Physical Therapy Billing

Myths About Online Eligibility Verification

by Nitin Chhoda PT, DPT | Feb 22, 2014 | Electronic Medical Records, Medical Billing, Physical Therapy Billing, Physical Therapy Software

Verifying patient eligibility is a time consuming process and billers can spend hours on the phone trying to verify the eligibility of just one patient.

In Touch Biller PRO is designed to simply that process and make it faster, with a reach extending across the nation.

Online Eligibility

For their own protection, practices should be verifying patient eligibility each time clients come into the office.

Insurance theft is becoming more of a problem and can cost a practice hundreds and even thousands of dollars.

In Touch Biller PRO allows practices to perform online eligibility checks with almost every payer in the nation.

Unfortunately, online verification won’t work with some providers, because they either don’t have software with that ability, or the company hasn’t made that function available to medical practices.

When working with companies that offer that ability, users can hit a single button with In Touch Biller PRO to instantly create a patient chart with the necessary information.

There’s no guesswork – the patient’s information comes directly from their insurance company or Medicare. It’s known as auto patient charting and In Touch Biller PRO is the only billing software with that ability.

For payers that don’t offer online verification, the task still has to be done the old-fashioned way.

In Touch Biller PRO allows billers to make notes within the billing software to document all the pertinent information surrounding the verification request.

Electronic Benefits

According to the American Medical Association, online insurance verification can save practices up to $4,000 a year.

Eligibility information is more accurate and is available quicker.

Staff members spend less time on the phone with payers and the patient’s financial responsibility can be determined almost instantly, allowing clinicians to collect patient co-pays before they leave the office.

In Touch Biller PRO integrates easily with existing office systems and with In Touch EMR™.

Information can be obtained from the patient prior to their visit and eligibility determined before they arrive for their appointment. The physical therapy software reduces the number of rejected claims and the time patients spend waiting in the office.

In Touch Biller PRO offers clinicians the means to verify insurance eligibility online with Medicare and payers across the nation. Verification can be accomplished prior to appointments and data comes directly from insurance companies for increased accuracy. Patients spend less time waiting in the office and staff members are free to perform other high-dollar tasks.

In Touch Biller PRO: The Type of Reports This Billing Software Gives You

by Nitin Chhoda PT, DPT | Feb 20, 2014 | Electronic Medical Records, Medical Billing, Physical Therapy Billing, Physical Therapy Software

Many billing services become attached to a specific software program. That’s not a problem in itself, but if the service can’t or won’t provide clinicians with the type of reports they need, it can cost practices in revenues.

In Touch Biller PRO allows clinicians to receive more than 100 different sophisticated reports to help manage practices and cash flow effectively.

Show Me The Money

To manage the financial health of their practice, clinicians have to know where revenue is being generated.

In Touch Biller PRO provides the means to do that with an array of in-depth reports.

Practitioners can generate reports that show income by ICD code to determine which types of procedures pay the most.

Clinicians can easily ascertain which insurance companies are the most desirable to work with based on reimbursement rates.

That ability becomes an even more important feature as insurance companies and Medicare continues to reduce reimbursement amounts.

In a multi-clinician practice, it’s important for a practice owner to know who is producing the most revenue.

In Touch Biller PRO enables business owners to determine the productivity level of each provider.

Income reports can be generated for each clinician in In Touch Biller Pro to discover how many patients are being seen and the types of procedures they’re conducting.

Income By Patient

In Touch Biller PRO has the tool to evaluate revenues and income potential base on the patient.

Clinicians can determine if the most income is generated by those who self-pay or have insurance through certain companies.

The reports of this physical therapy software can demonstrate which patients help the practice make the most money. They can show the co-pays of patients and how quickly balances are paid.

Using the reports, clinicians have the ability to not schedule more visit with specific patients until their bill is paid.

Clinicians aren’t bill collectors.

In Touch Biller PRO provides the types of sophisticated reports needed for practitioners to make financial decisions about their business without spending time, money and resources trying to collect delinquent balances.

In Touch Biller PRO gives practitioners the freedom to get more than 100 types of reports at any time, allowing clinicians to practice the way they want and manage their cash flow as they see fit.

Billers: Are They Making These Mistakes with the Billing Service?

by Nitin Chhoda PT, DPT | Feb 18, 2014 | Electronic Medical Records, Medical Billing, Physical Therapy Billing, Physical Therapy Software

Billing is more than just submitting claims. It includes denial management, the ability to generate sophisticated reports and posting ERAs to patient accounts.

Billing companies or individual billers may have certain software or clearinghouses they’re used to working with and may be reluctant to change.

