With numerous variations modernizing the US healthcare industry, the medical billing and coding processes have become too complicated even for the experienced medical billing companies. It is not just the regular hospital claims that they have to tackle, but there are other kinds like the FQHC billing, ASC billing, and more.
ASC (Ambulatory Surgery Centers) primarily provides surgical services to outpatients. They can be a part of healthcare organizations or act as independent surgical centers. Although Ambulatory Surgery Center Billing claims look like the regular medical claims, they have certain differences in terms of filing. While hospital outpatient surgical claims are filed on the UB-04 or 837I, ASC billing claims are filed on the HCFA 1500 or 837P. Additional care is required to perform ASC billing as even minor mistakes can trigger huge claim denials. Let’s take a look the 10 steps with which one can improve their Ambulatory Surgery Center Billing.
- Employ Skilled Professionals: To avoid major losses due to inexpert medical billing and coding, it would be wise to employ highly-trained and certified staff who render unsurpassed ASC billing.
- Update Technology and Software: Traditional technology and software systems are no good to Ambulatory Surgery Center Billing as the US healthcare standards have changed completely. Updating them is the only way to improve ASC billing although it involves a huge investment.
- Anticipate Change and Adapt: As discussed earlier, the US healthcare industry faced so many new reforms. These changes are unpredictable, so medical coders should watch out for more such reforms and be ready to adapt. Also, they should keep training on the new trends to perform Ambulatory Surgery Center Billing efficiently.
- Clear out Logs: One of the key reasons that lead to financial losses is ignoring the logs that keep building up overtime. Medical billing specialists must analyze these logs and make sure that the denied claims are appealed for. Also, they should record the pattern and create a solution for such claim denials.
- Establish Electronic Payment Methods: To ensure faster reimbursements, establish electronic payment methods such as, ERA (Electronic Remittance Advice) and EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) with the payors. The auto payment posting feature makes things easier.
- Track Payments: It is a good practice to review all the managed care contracts and track their payments. A team should analyze which ASC billing claims have not been paid and follow up on them. As many medical billing companies experienced cases of being low paid, it is necessary to review if they are paid the right amount mentioned in the contract.
- Establish Goals: One of the best practices to improve not just the ASC billing but any billing for that matter is to set goals and working towards achieving them. When medical billing companies reach these goals, they should benchmark the results and work a step higher in the next cycle. If not, they should analyze what obstructs them from reaching the goals and work towards it.
- Cross-training Helps: During emergency situations like absence of medical billing specialists, it is good to use other staff who have been cross-trained already. This ensures business continuity and avoids delays.
- Conduct Periodic Audits: Although everything seems normal and working perfectly, sometimes a minor mistake could trigger huge losses. Therefore, it is good to perform periodic performance audits and make sure everything runs smooth and clear.
- Offshore ASC Billing: Outsourcing ASC medical billing would be the best of all solutions. Offshore vendors have dedicated workforce who are adept in performing efficient Ambulatory Surgery Center Billing without compromising on any of the aforementioned steps.
About e-care India:
In addition to the systematic hospital medical billing, E-care India provides FQHC billing and ASC billing services. With 3 offshore medical billing delivery centers, this top-notch offshore medical billing company caters to clients varied medical billing needs. It has all necessary security certifications including the SSAE 18, which is an added advantage. There is a Disaster Recovery Centre that makes sure that the business doesn’t get affected during emergency times. Acting like a virtual back office from India, e-care will continue to provide its endless support 24/7. To know more about e-care and its services, log on to www.ecareindia.com.