How to Solve the Problem of Patient Payments

How to Solve the Problem of Patient Payments

by | Mar 21, 2014 | Electronic Medical Records, Healthcare Practice Management, Medical Billing, Physical Therapy Billing, Physical Therapy Documentation

Patients are usually the last to pay their part of the bill for services they received. To encourage patients to pay their bill, practitioners must make it as easy as possible for them to do so. That means implementing a variety of online payment options. Practices that offer that service are more likely to collect from clients without the need for multiple billings and reminders.

Multiple Payment Methods

In Touch EMR™ allows patients to pay with multiple methods that include cash, check, money orders, and credit and debit cards. Older clients are less trusting of technology and are less likely to utilize payment methods that require them to divulge personal information online, or they may not have access to a computer. For those patients, checks and cash are typically the preferred method of payment.

The In Touch EMR™ is the most sophisticated system in the world, providing a convenient way to pay that’s available to clients 24/7. It’s safe, secure and boosts revenues. The company assists therapists in setting up a merchant account that enables payments to be deposited directly into the clinic’s account, usually in as little as seven days.

Recurring Payments

With the In Touch EMR™, patients also have the ability to make recurring payments. When faced with a large bill, many clients panic and don’t pay anything instead of making smaller but steady payments. In Touch EMR™ solves that problem. Client amounts are broken down into convenient and manageable payments that they can make over time. Clinicians can offer discounts for cash payments and balances paid within a specific amount of time to encourage remittance.

Convenience, security And Eco-Friendly

There’s no need to store sensitive data on-site with In Touch EMR™. The software maintains data in the cloud for added security. The software is HIPAA compliant and adheres to the protocols set forth by the Payment Card Industry Data Standard. The cost of collections is significantly reduced and billers can focus more on claim submissions.

The integrated software is an environmentally friendly method that virtually eliminates paper bills and statements. There may be times when a paper document is required and In Touch EMR™ provides the ability to print one when necessary. When an online payment is made, the data goes to the biller for posting.

Convenience for clients is an essential concept for clinicians that want to increase revenue collection. Online options utilize methods with which most patients are familiar. Practices with online payment options are perceived as more progressive and desirable. An added benefit of offering online payment options is that patients are more likely to recommend the practitioner to others, providing valuable word-of-mouth marketing.

Make Life Easy for Your Biller

Make Life Easy for Your Biller

by | Mar 19, 2014 | Electronic Medical Records, Healthcare Practice Management, Medical Billing, Physical Therapy Billing, Physical Therapy Documentation, Physical Therapy Software

Next to the clinician, the biller is the most important person in the practice. The biller is the individual that ensures claims are correct, submits them, and monitors each reimbursement request to ensure the physical therapist gets paid. The In Touch EMR™ and In Touch Biller PRO make the biller’s job easier, thereby increasing productivity and revenues.

Simple Solutions

Billers need billing software that’s simple, efficient and super powerful. Those three attributes are contained within the In Touch Biller PRO software. The most time consuming task for a biller is manually entering information from paper documentation. That’s a task that should be avoided at all costs. In Touch Biller PRO works with multiple operating systems, allowing billers to work with the system they’re most familiar with, whether it’s a PC, Mac, iPad or Android.

The integrated In Touch Biller PRO can be used in conjunction with In Touch EMR™ and other software to send claims directly to the billing system. The software allows billers to access one-touch functionalities to scrub, edit and submit claims.

In Touch Biller PRO software is compatible with hundreds of payer and clearinghouse systems through the United States. Built in crosswalks assist billers with the ICD-9 to ICD-10 changeover.

Automatic Functions

When ERAs are returned for the biller’s attention, he/she can post patient statements to the client’s file with a touch of a button. Billers can utilize multiple methods to communicate with patients about their portion of the bill, send reminders about outstanding balances, and print paper copies if needed. With In Touch Biller PRO, the patient billing process is accomplished quickly and efficiently with no need for hours spent entering data by hand. Claims can be transmitted individually or as a batch.

Billers are highly skilled professionals, second only to clinicians in their importance to the practice. Billers keep the flow of revenues coming in and anything practitioners can do to make their biller’s job easier will pay dividends well into the future.

In Touch Biller PRO provides one-touch abilities and automatic functions that eliminate manually entering information. Billers are more efficient and practices attain better cash flow.