Billers may not even be aware that software exists with automatic functions that can make their job easier and more productive.

They’re often spending more time than they should on tasks that can be automated. In Touch Biller PRO was designed to make the biller’s job easier and facilitates quicker claim processing.

Automatic ERA

Electronic admittance advice (ERA), known to patients as their explanation of benefits (EOB), is manually posted to patient records in many practices.

Manual posting is one of the biggest time consuming tasks for billers.

With the touch of a button, In Touch Biller PRO automatically transmits ERAs to patient accounts to become part of their permanent record.

The software automates the payment process, saving time for billers and allowing clinicians to get paid faster.

Quick Compilations

Many billers are still compiling claims manually for transmission to clearinghouses and they aren’t scrubbing claims prior to submission.

In Touch Biller PRO has the ability to automatically collect claims for batch submissions.

It goes one step further, identifying areas where a potential problem exists and then notifying the biller. The software does the scrubbing work for billers and it can be set to conveniently send batch claims at pre-determined times.

Denial Management

Denied claims cost clinicians in lost or delayed reimbursements. They slow the work of billers, who must spend significant amounts of time in pursing those payments.

In Touch Biller PRO is a complete denial management system that relieves billers of the tasks associated with denials.

The software has tracking features that automatically assembles and monitors notes, communications, dates and documentation for easy recall and referral.

Reporting Results

Reports help clinicians determine a wide range of information, from where referrals are originating to payment rates.

Billing software should be able to provide sophisticated reports on accounts receivable, payments made, referral rates, by CPT and ICD codes, or by clinic.

Over 200 reports can be generated with the sophisticated reporting mechanism of In Touch Biller PRO.

Clinicians will always have the needed figures at their fingertips to manage any aspect of their practice.

In Touch Biller PRO can be integrated with In Touch EMR™ and existing systems. To decrease denials and improve reimbursement approvals, clinicians should speak with their billing company about the software’s advantages. It makes their job significantly easier and increases reimbursements for practitioners.

The Difference Between an EMR, Billing Software, a Clearinghouse and Billing Service

by Nitin Chhoda PT, DPT | Feb 14, 2014 | Electronic Medical Records, Medical Billing, Physical Therapy Billing, Physical Therapy Software

An EMR has many capabilities and a fully integrated software system allows clinicians to handle every facet of the practice’s business, from patient documentation to submitting claims for billing.

Confusion exists about EMRs, the software’s capability and how therapists can use it for optimum efficiency, and the key word to remember is integrated.

EMRs – Primary Functions

An EMR provides the tools to create documentation on each patient.

It can be accessed by multiple providers for continuity of care and is instantly updated.

It should have the ability to create intuitive custom templates that are most effective and efficient for each individual practice.

The EMR should have the ability to upload documents to patient files, from photo identification and insurance cards to test results, referrals and x-rays.

Most importantly, it’s essential that the EMR be able to communicate seamlessly with billing software.

In Touch EMR™ has the ability to integrate with existing office systems.

Integrated Billing

A therapist’s billing software has several requirements. It must be fully integrated with the practice’s clearinghouse and have the ability to check insurance eligibility online.

Billing software needs the ability to scrub claims and notify users of any potential problems.

Automatic posting of ERAs, batch submissions and billing statement generation speeds up the reimbursement process and In Touch Biller PRO™ software does all of that.

Clearinghouses – The Path To Payment

Medical billing software submits claims for documentation, along with supporting documentation.

Clearinghouses scrub the claims for errors and either forwards it to insurance companies for payment or back to the practice as a denial.

Creating clean claims at the office level virtually eliminates denials and delayed payments that will occur if the billing software isn’t compatible and integrated with the clearinghouse.

Integrated Billing Services

It doesn’t matter whether billing is conducted in-house or outsourced, it’s essential that billing personnel master the practice’s billing software to obtain the full benefit of its capabilities.

In Touch Biller PRO™ is designed to be fully integrated with clearinghouse software, submits claims, manages denials and scrubs claims before they reach the clearinghouse.

It also generates statements and tracks patient benefits.

In Touch EMR™ and In Touch Biller PRO™ are both specifically designed with the needs of the therapist in mind. The software systems streamline documentation and assists practitioners remain compliant with applicable laws and the requirements of insurance companies to get paid faster.

In Touch EMR Shows Five Ways to Speed Up Documentation

by Nitin Chhoda PT, DPT | Feb 10, 2014 | Electronic Medical Records, Medical Billing, Physical Therapy Billing, Physical Therapy Documentation, Physical Therapy Software

There are major problems with the current way clinicians document patient encounters. It takes too long, it’s a pain in the behind and everyone wants to get it done as quickly as possible.

