is obvious that there is a plethora of variances in software; the key is to know what you need in a program and search for one that closely resembles your needs.

Chiropractic Software provides detailed information on chiropractic billing and office management software, as well as detailed chiropractic software product comparisons. For more information go to http://www.e-chiropracticsoftware.com and/or visit our affiliate site at http://www.original-content.net

Meeting Medicaid Billing Needs with Sensitive Medical Billing Software

Medicaid Billing

Medicaid billing (similar to http://www.advancedmd.com/features/medicare-billing.asp medicare billing)requires medical billing software that is versatile and sensitive enough to work with Medicaid. Medicaid is state subsidization of medical expenses paid on behalf of qualified low-income individuals or families. Though requirements differ in each state, the payment is made directly to the medical practice or service provider.

In establishing medical billing solutions within a medical office, software is generally purchased to manage, track, and control billing information. Medicaid billing is handled differently than most medical billing. Since most medical billing is paid directly by the client or by the clients insurance company, most medical billing software is set up for traditional billing to the client or the clients insurance company. But Medicaid billing is paid through state government operations and requires software that is sensitive to Medicaid billing.

Medicaid Billing Need

In 1985, over 30 million Americans were enrolled in Medicaid. In 2003, less than 20 years later, the American population enrolled in Medicaid climbed to over 40 million. Clearly, with technological advances since 1985, medical billing software should be sensitive to the growing need for Medicaid billing allowances.

In understanding the nature of the need for Medicaid billing allowances in medical billing software, it is helpful to understand the Medicaid enrollment trends. Though low-income families may apply for enrollment in Medicaid, these young to middle-aged families do not make up much, if any, of the Medicaid population.

In 1999, over 38 million Americans were enrolled in Medicaid. About 33 million of those enrolled in Medicaid were the elderly, while the other 5 million consisted of disabled individuals. In 2003, the trend remains similar. Of the over 40 million individuals enrolled, over 34 million consisted of the elderly, while slightly fewer than 6 million individuals were disabled.

The point is that, in general, those enrolled in Medicaid (statistically the elderly and disabled) also require more medical care than other low-income families or individuals. That means that if a medical service provider is unable to react to Medicaid billing needs, then that medical service provider will be unable to assist not only the large demographic of Medicaid-enrolled individuals but also many elderly and disabled-two of the most medically-needy demographics.

Benefits of Medicaid Billing Sensitive Software

Millions of Medicaid-enrolled individuals are seeking medical service providers who are able to meet with the Medicaid billing needs of the state government and of Medicaid individuals.

Fortunately, with advances in technology, Medicaid billing sensitive software is available to answer the needs of the increasing Medicaid-enrolled population, many of whom are in regular need of medical attention.



About the author:
Joe Miller is an author of informational articles and online advertisements on business, technology, and health. Information on Medicaid billing is available at AdvancedMD.com.

Medical Billing Software takes the Stage

Medical Billing Software

The practice is running smoothly, with patients coming in and out with smiles on their faces because of the great service your practice is providing. At the end of the day, you review the office secretarys billing records and realize you are behind, again.

Running a successful practice depends upon the efficiency of the billing. Unfortunately many practices still must deal with a variety of different databases containing different sets of information. The patient contact information and the patient histories may be in totally separate databases, both of which have to be accessed in order to put information into a third database containing billing history. Though the database information in this example may be different from information in your practices databases, the database confusion is the same.

In addition to the database difficulties, running on multiple servers, installing billing technology with IT, and backing up all of your data is overwhelming if not impossible to always be on top of.

Simplify

Medical billing software has simplified the practices office structure to open up more time to continue giving quality service to patients. Medical billing software is a solution employed by countless medical practices to ensure effective and accurate billing.

One of the biggest ways medical billing software saves practices extra work is by enabling information on various servers or databases to be synchronized onto one account. By logging into your account you can access all of the information you need on any patient.

In addition to streamlining the billing process, medical billing software simplifies the financial obligation to billing and database technology by cutting most of it out. Using medical billing software enables tracking, billing, and security of all accounts online, eliminating the need for a costly IT infrastructure. The cost is usually a monthly fee payable as you use it.

