Taking into account the recent data, which suggests yearly visits of more than 208 million to different family physicians, we can easily see the importance family medicine plays in the lives of US citizens. Family physicians offer a range of medical services, deal with different types of acute and chronic diseases, and provide preventive care to patients. Thus, the patient clientele they have built is unmatched compared to any other medical care field.
Having a big patient turnover also means that the family physicians themselves or the healthcare facility they are based in have to look over a complicated process of family practice medical billing and reimbursements. Having a dedicated and sophisticated system for handling the billing aspect of the services is essential to streamline the service provision process since any mishap in the billing process can be detrimental to the facility and even the physician himself.
Thus, working with reputable companies offering their aid in the medical billing process is always recommended. Having a professional firm on board that looks completely into all matters related to medical billing can take the responsibility off the shoulders of the healthcare provider so that they can provide adequate and easy services to patients. Today, we will look at some of the best family practice medical billing services located in Texas so that you know which service best fulfils your needs and can aid you.
What are Family Practice Billing Services?
Medical billing services are third-party companies that handle the billing process of healthcare facilities. They handle the Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) aspect of the healthcare facility, handling all payments, claims and reimbursements for the facility so that the facility and the physicians can focus on the interrupted provision of healthcare to their patients.
- Medical billing companies usually handle the following data:
- Patient information
- Doctor information
- Healthcare center information
- Insurance information
- CPT codes and modifiers
- Medical bill codes
The medical billing process can be broken into two stages: the front end and the back end.
Front-End billing
Front-end billing is pre-service, meaning it takes place before the patient sees the doctor. This stage usually concerns the front office or front desk staff with whom the patient interacts initially when going into the hospital. Taking accurate information from the patient is an important job of the front desk so that they can ensure accurate billing later on.
Back-End billing
Back-end billing takes place after the patient sees the doctor. The doctor checks the patient and observes any services or procedures to determine their health condition. Based on these observations, the medical coder then applies a specific code to the billing documentation of the patient. This code refers to the service or procedure done by the doctor. This process occurs in the back office and not in front of the patient; it is also known as back-end billing.
Benefits of using Family Practice Medical Billing Services
Using family practice medical billing services can be a huge relief for the physicians and the healthcare facility for several different reasons:
1. Error-Free Billing Process
Companies offering billing services are professional, and their staff is highly trained. They are aware of all CPT codes and modifiers used in the billing process and can accurately use all these codes to streamline the billing process. This saves the healthcare facility a lot of hassle, allowing them to focus only on patient care. Streamlining the billing process also saves the facility from losing funds in damages or erroneous reimbursements.
This error-free service also ensures the patients’ claims are addressed properly and are not rejected solely because of faulty billing practices. Handling future reimbursements also becomes much easier for the healthcare facility and patients. Thus, using professional companies for billing services is a win-win situation for the healthcare facility, the physicians and the patients.
2. Allows Physicians to Focus on Patient Care
When all the revenue cycle management (RCM) tasks are handled by the billing company, the physicians don’t have to worry about the billing process. They can focus more on delivering quality care to their patients.
This is especially important for small practice physicians who can’t hire a complete in-house staff. Having an outside company look into their billing services can save them a lot of time and hassle as they don’t have to worry about the financial aspect of their services burdening them, and they can easily focus on their patients a lot more.
3. Faster Revenue Cycle
Professional billing service-providing companies have a swift system for effectively handling all claims being brought to the table. They get to work as soon as a claim hits their radar and sort it out quickly. By eliminating errors in faulty claims, billing service companies also prevent any wastage of timing in figuring out the problem. This makes the whole billing process go smoothly and quickly, making the revenue cycle easy and hassle-free.
Family practice billing services also use the most innovative and up-to-date software to manage and store billing data. This allows them to effectively automate the whole process and make it fast and effective.
4. Safety of Patient Data
Billing forms filled by the patients contain their private information like names, DOBs, addresses, etc. This information being sent back and forth between the patient and the billing company is very valuable and has a high price in the market. Thus, attempts to steal this data also abound, and keeping this data safe and secure is essential.
The software systems used by the billing companies are safe and secure. Companies are also continuously looking for new and better software defense systems that quickly detect hacking or phishing attempts to steal valuable patient data. All billing companies, especially the ones that are HIPAA compliant, use secure programs and software to ensure they keep the data safe.
5. Prevention of Claim Denials
Medical billing companies communicate with various parties involved in handling a claim. These parties are usually the patients, physicians, insurance companies, and government agencies. By effectively communicating with all these parties, billing companies ensure that all are on board with the claims process and that no detail is being left out. This keeps all the concerned people in the loop and prevents any denials or rejection of claims.
