Physical therapists have struggled with claims denials over the past years. In Relay Health’s 2017 Revenue Cycle Index, the Midwest was shown to have a 7.89% denial rate, which affects large hospitals in general.
There are several factors that affect claims reimbursement and claims denials. Claim denials happen largely when mistakes or lapses in billing are made. These mistakes can be avoided and subsequently be made into factors to watch out for in order for physical therapists to get higher reimbursement rates.
Here are common mistakes that physical therapists need to watch out for:
Duplicate billing
Duplicate bills usually arise when resubmission of claims is being done. In order for physical therapists to avoid duplication in billing, one must ensure that claims are followed up properly. Another way would be to cancel a procedure or test by completely removing it from the patient’s account.
Coding errors
In the case of coding, the personnel responsible for filling out these forms for payment or reimbursement must have a full understanding of what is required, especially fee schedules and coding details. It is important to note that all fields in the claim forms are filled out correctly and that all requirements are met. A single lapse in a critical field can result to denial of the claim, which decreases reimbursement rates.
Too wordy claim forms
Keep your claim forms as simple as possible. Remember that hundreds of applications are being sent in and reviewed daily, so it’s best to stick to comments that are essential to the particular treatment you are claiming for. This will help keep the agency focused and process your claims more quickly and successfully.
Failure in filing claims
Whether an application isn’t delivered successfully and doesn’t reach the payer or mistakes are made at the office level, one thing’s for sure: human error happens.
Sometimes, an application can also get lost as soon as it reaches the insurance company, therefore it is never processed.
This can be resolved with the help of billing services such as Jet PT Billing. At Jet PT, we ensure that all of your applications are properly received and in a timely manner. Having a billing service company assist you in claiming your reimbursements help in reducing the chances of lost claims or undelivered applications.
Save time and make sure you avoid the most common mistakes physical therapists make when claiming for reimbursements by employing the help of Jet PT Billing. Let us help you increase your reimbursement rates quickly and successfully. Talk to us on Facebook or LinkedIn.
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Tags: physical therapists, physical therapy
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