Outline of a Simple, Efficient Workflow

Outline of a Simple, Efficient Workflow

by | Mar 17, 2014 | Electronic Medical Records, Medical Billing, Physical Therapy Billing, Physical Therapy Documentation, Physical Therapy Software

Efficiency is the key for every facet of a practice’s workflow. EMR and billing software should be integrated, offer one-touch functionalities and complete many tasks automatically. Technology can make a practice infinitely more efficient and thereby more profitable. It makes the biller’s job easier, allowing income to be generated more quickly. From one-touch functionality to voice recognition documentation, In Touch EMR™ and In Touch Biller PRO software is specifically designed for efficiency and better profitability.

Bring In The Patient

In Touch EMR™ has the ability to schedule patients, communicate with them through multiple methods, and create automatic patient files. When the client arrives for their appointment, In Touch EMR™ has the built in ability to quickly validate patient insurance eligibility online with hundreds of payers, and more can be added as needed.

The In Touch EMR™ is the only EMR with an iPad app. Patients can take a photo of themselves for identification purposes, photograph their insurance card and complete patient data with the iPad. The Web-based system maintains information in the cloud for security and HIPAA compliance. When the required information is obtained, the front desk can hit a single button to automatically create a patient file. The client is now in the system and the file is available to the clinician.

Claiming Revenues

The integrated In Touch EMR™ works with In Touch Biller PRO to create a simple, yet efficient workflow. In Touch Biller PRO scrubs claims and allows for changes to be made when needed. It identifies potential problems and prompts billers for modifiers and other data to ensure each claim is clean for submission. The system enables billers to review all claims, no matter what their status

Reporting Statistics

Sophisticated reports can be generated with In Touch EMR™ to keep clinicians advised of the most profitable procedures and payers, where most referrals are originating, and the most productive staff members. Reports can be generated based on a comprehensive array of user defined parameters to monitor every facet of the practice.

Clinicians can utilize features that include the advanced flow sheet, voice recognition for documentation, automatic creation of patient files and automatic claim submission. The In Touch EMR™ is designed to create and enhance an efficient workflow that allows practices to become more profitable, while making it easier for clinicians to do their job.

In an era of dwindling reimbursements and increased regulatory requirements, clinicians must use every resource at their disposal to make their office efficient and profitable. In Touch EMR™ and In Touch Biller PRO work in tandem to accomplish those goals with technology designed for the way clinicians work.

The Importance of Flexibility in Your Documentation

The Importance of Flexibility in Your Documentation

by | Mar 15, 2014 | Electronic Medical Records, Healthcare Practice Management, Physical Therapy Documentation, Physical Therapy Software

There’s a big problem with most EMR software providers and the templates they typically include. The documents are often created with a one-size-fits-all approach, include far more detail than the average physical therapist will ever need, and they don’t allow practitioners to document their work in their own way. These templates turn therapists into data entry experts rather than clinicians.

Too Much Information

Each practice is different. Every clinician must have the ability to create their own templates to match their workflow and office processes. Most EMR software templates force practitioners to conform to the way the template is designed. In Touch EMR™ allows each user to create and customize documents to reflect the practice and its services.

The clinician is the most important person in a physical therapy practice. He/she is what drives the money that supports the practice, allowing the bills to get paid and the clinic to make a profit. Therapists have to treat patients to support the clinic. In an effort to be efficient and comprehensive, most EMR templates take excessive time to complete, don’t enhance the workflow and don’t consider the individual needs of the practice.

Be Creative

With the In Touch EMR™, clinicians can create their own templates from scratch, providing them with greater flexibility in their documentation needs. The ability to create customized templates ensures that clinicians remain compliant. The goal of documentation should be to minimize the time needed entering information, while providing enough data to support the diagnosis and treatment.

The advantage of custom templates is that if the clinician is audited, he/she is able to go directly to the documentation data to support their actions. Custom templates ensure that the data is very precise. Templates are easily integrated into the workflow for greater efficiency at all levels of the practice.

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There’s No Perfect Documentation

In Touch EMR™ provides the tools for clinicians to focus on their practice and patients. Therapists need an integrated workflow instead of focusing on the best form. The “perfect” documentation form is never going to be seen. The majority of EMR templates attempt to achieve that goal, but only succeed in creating more work for clinicians.

The goal of documentation for every therapist should be threefold. It should be simple, minimal, yet provide enough information to support their actions. Anything else is overkill and turns clinicians into data entry experts instead of the highly trained and skilled professionals they are.