Feel free to access your account from anywhere, including your PDA.

Secure

No practice should read an article like this and be convinced to find medical billing software without asking itself if an online medical billing software system is a secure system to change to.

Some of the examples of security precautions medical billing software takes includes electronic back ups, automatic posting, HIPAA and HCFA compliance, and secured accounts only accessible to authorized viewers.

In selecting a system for medical billing to suit your medical practice needs, consider a solution recognized by countless medical practices already. A secure a simple way to streamline medical billing is with medical billing software.

Joe Miller is specialist in online advertising. For more information on medical billing software, please visit AdvancedMD.com

Electronic Medical Billing Software and Service Compliance With Pre-Payment And Post-Payment Audits

Mistaken payments add up to an estimated $200 billion, exceeding 10% of national healthcare costs. Other Party Liability (OPL) alone, i.e., claims that should be paid by somebody else, make up $68 billion or 3.6% of national healthcare cost. The enormous size of potential savings due to improved claims processing continues to attract attention and resource focus. Insurance profitability experts believe that a payment scrutiny program can be as successful a profit-building strategy for insurance companies as raising premiums or adding members. A growing industry of outsourced technology and services to avoid mistaken payments is also symptomatic of a growing demand for such services. Some vendors cite cumulative payment savings as high as $3 billion.

However, avoiding mistaken payments is hard because of four-pronged constraints, namely, the volume of claims, the disparate and disconnected sources of relevant information, the resource-intensive manual processes needed to identify and investigate recovery opportunities, and regulatory requirements for timely payments.

To manage these difficulties, many payers adopted a two-phase-based “pay-and-refund” approach for payment minimization. The second phase of this approach is designed to correct any mistakes made during the first phase. Each of the phases can be further divided into two stages. Specifically, the initial phase splits into prepayment review and timely payment of valid items, while the final phase includes post-payment audits and refunds of items proven invalid during the audit.

Prepayment Review

Prepayment review typically proceeds in two stages, identification and confirmation. Potential overpayment identification requires cross-referencing multiple systems that manage provider enrollment, authorizations, recovery case management, and call centers for both insured and providers.

Overpayment confirmation uses Correct Coding Initiative (CCI), Local Medical Review Policies (LMRP), and other rules to categorize the potential overpayments into Contractual/Clinical, Eligibility, Coordination of Benefits, or Duplicate Payments. Overpayment confirmation typically includes tests for inter-claim, intra-claim, or cross claim inconsistencies, lifetime duplicates, date range duplicates, re-bundling, inappropriate modifier codes, wrong E&M crosswalk, upcoded or undercoded visit level, etc.

Prepayment review requires powerful database technology. Most of prepayment claim review process can be automated along with subsequent denial notice or explanation of benefits (EOB).

Post-Payment Audit

In contrast, post-payment audits tend to consume more resources during each one of the audit stages:

1. Target identification Audit identification report shows total annual revenue and the degree of variance between the audit target and peers in the same specialty and geography. The product of the two numbers is proportional to the expected gain from the audit, essentially providing a natural audit ranking.
2. Audit preparation A higher return to the payer is the key advantage of a carefully designed and executed post-payment audit. Audit preparation starts with a review of audit target selection, which is the result of provider profiling and variance reporting. This stage includes a list of claims paid in the past that are most likely to fall outside of standard distribution of the peer group.
3. Audit execution The auditor requests and analyzes medical notes supporting the data reflected in the sample of paid claims produced at the audit preparation stage. The auditor’s objective is to establish the proportion of claims found unsupported by reviewed medical notes within the set of audited sample (percent of overpayment).
4. Refund (and penalty) extrapolation The auditor extrapolates refund as the product of percent of overpayment and the total payments by the auditing insurance carrier for the past six years.
5. Negotiation
6. Settlement

Some stages, such as audit execution, negotiation, and settlement must be entirely manual, and may require highly skilled and experienced personnel. Other stages, such as verification of overpayment amount and currency, identification of overpayment reason, and audit prioritization, may be partially automated, using rule-based technology to identify procedure repetition, high payments per day, surge analysis, unusual modifiers, unusual procedure rates, geographic improbabilities, or 5/50 patterns. External resources might be added at this stage to consult provider watch lists, OIG sanctions databases, or high-risk address databases.