Even if the claims are denied, any errors are found, or any readjustments/corrections need to be made to the claim to allow effective reimbursement, medical billing companies are the ones handling the whole process. These companies have experts looking into the matter who can correct any mistakes or point out any other corrections or improvements so that the claims can become error-free.
Best Family Practice Medical Billing Services in Texas, TX
In Texas, many companies offer family practice medical billing services for healthcare companies and physicians. Owing to the large number of such companies present, it can sometimes become difficult to decide which company to choose to set up their billing system in place. Here are some of the best ones we recommend for large as well as small healthcare facilities and medical care centers:
Precision Practice Management
Precision Practice Management has been around in the medical billing game for quite a while and has provided its services to many reputable healthcare facilities. Their happy clients abound within different Texas communities, and Precision happily boasts the testimonials of these clients on their website. These testimonials give a good idea of the exemplary services they offer.
Precision maintains a completely online and paperless family practice medical billing system. They use the Electronic Health Record System (EHR), a top-notch and up-to-date system to automate the billing process. They deal with many medical specialties and have perfected their game within the family practice billing structures. Depending on the infrastructure already being used by the facility, they implement different levels of the EHR system and completely automate the billing process.
Precision also provides complete technical support once the EHR system is in place and helps its clients navigate any technical problems. All of their services comply with the Transparency in Coverage Act, and you won’t have to worry about your data.
Medical Billers And Coders
SybridMD
SybridMD, having a sound experience in medical coding has a proven record of aiding numerous families for medical billing and coding services. Having experts in the field of medical credentialing and coding, claim denial management, provider credentialing, and compliance with regulatory bodies, they help professionals to meet their daily medical coding and billing needs.
MBC
Medical Billers And Coders (MBC) take pride in their 15+ years of experience in the family practice medical billing industry. Small and large family practice medical facilities often set high standards for their billing companies, and MBC satisfactorily fulfils these standards thanks to their hardworking and expert staff. Their experts are trained to handle all aspects of the Revenue Cycle Management system, especially denial management, and help healthcare facilities deal with their day-to-day claims with ease.
MBC also boasts of its workforce and affiliates completely complying with HIPAA regulations. They also aim to protect Patient Health Information (PHI) to the best of their abilities, ensuring that no data leakage occurs to disturb the patients or the healthcare facility. MBC also claims to have a staggering 98% clean claim reimbursement and a 75% client retention score, making it stand out from its competitors.
Like Precision, MBC also uses sophisticated software to handle and manage billing. Apart from RCM services, they also provide physician credentialing and medical code implementation services.
Parallon
Awarded the number 1 RCM firm in 2021, Parallon has dominated the modern medical billing market. Parallon is a part of the HCA group, which has existed since 1968. Although the company looks into the HCA hospitals’ automation process, it also has external affiliations with many healthcare providers and helps them automate their medical billing process.
Parallon handles all aspects of the medical billing process. They handle the RCM of the facility, ensuring that each step of the process, from patient registration to claim submission and payment collection, goes smoothly. This allows the healthcare facility to handle its reimbursements in a coordinated and timely manner.
They also handle the medical coding and documentation process. By employing expert medical coders, Parallon ensures that they apply the correct medical codes to every document they handle so that every claim and reimbursement can be handled correctly without any error or denial. They also handle patient billing and collection, claim denials, and problems arising in regulatory compliance with Medicare codes.
Conclusion
Medical billing is an important part of the healthcare provision system. Especially in the case of family practice, medical billing becomes a difficult task owing to a bigger patient turnover rate. In these cases, taking the help of medical billing services becomes essential. These companies are certified and experts in handling the complex nature of medical billing procedures and can review the whole process to ensure that everything goes smoothly.
We recommend taking the services of these medical billing services, especially for small stand-alone practitioners who don’t have an in-house staff. Employing these companies can save the facility a lot of hassle as they can easily navigate your way through claim reimbursements and denials and prevent any errors in the claim process. These companies also quicken the billing process, make it error-free and prevent any leakages of valuable patient data. Automation of the billing process also lowers any delays in the facility’s revenue cycle, making their business very lucrative.
With all these positive aspects of using family practice medical billing services from various companies, you must choose the best one based on your demands. Choosing a well-reputable and established company is always advisable so that you can get all the professional services you are looking for and that the billing process is as hassle-free for you as it is for the patients.