How to Minimize Your Accounts Receivable

How to Minimize Your Accounts Receivable

by | Apr 29, 2015 | Electronic Medical Records, Medical Billing, Physical Therapy Billing, Physical Therapy Documentation, Physical Therapy Management, Physical Therapy Marketing, Physical Therapy Software

Accounts receivable is one of the biggest problems for private practices. Across the nation, there’s millions of dollars that practices are still waiting to collect from insurance companies. The problem is twofold. Practices aren’t using integrated software that performs automatic functions and many billers are being forced to enter each bit of data manually. That leaves them less time to concentrate on collecting from payers.

To remain financially secure, clinicians must do everything they can to shorten the revenue cycle for each patient and get paid faster. That means streamlining the biller’s job with software that contains automation and one-touch functionalities, along with scrubbing and editing abilities. Next to the clinician, a biller is the most important person in a practice. They’re highly trained professionals that keep revenue flowing into the practice.

Accelerated Submissions

In Touch EMR™ and In Touch Biller PRO are the two most advanced software systems available. The integrated systems work together to provide billers with tools that facilitate the entire billing process from start to finish. Efficiency is extremely important in today’s economic climate and In Touch EMR™ allows practitioners to create a claim and submit it to the biller by the time the patient leaves the office.

The system contains essential time-saving features that notify billers of potential problems that could delay the claim, such as incompatible CPT codes. If an inconsistency exists, billers can edit the claim as needed. The claim is automatically optimized, batched and sent the same day. The biller doesn’t have to manually load and send.

Where’s The Claim?

A critical part of the biller’s job is to track, monitor and follow up on submitted claims. In Touch Biller PRO enables billers to track each claim at every stage of the process. The software tells billers exactly where the claim is and its status, an ability that’s missing in most systems, but one that allows billers to track and process claims seamlessly.

The system automatically posts ERAs to patient accounts without the need for billers to do the task manually. That one ability alone provides an enormous time savings that can add up to $1,200 or more per month and thousands each year.

Next t to the clinician, the biller is the most important person in a practice. Any opportunity to streamline his/her job with automation should be implemented. In Touch EMR™ and In Touch Biller PRO makes the biller’s job easier, shortens the revenue cycle and allows practitioners to get paid faster.

What to Look for in Billing Reports

What to Look for in Billing Reports

by | Apr 29, 2015 | Electronic Medical Records, Medical Billing, Physical Therapy Billing, Physical Therapy Documentation, Physical Therapy Marketing, Physical Therapy Software

Billing is the cash flow engine of the private practice. It should be simple, streamlined and efficient. Billing software can be used to check patient eligibility and post ERAs, along with sophisticated functions that include scrubbing claims, posting payments and billing secondary insurance with the click of a button.

Perhaps one of the most important functions is the ability to generate detailed yet simple reports. Such reports offer clinicians the means to determine if billers are being as efficient as possible and provide them with an accurate overview of the practice’s financial health.

Utilizing Metrics

An aging report provides a wealth of information. It shows therapists how much money that’s owed but hasn’t been collected. Practitioners can look up accounts receivable by payer and break it down utilizing a variety of different metrics ranging from location to procedure.

Practice owners can ascertain which payers reimburse slowly and providers that aren’t billing as much as others. Reports can be created by ICD and CPT codes to discover which procedures earn the most for the practice and which patients generate the most revenue.  In Touch EMR™ has the ability to generate reports with sophisticated measures and customization options.

Data And Proofs

In Touch EMR™ provides clinicians with the ability to know exactly where their money is. They can do it themselves without waiting for the biller. Reports can be created for a week, month or even the last six months. The reports can be taken to the biller or the payer if needed. In Touch EMR™ enables practice owners to view their practice from a higher level and gives the clinician ammunition to address payment issues.

The reports provide therapists with the data needed to address biller problems and expedite the billing process. In Touch EMR™ reports show practitioners where potential problems exist and the point of origin. Therapists may find that they need to stop doing business with specific payers and providers.

It can take an average of a month to collect from insurance companies, but clinicians should be aware that it can take longer when working with Workers’ Compensation, out-of-state clients and auto accident claims. Clinics that experience a lot of these types of claims should be aware that the revenue stream may be delayed through no fault of the biller or provider.

The power and potential of In Touch EMR™ provides clinicians with valuable metrics and tools to diagnose the health of their practice and if the billing department is doing a good job. The integrated system gives practitioners the ability to create their own reports independently of the billing department. In Touch EMR™ gives practice owners the tools to run their lifestyle, not a system that runs them.