Summary

A full-scale implementation of payment scrutiny requires sophisticated processes to handle prepayment claim review and post-payment audits and uses advanced fraud detection technology. Prepayment claim reviews are less expensive than post-payment audits and therefore can be applied to every claim, while post-payment audits must be carefully targeted. A system to manage overpayment recovery process must include claim identification, its history, provider and insured information, medical notes, insured services call center notes, authorizations, etc. Without the ability to efficiently manage a large volume of recovery cases, the risk for errors or missed payment deadlines is high, resulting in missed recovery opportunities.

Yuval Lirov, PhD, author of "Practicing Profitability - Network Effect for Revenue Cycle Control in Healthcare Clinic and Chiropractic Office: Scheduling, SOAP Notes, Care Plans, Coding, Billing, Collections, and Audit Risk" (Affinity Billing) and "Mission Critical Systems Management" (Prentice Hall), inventor of patents in Artificial Intelligence and Computer Security, and CEO of Vericle.net - Distributed Billing and Practice Management Technologies. Yuval invites you to register to the next webinar on audit risk at BillingPrecision.com

Blue Cross Blue Shield Michigan Heads April's Chiropractic Office Billing Software Precision Index

Chiropractic Office Billing Software Performance Index (BPI) in April 2007 outperformed its March value by 4.3%, bringing the index from 18.9 up to 14.6, ahead of the national average of 17.7%, while replacing four of BPI participants in March on the list of top ten performers. BPI guides chiropractic office managers and helps the development of both chiropractic billing software and billing performance standards. This article describes a rule-based chiropractic billing index, including its coverage definition, update cycle, volume weighting, and provided information.

BPI = 14.6 means that the average of ten top performing payers working with Billing Precision clients have 14.6% of Accounts Receivable beyond 120 days. BPI is a key billing performance characteristic, as it is a proxy of the claims that are never paid. Obviously, the lower is the index the better is billing performance. The table below also lists the top ten performing payers and their relative index as recorded in the Billing Precision's system.

 

• Billing Precision Index 14.6
• Blue Cross Blue Shield Michigan 3.2
• Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado 6.8
• Humana 7.9
• Blue Cross Blue Shield Illinois 11.1 (down from 11.2 in March)
• United Health Care 13.9 (up from 23.2 in March)
• Cigna 15 (down from 12.9 in March)
• Medicare New Jersey 16.4 (up from 20.5 in March)
• Blue Cross Blue Shield Texas 20 (down from 15.2 in March)
• Great West 22
• Aetna 22.1 (down from 20.9 in March)

April BPI dropped four participants since March:

• Blue Cross Blue Shield Pennsylvania
• Blue Cross Blue Shield Alabama
• Medicare Pennsylvania
• Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey

Three payers improved their index since March:

• Blue Cross Blue Shield Illinois 11.1 (down from 11.2 in March)
• United Health Care 13.9 (up from 23.2 in March)
• Medicare New Jersey 16.4 (up from 20.5 in March)

Three participants lowered their indexes with respect to March BPI:

• Cigna 15 (down from 12.9 in March)
• Blue Cross Blue Shield Texas 20 (down from 15.2 in March)
• Aetna 22.1 (down from 20.9 in March)

April BPI added four new participants since March:

• Blue Cross Blue Shield Michigan 3.2
• Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado 6.8
• Humana 7.9
• Great West 22

Coverage

BPI is rule-based, i.e., payer participation in the index is defined by dynamically rules at the time of computation and not by a static listing of specific payers. Therefore, any specific payer may start or discontinue participation in the index, dependent on satisfaction of rule's conditions.

Current selection of payers for participation in the BPI is based on fifty top-volume providers across all United States that have received Billing Precision services for more than six months and have more than two hundred claims in their current Accounts Receivable.

Update Cycle

BillingPrecision.com updates BPI on a monthly basis.

Volume Weighting

BPI is volume weighted, which is important to accommodate future growth of provided information, index combinations, and sensitivity across multiple indices.

