Now that almost every physical therapy practice is using some form of electronic billing and claims software, a question we often get at Jet PT is: “How do I know that these claims are actually being filed?”
That’s a really good question because if there is something that is missing and your charges are not getting out the door, so to speak, it can put a real delay on your remittances.
Let’s take a quick look at a couple of reasons why your charges might be stuck in your system.
Are You Missing Notes?
By far the biggest reason that charges are hidden or stuck in a system is due to incomplete notes on a patient record.
You’ll want to look in your software for a report that shows incomplete notes. That way you know which accounts are causing delays.
If the providers are not logging complete notes it can set the charge as hidden, on hold, or paused. Different software treats them with different terminology, but the idea is the same.
One thing we do for our clients is to keep them up to date on what patients have incomplete notes. That way we can get that provider to login, complete the note, and close it out.
Missing Information Can Also Delay Your Charges
Sometimes the notes are complete, but the charge is still not getting out the door. In this case, take a look at the patient record itself.
More often than not, there is something missing. It could be as simple as the patient’s or the insured’s date of birth.
Other things to look for are incomplete ID numbers, lack of a complete address. Sometimes, patients show up for their first visit and forget to bring their insurance card. By the time you’re sending out claims the record has not been updated. This will cause unwanted delays.
It’s All About Finding Balance
At the end of the week, the number of notes done for the week should equal the number of claims and arrivals. When this is significantly out of balance it can mean that many of your practice’s charges are not getting out the door.
This is a simple report to look at that can tell you if you have a problem with this area of your billing department.
If your practice is ready to try outsourced billing or just wants answers to a question we’ve yet to cover in these articles, make sure to fill out the form and we’ll get in touch with you as soon as possible. I founded Jet PT billing because I know billing can be frustrating for practice owners. I know this after running my own successful practice for several years.
Tags: Billing service, physical therapy billing, pt billing services
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