 

How to Automate Patient Follow Up

How to Automate Patient Follow Up

by | Jun 5, 2014 | ICD 10, Physical Therapy Documentation, Physical Therapy Management, Physical Therapy Marketing, Physical Therapy Software

One of the most important things a clinician can do is to keep his/her name in front of patients. That can be done with automated patient follow up. When patients provide their information, the practice should obtain the client’s mail, email, home phone and cellphone number, along with their permission to communicate with them in those ways.

An automated system should be able to contact patients by all four of those mechanisms. The In Touch EMR™ has the ability to accommodate those who utilize mobile devices and older patients who may not be comfortable with modern technology. Patient follow up encompasses more than appointment reminders.

Traditional Mail

In Touch EMR™ has the ability to generate personalized greeting cards with a variety of user defined messages. The feature is an effective means of connecting with new and established patients. Cards are computer generated, but have the look and feel of a personal note.

Cards are effective in welcoming new patients after their first visit or thank established patients for their continuing patronage. Cards can be sent on client birthday or on their anniversary with the practice. Cards tend to make a more lasting impression and are perceived as requiring more effort on the part of the practitioner.

Email

An email message can be generated for the same purposes as a card and many individuals prefer being contacted by email rather than other means of communication. Messages can be used to notify clients about special deals, coupons and referral programs. When applicable and appropriate, congratulatory messages can be sent for an upcoming marriage, birth of a baby or workplace promotion.

Every practice should produce a newsletter and email is a convenient means of delivering it. In Touch EMR™ has the ability to generate newsletters with new, educational and engaging content that requires little effort on the part of the clinician.

Cellphones

In Touch EMR™ can send personalized voice messages to a variety of mobile devices. Studies have shown that individuals typically respond to a text or voice mail within five minutes of its receipt, making it ideal for patient communication. Clinicians can connect with a variety of messages, from appointment reminders to extending holiday greetings.

Home Phones

There are still some individuals who resist the use of smartphones and computers. These are typically older patients. They may not have a computer or mobile device, but they will most likely have an answering machine. In Touch EMR™ can generate any type of message desired to keep in touch with patients that may be resistant to newer types of technology.

Automated patient follow up is an essential part of operating a successful clinic. Automation simplifies the process for staff, while building goodwill with patients who are then more likely to refer the practice to others. It’s customer service at its best, facilitated through the automatic abilities of the In Touch EMR™.

 

How to Streamline Eligibility Verification

How to Streamline Eligibility Verification

by | Mar 23, 2014 | Physical Therapy Documentation, Physical Therapy Management, Physical Therapy Marketing, Physical Therapy Software

The typical practice spends anywhere between 30 minutes and two hours on patient insurance verification. With the modern technology and built-in abilities of In Touch EMR™,it’s no longer necessary to spend hours on the phone each week verifying eligibility, or manually entering the information into client charts. It can be completed online in just a few moments with hundreds of payers across the nation.

Manual Vs. Online

In Touch EMR™ provides billers with the ability to verify insurance coverage online with the click of a button. Verification is automatic and the information goes directly to the client’s chart, which can also be created automatically with In Touch EMR™. The savings in time allows staff to concentrate on marketing and others tasks within the practice with no need to enter data manually.

 

Online verification of eligibility has the added benefit of virtually eliminating claim questions and denials. Patient eligibility is obtained directly from the payer, ensuring the information is accurate and current.

Hundreds Of Payers

The EMR software includes hundreds of payers and clearinghouses, and new payers can be added as needed. Unfortunately, not all payers have the level of sophistication to provide online verification for specialties such as physical therapy. In those instances, the front desk will still need to make a phone call to verify eligibility, but In Touch EMR™ provides that online ability for payers with the software and sophistication to do so.

Marketing With In Touch EMR™

The automatic and online functionalities of In Touch EMR™ free front desk staff to perform marketing tasks. The software provides clinicians with a comprehensive array of tools to maintain contact with established patients and obtain new clients. Sophisticated reports can be generated to determine which marketing efforts need to be improved and which are performing best.

In Touch EMR™ contains the ability to communicate with patients via multiple methods to send cards, leave messages and deliver newsletters electronically. The software enables practices to communicate by phone, through mail and email, and voice and text messages.

The In Touch EMR™ provides practitioners with the tools to streamline eligibility verification. Eligibility is obtained online from hundreds of payers throughout the U.S. The workflow is more efficient and staff members are more productive.

The software offers automatic functionalities for scheduling, documentation, verification, claim submission and marketing in a single, integrated package.

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.