Information Provided

BPI computes the percent of Accounts Receivable beyond 120 days. Note that national average across all medical specialties of percent of accounts receivable beyond 120 days is 17.7%.

Summary

Chiropractic Office Billing Software Performance Index helps the development of both chiropractic office billing software and billing performance standards. Chiropractic office managers can use the index to benchmark their billing performance and guide its improvement over time. Rule-based index definition allows for automated inclusion and exclusion of payers in the index based on payer attributes, such as numbers of processed claims, accounts receivable distribution, certain mix of CPT codes, or patient demographics.

Yuval Lirov, PhD, author of "Practicing Profitability - Network Effect for Revenue Cycle Control in Healthcare Clinic and Chiropractic Office: Scheduling, SOAP Notes, Care Plans, Coding, Billing, Collections, and Audit Risk" (Affinity Billing) and "Mission Critical Systems Management" (Prentice Hall), inventor of patents in Artificial Intelligence and Computer Security, and CEO of Vericle.net - Distributed Billing and Practice Management Technologies. Yuval invites you to register to the next webinar on audit risk at BillingPrecision.com.

Top 4 Transparency and Accountability Attributes for Electronic Medical Billing Software and Service

Medical billing industry has volumes of arcane terminology and payer- and time-dependent claim validity and pricing interpretation rules, facilitating massive payments of invalid or ineligible claims and denials of error-free claims. Process transparency provides its participants greater visibility of internal process activities. An increased level of access promotes teamwork, increases client satisfaction, and assists in process streamlining.

Billing process is the interaction between the participants (i.e., insurance company (payer), healthcare service provider (provider or doctor), patient, and billing service provider (biller)) designed to pay or deny a payment request (claim) submitted by the biller to the payer and to the patient on behalf of the provider. The amount and complexity of billing information make it very difficult for the doctor to maintain compliance and identify and resolve errors and underpayments.

Billing service transparency allows participants of the billing process to expedite error identification and resolution, resulting in reduced over- and under-payments and improved regulatory compliance.

Attributes of Billing Transparency

Billing transparency has four key attributes, including universality, continuity, ubiquity, and scalability.

• Universality: every participant in the billing process, including patient, provider, payer, and biller, has access to every aspect of the billing process.
• Continuity: process detail is available continuously on a 24 x 7 basis.
• Ubiquity: access to billing process is provided over secure standard Internet browser that requires no special hardware or software and is available everywhere.
• Scalability: both the big picture and minute detail are available for scrutiny universally and continuously. The big picture consists of total cash flow in a given time period, current submitted and failed claims, and billing quality metric. It must contain comprehensive summary of patient visits and unpaid balances. The minute detail pertains to individual claims making up the big picture, including complete history from the moment of creating the claim, testing its validity and eligibility, making corrections, performing submissions, reconciling payer messages and explanations of benefits (EOB) with original claims, until payment. Both perspectives must allow arbitrary aggregation of claims and drill in for detail to enable effective followup.

How to Build Transparency Into Your Billing Service?

A transparent billing service leverages technology to enable competent personnel to execute disciplined billing process. Therefore, to implement a transparent billing process, you must

[ ] Get access to adequate technology to support universality, continuity, ubiquity, and scalability.

[ ] Develop and thoroughly document claim processing procedures, including compliance and integration with practice workflow.

[ ] Train personnel in following the procedures and using the technology

[ ] Review personally and continuously billing quality, technology capabilities, adequacy of procedures, discipline, and training.

Note that Vericle-like technologies based on Straight Through Billing (STB) methodology implement billing transparency by design because billing transparency is an integral attribute of every component of STB process.

Yuval Lirov, PhD, author of Practicing Profitability - Network Effect for Revenue Cycle Control in Healthcare Clinic and Chiropractic Office: Scheduling, SOAP Notes, Care Plans, Coding, Billing, Collections, and Audit Risk (Affinity Billing) and Mission Critical Systems Management (Prentice Hall), inventor of patents in Artificial Intelligence and Computer Security, and CEO of Vericle.net - Distributed Billing and Practice Management Technologies. Yuval invites you to register to the next webinar on audit risk at BillingPrecision.com

Medical Billing Software - The Partner of Medical Practitioners

To keep track of hospital or clinic finances, payments, and patient records, a lot of doctors and hospital administrators already make use of the various medical billing software products available. Should you use one in your clinic or hospital, too? Read on so you can make an informed decision.