For physical therapists, if it’s not documented it’s not done.

The In Touch EMR® contains the tools needed to document efficiently, maintain compliance and establish medical necessity.

Most EMRs on the market force practitioners to conform to them.

The In Touch EMR® adapts to the needs of the physical therapist, allowing them to spend more time with patients instead of being a documentation machine.

In Touch EMR Voice Recognition

One of the primary ways that clinicians can increase their efficiency is by using voice recognition for documentation.

Instead of typing in each item, practitioners can actually use the voice recognition abilities of In Touch EMR® to speak what they want instead of typing it in.

The ability significantly speeds up documentation for faster billing and payments.

Automated Sentences

Clinicians can take common phrases and enter them into In Touch EMR® as a sentence.

When the therapist types in the beginning of the phrase, In Touch EMR automatically completes the sentence, eliminating the need to type out the whole thing.

Clinicians can even assign hotkeys to specific phrases for additional time savings.

Dynamic Goal Boxes

It’s happened to every clinician – they think of a goal for their patient during an office visit, but forget it before they’re able to document it.

In Touch EMR® creates dynamic goal boxes, allowing practitioners to document goals on the go, as they think of them.

Click And Point Templates

In Touch EMR® adapts to the needs of the user, providing practitioners with point and click template creation.

The EMR comes with pre-made templates that can be used as is or modified to accommodate the individual needs of the clinician.

Practitioners can choose to create their own templates, and both methods allow for the greatest flexibility within the practice.

Automatic Flow Sheet Integration

Creating flow sheets can be time-consuming. When therapists create a flow sheet with In Touch EMR®, all the information is automatically and instantly transferred to the practice’s billing software.

All the ICD and CPT codes, units used and other pertinent data is transferred directly to billing when the clinician is done with the flow sheet.

That ability speeds up the claims process, allowing therapists to get paid quicker.

Reduced reimbursements and new regulations enacted through Obamacare make it essential that physical therapists increase efficiency throughout their practice.

In Touch EMR® provides the tools to improve efficiency, bill quicker and significantly reduce claim denials with software that adapts to the clinician. Therapists can spend more time with patients, practice medicine in their own way, and document with extreme accuracy for better and quicker reimbursements.

Common Myths About Modifier 59

by Nitin Chhoda PT, DPT | Feb 8, 2014 | Electronic Medical Records, Medical Billing, Physical Therapy Billing, Physical Therapy Documentation, Physical Therapy Software

Modifier 59 is the outcome of the correct coding initiative (CCI) by Medicare. The use of modifier 59 can be confusing to clinicians and billers of all experience levels.

There are a lot of myths surrounding the use of modifier 59, but it will generally be used to designate CPT codes that are separate but can be combined.

The Right Time For Modifier 59

The important thing to remember is that if two codes are related and should be billed together, then append modifier 59.

When the modifier is used, it tells Medicare that the two CPT codes should be billed together, that there’s a valid reason to do so, and that the documentation is available to support that decision.

If two CPT codes are mutually exclusive, then there’s no reason to use modifier 59.

CCI Edits Available At Medicare

CCI edits applicable for any profession are all available on the Medicare website. The initiative was designed to avoid payment for procedures that typically wouldn’t be billed together.

The modifier 59 edit allows clinicians to bill two procedures when they’re related and is used to indicate a distinct procedural service (DPS).

Modifier 59 allows clinicians to differentiate to payers that a specific procedure or service was independent of any other that was billed on the same day for the same patient.

The modifier can be used to indicate a different part of the body, organ or injury. The edits are listed by specific CPT sections and is a free download on the Medicare website.

Alleviating Modifier 59 Problems

The answer to modifier 59 difficulties is the In Touch EMR™ software.

The EMR automatically checks claims, tells clinicians if the modifier is applicable, and which CPT codes need to be appended with the modifier.

Clinicians and billers no longer have to guess about the proper use of modifier 59 and hope that a claim isn’t denied or flagged for further investigation.

In Touch EMR™ represents the first generation of EMR technology that can tell the user if a potential problem exists that could result in a denial.

The software system helps billers and clinicians ensure that practitioners are paid, as long as medical necessity has been established.

Health and Human Services continues to update, modify and change its requirements, and reduce Medicare payments to practitioners.

Combined with the new rules and regulations associated with Obamacare, it can be exceedingly difficult to distinguish when to use specific edits and modifiers.