Medical Billing Tips-Proper Sequencing of Insurance
Posted by Patrick Ales on Thu, Jun 02, 2011 @ 03:42 PM
Everyone in healthcare suffers from delayed payments by not only primary insurance carriers, but secondary payors as well. One of the major contributing factors in delayed secondary carrier processing is incorrect demographic and insurance information entered into the practice’s practice management (PM) system. Data elements routinely omitted include wrong birth dates, missed digits, no card copy on file, and improperly sequenced secondary/tertiary carrier data; each resulting in delayed reimbursement. In addition, patients have a responsibility to understand their role in keeping their carriers abreast of his/her individual circumstance to ensure each carrier accepts the proper sequence ownership (i.e. who should be the primary vs. the secondary payor?).
What can be done on the front end to ensure this doesn’t happen? Well, it’s quite simple! It all comes down to details, details, details. Front desk or check-in personnel must pay close attention when entering insurance demographic information for each patient. And, when it comes to carrier “sequencing”, it is important that payors are loaded into the PM system in the right sequential order. There are very clear rules on who should be the primary payor that carriers follow. Understanding and following these guidelines will ensure proper claim processing.
MedPro Solutions has a simple rule of thumb: "Do it the right way, first time!" Getting it right from the beginning prevents payment delays, denials, holds, and labor costs of fixing unnecessary errors.
Cash is King! The priority is to get as much revenue in the door without delay!
In today's economy, you would be wise to consider hiring a billing consultant to improve your billing process from A to Z. For more tips on proper billing Contact us at MedPro Solutions.