What can a medical billing software do?

A medical billing software is a program that helps medical professionals like yourself keep track of payments, patient records, dues, insurance information and revenues in their hospitals and clinics. Some more advanced versions also enable users to send out billing notices to patients.

Types of billing software

A desktop based medical billing software stores patient and billing information in a computer database. Hospitals and clinics use these types of programs to follow-up on their patients' payments, as well as for sending out billing notices.

Meanwhile, a web-based medical billing software is hosted online by a third-party web provider. It provides much larger databases for managing billing statements and patient records. It also allows patients to access their records online.

Tips when purchasing a medical billing software

Before buying, you should sample the program's trial version first. Software trial versions are available for free on the Internet and can easily be downloaded at websites dealing with computer software. They usually last for 15 to 30 days, depending on the product's specifications. You should also choose a software that supports medical practice management functions. This added bonus will greatly help your establishment become a more efficient and organized -- not to mention accurate --workplace.

Important consumer information on medical billing software

A complete Guide to MEDICAL BILLING SOFTWARE is available in Picky Guide, one of the fastest growing online magazines giving free consumer advice and product information

Dr. Brian Capra, Chiropractor and Expert in Office Automation and Billing Software - Part II

Dr. Brian Capra, a graduate of Life University, has been a practicing chiropractor and office automation expert. He routinely visits chiropractic offices around the nation while receiving raving feedback from his clients. In his blog on Chiropractic Office Billing Software Profitability, Dr. Brian offers practical solutions for building a profitable and completely paperless office. In the second part of his interview, Dr. Brian gives advice to chiropractors who are at the start of their professional career.

 

• How did your own viewpoints evolve from the time you started Billing Precision?

   

  Dr. Brian : My viewpoints evolved in step with the growing scope of our service. As the number and size of the practices we support grew, I realized that my initial conjecture about the importance of integrated office workflow is paramount to success. For instance, besides a solid billing process, perfect SOAP notes are critical for better care, for lower audit risk, and for full reimbursement.

  Two other critical points are practice owner's business focus and teamwork. An unfocused practice owner will always confuse profit, revenue, and costs. And insurance companies will always exploit the lack of teamwork between billing and front office personnel.

  Today I realize that focus and teamwork can be turned around from being points of vulnerability to the strongest weapon for improving practice profitability and making the insurance companies pay everything they owe you. You can lock them down. You can research your options, fight back, and help others to fight back too.

• When talking to practice owners who invite you to their office, what are the comments that stick out most in your mind?

   

  Dr. Brian: In many ways, working with practice owners reminds me of working with the patient: a practice is a very complex system, where the flow of information must be uninhibited in order to have the practice growing at a healthy pace. Patients must make progress and vital functions of the office too must perform optimally to grow and to avoid risks.

  Patients are notorious for saying "well, I just get these headaches about once a day." When they realize that a headache is a problem with blood to the brain and most chiropractic do not have headaches, they see a whole new reality they never knew is possible. When patients begin to understand the principles of how things happen, they understand that chiropractic is not just a treatment for headaches. They begin to appreciate their true potential.

  A systemic "subluxation" may not be immediately observable to a naked and untrained eye, yet it may cause major setbacks for the practice owner. Just like patients who lack education about their own body and their nervous system, practice owners are often ignorant about the reasons for their underpayment or for the lack of practice growth. Many are complacent, they think where they are is as good as it gets.

  Doctors and practice managers are no different with realizing the potential for the health and wellness of their own office. Their own resistance to change and education, not the payers or the lack of adequate technology, is their biggest enemy. Few practice owners are open immediately to the changes in attitude and self-discipline required for measurable improvement in collections and reduction of audit exposure. Some seem stuck on "I don't need this," "we have it under control," "we tried it and it did not work," "we can do it better" or "if it is so great how come nobody else is doing it?" Others have tasted previously awful experiences with outsourcing to billing services that neglected denials and underpayments and collected commission fees only on claims that were paid anyway.

