If you work in the healthcare industry, you might ask the question: what is medical billing software, and how can it help my practice? MedTech innovations like medical billing software have made managing a robust medical practice simpler. By simplifying the necessary office work that keeps medical practices running, healthcare providers can spend more time and energy focusing on providing care to their patients.
This post will explain what medical billing software is, how it can be beneficial to medical practices, and share some of the top available medical billing software.
Understanding Medical Billing Software
Accurate medical billing is an important part of practice management in healthcare. Medical billing software is an application that automates the time-consuming and tedious facets of medical billing. However, it would be an oversimplification to say that medical billing software simply tracks payments and invoices because medical billing is more complicated than other industries.
Medical practices not only need to accept payment from patients, but they must also coordinate with health insurers for payments and reimbursement. If there were only one health insurance company, this might be a simpler task, but there are several different health insurance providers that cover costs at different rates based on the insurance plan of the patient being treated.
Plus, in some cases, patients might get overcharged by a health provider because they are uncertain if insurance will cover a cost. If the insurance company covers that cost, medical practices must reimburse the patient that overpaid. It sounds like a lot of moving parts to manage, right?
Practitioners and billing companies use medical billing software to improve their reimbursement rates, optimize their revenue streams, and sustain the financial health of their business in a complex billing landscape. The best medical billing software does more than just track claims and payments.
The top medical billing software includes features that address every phase of the medical billing process, from the initial appointment scheduling to payment processing. For example, when a patient schedules an appointment, medical billing software can be used to check their insurance eligibility and set up automatic patient reminders to limit the number of no-shows. The best medical billing software will also automatically sync patient and treatment information from electronic health records (EHR) with medical billing to keep office staff and medical staff aligned.
The Practical Benefits of Medical Billing Software
The right medical billing software simplifies the complexities associated with billing and collection. There are several key benefits medical practices can realize when using billing software, including:
- Error reduction
- Automated processes
- Data security
- Flexible payment options
Error Reduction
Errors and omissions in payment processing can be costly for healthcare providers. On the one hand, if you overcharge patients, you could lose disgruntled patients who pay too much, and if you make a mistake billing insurance, you could face legal consequences. Medical billing software helps medical offices drastically reduce or eliminate errors in payment processing.
Billing software helps office staff properly format claims and validates insurance service codes to reduce the number of denied claims. This software helps prevent billing mistakes which enhances the patient experience, and it can be used to actively manage every expense and payment associated with your medical practice.
Automated Processes
Automation is essential in modern medical billing product design. The automation abilities of billing software will allow your office staff to work more efficiently and make fewer mistakes. In addition, medical practices can use this software to automatically send patients payment reminders, verify insurance coverage, and submit insurance claims.
Managing insurance claims and verifying coverage manually is a time-consuming task that distracts medical office workers from other important tasks. Medical billing software enables all of these essential tasks to be automated. Staff can still manually validate service codes before claim submission to avoid denials, but they won’t have to go through the arduous process of creating and submitting claims.
Data Security
Healthcare providers have to take data security more seriously than other industries due to federal regulations and laws like HIPAA. You’re probably wondering how using medical billing software can improve security when you are granting additional software access to sensitive electronic health records.
Billing software is fully compliant with HIPAA, and if you choose a cloud-based solution, you get added layers of encryption and security. Plus, if you use cloud-based medical billing software, your practice virtually eliminates the possibility of losing patient data.
Flexible Payment Options
Giving patients access to more payment options increases your practice’s ability to collect and reduces the number of unpaid invoices. For example, medical billing software gives your patients the ability to pay in-person with cash or card or even pay online before or after their appointment. Practices can even set up automatic payment options for patients who agree to treatment payment plans.
Top Medical Billing Software
There are a lot of different practice management and billing software tools available to healthcare providers. We will not thoroughly review each option, but we will share a list of some of the industry-leading options. Some of the most popular billing software options in healthcare are:
- Kareo
- PracticeSuite
- DrChrono
- Practice Management Systems
- WebPT
- CollaborateMD
- CareCloud
Many healthcare providers find that they need a custom solution to meet the needs of their practice. Unfortunately, if you’re looking for custom software, you won’t find it on the above list. Instead, you’ll need to find an app development partner to help you develop a custom medical billing software solution for your practice.
Final Thoughts
There is immense value in having medical billing software in your medical practice. While there are many robust billing software options available on the market, your practice might find that a custom software solution is more aligned with your needs and goals. If you’re interested in learning more about the capabilities of custom software development, reach out to an experienced app development partner.
An experienced development partner will be able to guide your business through the development process, helping you make the right technology decisions for the long-term success of your practice. Additionally, an experienced development partner will be fully aware of your regulatory compliance requirements and build software that meets all industry standards.
