practice management

How to Solve the Problem of Patient Payments

by Nitin Chhoda PT, DPT | 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.

Outline of a Simple, Efficient Workflow

by Nitin Chhoda PT, DPT | 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 Three Key Elements of Claim Submission

by Nitin Chhoda PT, DPT | 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.

What to Expect From Your Biller

by Nitin Chhoda PT, DPT | Mar 5, 2014 | Healthcare Practice Management, Medical Billing, Physical Therapy Billing, Physical Therapy Software

The biller is the most important person in the practice other than the clinician. It’s time that clinicians stopped accepting inefficiencies in their billing department by automating many of the biller’s tasks. The right software can help billers work better and faster, submit claims that are less likely to be denied, and increase the overall efficiency of the billing department.

Stop Manual Input

There’s no need for billers to manually enter every scrap if information. In Touch EMR™ and In Touch Biller PRO are both integrated software systems that feature one-touch functionalities to input information and even send batch claims. That ability increases the biller’s efficiency, allowing them to spend more time following up on claims.

One-Touch Posting

A lot of information comes through the billing department, from claims and communications from payers to ERAs. In Touch EMR™ provides billers with one-touch posting of ERAs to patient accounts. A wide variety of information can be securely sent to patient files with a simple click of a button. Manual posting is one of the most time consuming tasks for billers and the software makes their job quicker, while assisting in quicker returns on claims.

Reporting Techniques

Billers should be able to provide clinicians with sophisticated reports about any facet of the practice. In Touch EMR™ and In Touch Biller PRO both provide billers with the ability to generate reports by payer, provider and patient, along with location, ICD and CPT code, and by referral sources. Reports can be created by accounts receivable, payments made and by clinic.

In Touch EMR™ provides a depth of diagnosis that most EMR systems can’t. The software includes diagnosis pointers that allow users to produce reports that correlate CPT and related ICD codes. Reporting is available that demonstrates income by ICD code, allowing clinicians to determine which types of procedures pay the most, and which insurance companies offer the best reimbursement rates.

When billers are more efficient, so is the practice. Clinicians deserve all the help and advantages they can get and software makes the job easier for them and their billers. With In Touch EMR™ and In Touch Biller PRO, billers can spend more time following through on claims and getting clinicians the money to which they’re entitled.

Cost Savings with Your EMR and Billing Software

by Nitin Chhoda PT, DPT | Mar 1, 2014 | Electronic Medical Records, Healthcare Practice Management, Medical Billing, Physical Therapy Billing, Physical Therapy Software

Imagine an EMR system that verifies patient eligibility, documents and provides prompts for billers to get the most out of each patient visit. That system is now available in the In Touch EMR™. In a two-physician practice that sees 100 patients per week, In Touch EMR™ can add up to more than $50,000 in savings each year.

Front Desk Savings

With In Touch EMR™, the front desk can check insurance eligibility online in seconds. The front desk can create a patient chart automatically and another click of a button schedules an appointment that automatically appears in the EMR program.

There’s no need to call insurance companies or enter information manually, for savings of at least 10 minutes per patient. If front desk staff is making $15 per hour, that’s a savings of $300-$400 per week for a two-physician practice.

Documentation Savings

In Touch EMR™ already has the patient information in the system, ready for the clinician when the client arrives for their appointment, allowing physicians to immediately begin an assessment. In Touch EMR™ has voice recognition capabilities for documentation that will save five minutes per patient. That adds up to 16-18 hours per week for a minimum savings of $300 per week.

The In Touch EMR™ allows clinicians to make custom templates that conform to the way they work, not the other way around. In Touch EMR™ is also the only EMR system with iPad compatibility that enables patients to complete much of the intake work themselves that provides further savings.

Billing Savings

When the patient visit is completed, a single button click sends the claim directly to billing. The information doesn’t have to be re-entered and billers can review, edit, add modifiers and provide secondary documentation if needed. In Touch EMR™ has an automated scrubber, provides billers with prompts for a variety of information, and notifies them of potential problems.

A single click of a button automatically creates the claim and submits it at the end of the day. No manual batching of claims is needed. ERAs are automatically sent to the patient’s record with one-click functionality and statements generated.

In Touch EMR™ prompts for notes and when certifications are about to expire. All this saves 10 minutes per patient for savings of up to $300 per week.

In Touch EMR™ is a merger between theory and practice. Clinicians know they need every minute they can get and the software is quick, easy and compliant. The In Touch EMR™ is like having another full-time employee and results aren’t linear, they’re exponential.

The savings that can be attained in a two-physician office seeing 100 patients per week amounts to $52,000 a year. That’s a significant addition to the bottom line of any practice.

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.