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What are the tricks to mastering the art of insurance billing in group practices? Can you be your own biller? Which strategies are the best for you to use to navigate insurance billing in your practice?
In this podcast episode, Andrew Burdette speaks about how to be your own biller with Danielle Kepler.
Podcast Sponsor: Practice of the Practice
You’re someone with a vision for your practice, for your side hustle, and for your personal journey. But when it comes to establishing your path on how to get to where you want to be with your practice, things get a little messy…
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Meet Danielle Kepler
Danielle Kepler, LCPC, is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor based in Chicago, Illinois, with over a decade of experience in the mental health field. She is the founder of DK Therapy, LLC, where she offers both in-person and online counseling services to individuals and couples.
As a Certified Gottman Therapist since 2019, Danielle specializes in relationship counseling, utilizing evidence-based approaches to help couples enhance communication and resolve conflicts. She is also trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), providing support to clients who have experienced trauma.
Visit DK Therapy and connect on Psychology Today and LinkedIn.
In This Podcast
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Differences between claim submission and billing
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Deciding to outsource billing
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Skills for effective billing
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Finding a reliable biller
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Danielle’s advice to listeners
Differences between claim submission and billing
Simply put a bill that comes back unpaid then becomes a claim submission.
This is why people hire billers, because when something goes wrong and a bill glitches, you need someone who is going to follow up with the insurance company to figure out what went wrong so that you can get paid.
Depending on your interests, time constraints, and needs, you can either do this yourself or you can hire a biller to do so on your behalf.
Deciding to outsource billing
When it comes to deciding whether or not you want to outsource your billing needs or do them yourself, Danielle recommends looking at your time first.
It’s a toss-up on how much [time] you want to spend handling claim issues, and that’s something you should look at … If I’m spending this much time following up on claims and handling insurance stuff, would that [time] be better spent seeing clients, and hire somebody else to do [billing]? (Danielle Kepler)
There are billers out there who follow up on the claim issues and do not do the specific billing – that you would do.
Following up on the claim issues is what can take the longest amount of time, and that time they save for you, allowing you to submit a bill, see clients, and handle any potential issues that may arise with the insurance company.
Skills for effective billing
If you are interested in being your own biller, having some – if not all – of the following skills will be helpful to you:
- Be detail-oriented
- Don’t be afraid of tech
- Focusing on numbers
- Approaching problems with an investigative mindset
[Cultivate] an investigative mindset. When you get a denied claim, don’t be like, “This is a disaster” … Be like, “Oh, I wonder why this was denied. Let’s look into it.” (Danielle Kepler)
Finding a reliable biller
If you are interested in being your own biller, it’s possible! But if you are not interested and you want to find someone to do it for you, there are loads of professional people and businesses who would want to help you.
Finding a reliable biller can take some time, but there are ways:
- Word-of-mouth recommendations
- Ask around and get recommendations from fellow therapists
However, be careful of generic text messages from billing companies that just reach out to you and try to solicit your business without any prior connections.
If you decide to work with an external business, be sure to have a process set up with them so that you have access to information and know what is going on behind the scenes.
How do you as the practice owner know the status of all these claims? Especially if they are external. Are you going to get a weekly status of all these claims? … Just because you are outsourcing billing doesn’t mean you [should] be in the dark. (Danielle Kepler)
Danielle’s advice to listeners
Try it yourself first. Know the basics so that if you do outsource it you still know what is going on behind the scenes. Vet your billing company or your new biller, because they are going to be responsible for your income!
Useful links mentioned in this episode:
- Visit DK Therapy and connect on Psychology Today and LinkedIn.
Check out these additional resources:
- Clinical Supervision and Mentorship with Candice Creasman Mowrey | GP 263
- Practice of the Practice Network
- Group Practice Launch
- Group Practice Boss: www.practiceofthepractice.com/grouppracticeboss $149 a month
- PoP Group Practice Owners Facebook Group
- Free resources to help you start, grow, and scale
- Work with us
- Practice of the Practice Network
Meet Andrew Burdette
Andrew founded Mindful Counseling PLLC in Asheville, NC shortly after completing his graduate program in clinical mental health counseling. At the start of the pandemic, he pivoted to an online solo practice, and in 2022, began to grow a group practice. He most enjoys helping clients and colleagues identify what ignites their passions and assisting them in creating a life rooted in authenticity. Andrew approaches his business development with alignment in mind and enjoys the integration process connecting the many puzzle pieces and systems required to run a successful practice.
Visit Andrew’s website and Apply to work with him.
Email him at andrew@practiceofthepractice.com