• What would you advise to the chiropractor who is about to start a new practice?

   

  Dr. Brian: Keep the principles in mind. An office is in a lot of ways a living thing. Just as it is impossible to for the liver to do the job of the kidneys it is impossible for the chiropractor to do the job of the biller of front desk. Luckily, God made a centralized system to control and coordinate the intercommunication and function of every cell in the body. Obviously the system is the CNS and all organs and systems are accountable to it. A new doctor should see that he/she should leverage a technology and use it as the CNS of his/her practice. In that way they can act at times like the brain, sending messages and giving orders to the rest of the body through the technology, and at other times allow that system to sustain the life of the practice. The doctor can then pick and choose where his/her time is most effectively spent: IE, Marketer, Adjuster, or Manager.

  Steps to success:

  1. Get a system of practice
  2. Get a technology that will help measure that system and one that will help manage it
  3. Run the system
  4. Find inefficiencies
  5. Build in automation, leveraging technology and other people’s time, to prevent the inefficiency from reoccurring
  6. Measure the changes and adjust accordingly

     Yuval Lirov, PhD, author of "Practicing Profitability - Network Effect for Revenue Cycle Control in Healthcare Clinic and Chiropractic Office: Scheduling, SOAP Notes, Care Plans, Coding, Billing, Collections, and Audit Risk" (Affinity Billing) and "Mission Critical Systems Management" (Prentice Hall), inventor of patents in Artificial Intelligence and Computer Security, and CEO of Vericle.net - Distributed Billing and Practice Management Technologies. Yuval invites you to register to the next webinar on audit risk at BillingPrecision.com.

Five Key Benefits of Using Medical Billing Software for Your Medical Practice

If handling your practice's medical billing seems like pulling teeth, you probably need a solution that will simplify things around the office. Many medical professionals are turning to the automated way of processing medical invoices and claims. They are discovering the amazing advantages of using advanced medical billing software to do the work. Here are five key benefits of using medical billing software.

1. Automation for Medical Billing

Every business owner understands the necessity to automate some things around the office. For an MD or other health professional, running the office is no different. Automating the invoicing and claims process in your office through medical billing software is what differentiates yesterday's doctors and today's advanced MD!

You can use the medical billing software to pull up patient or insurance company information any time you need it. A click of the mouse tells who, when, where and how much is due.

2. Reduce Paperwork

In any medical practice, paperwork builds in a hurry. Whether you use medical billing services or your own software, you will reduce paperwork dramatically. Even medical billing services provide and use software to keep up with all patient records, bills, claims, etc. So, filing and organizing paperwork is reduced, thus, saving much space in your office.

3. Reduce Office Expenses

Doing everything by hand takes time and plenty of employees to handle the paperwork during busy times. The medical billing software prices may seem high, but not when compared with the cost of hiring additional employees, paying a portion of their social security and insurance costs, space and time used in the office, etc. You can even save money on your software by comparing medical billing software prices and discounts. Sometimes, you can find the software at very affordable prices. It's considered a tax deduction as well.

Even if you choose to use medical billing services, you can sometimes find very affordable rates. The key is to compare apples with apples. Consider every aspect of the service or software as compared with your current operational costs before making a commitment.

4. Easy Access to Patient Information

Another advantage of medical billing software is you can access your patients' information from anywhere. Most software can be integrated with a program as simple and common as Microsoft Office and with the Internet. This makes it possible to open several practices and have all information in one central location on the Web. You and your employees will be able to update billing information from either office location.

5. Reduce Error Margin

There will always be some human error when entering a lot of information into a computer system. Medical billing software helps to reduce this error by "catching" common mistakes. You can personalize the software for your billing needs and reduce entry errors by pre-programming the software. This will save time and money for the long haul.

Whether you choose to buy medical billing software for your office or use a medical billing service, you can work like the pros. You can become an advanced MD or other health professional that stays ahead of the competitors.

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web. Learn more about Benefits Medical Billing Software or Majon's Business and Entrepreneurs directory.