The Three Key Elements of Claim Submission

The Three Key Elements of Claim Submission

by | Mar 11, 2014 | Electronic Medical Records, Healthcare Practice Management, Medical Billing, Physical Therapy Billing, Physical Therapy Marketing, Physical Therapy Software

The financial success of a practice relies on the biller’s ability to complete claims and submit them as quickly as possible. Automation is the key to accomplishing that goal. In Touch EMR™ provides practices with an extensive array of automatic functions to make clinics more efficient, productive and profitable.

Billers should have access to three key functionalities within their billing software. Those elements make their job easier and allow them to submit clean claims that are far less likely to be denied or encounter problems during the payment process.

Automatic Forwarding

When the clinician has completed the patient encounter documentation, he/she should be able to hit a single button and have the EMR system automatically forward the claim to the billing department. In Touch EMR™ provides that ability. Claims are carried forward form the EMR to the billing system automatically, complete with the CPT and ICD codes, documentation and other pertinent information needed to submit the claim.

Making Changes

In Touch EMR™ allows billers to make changes within the claim when a conflict arises. The software automatically notifies billers of potential problems and incompatibilities within the claim. Billing professionals can then utilize their experience, expertise and insight to edit the claim appropriately. In Touch EMR™ and In Touch Biller PRO work together to seamlessly expedite the claims process.

Next to the clinician, the biller is the most important person in the practice. Providing the biller with software that offers the ability to rectify coding conflicts and works with them to expedite claims makes their job easier and creates a better cash flow for the clinic.

Keeping It Clean

The ability to scrub claims before they’re transmitted is essential. It reduces denials and facilitates every step of the payment process. In Touch EMR™ provides automatic scrubbing to create clean claims that are paid faster. It makes the biller’s job easier, promotes productivity and simplifies the claims process from start to finish.

The built-in abilities of the integrated In Touch EMR™ and In Touch Biller PRO work harmoniously to facilitate the claims process, while automating key abilities it with a variety of one-touch functionalities. The software systems provide the means to edit claims to resolve conflicts that would result in denials, allowing billers to submit clean claims that are paid quickly for improved cash flow.

Web-Based Vs. Server-Based EMR Systems

Web-Based Vs. Server-Based EMR Systems

by | Mar 3, 2014 | Electronic Medical Records, Healthcare Practice Management, Physical Therapy Marketing, Physical Therapy Software

The advantages of a Web-based EMR system have proven so great that server-based systems are slowly being phased out. Web-based systems utilize cloud storage and access from a wide variety of devices. They also address HIPAA compliance issues and are generally updated regularly and automatically to take advantage of new features and functionalities.

Anywhere Access

A Web-based system like In In Touch EMR™ and In Touch Biller PRO can be accessed from any device and any location where an Internet connection exists. Clinicians simply pick up their device and begin using their system. Information can be accessed from a laptop or desktop computer, tablets, and from PC or Mac operating systems. They’re affordable and don’t require purchasing a lot of equipment. Web-based systems are flexible and really are the wave of the future.

Patient information can be updated instantly and accessed by multiple physicians for continuity of care and patient safety. In Touch EMR™ is compatible with multiple browsers, allowing clinicians to work with systems with which they’re most comfortable. The integrated software provides practitioners with a portable solution for the practice, while allowing them to expand services to off-site venues to generate additional revenues.

Electronic Communication

An online system is required for conducting business with Medicare and Medicaid. Many payers, such as Blue Cross-Blue Shield, Aetna and others, are only accepting claims submitted through electronic means. In Touch EMR™ and In Touch Biller PRO offers instant submissions and return notifications from payers that are transmitted securely for quicker reimbursements. Claims can be submitted automatically, either individually or in a batch.

HIPAA Security and Compliance

In Touch EMR™ and In Touch Biller PRO are both Web-based systems that are automatically updated and employ strict security measures to ensure the safety of patient information at no additional cost to clinicians. Practitioners don’t have to worry about maintaining HIPAA compliance, the system was designed to protect the interests of users.

The integrated In Touch EMR™ provides clinicians with an affordable, flexible and secure EMR solution. Records are stored securely in the cloud and can be accessed from multiple locations for ease of use. Updates and HIPAA compliance are included automatically, allowing clinicians to focus on treating patients and growing their practice.