Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Are you currently billing insurance in-house? What are the small things that you can focus on doing correctly that will make the whole process a lot smoother? What are the pros and cons of working with an insurance consultant?
In this podcast episode, Joe Sanok speaks about how to bill insurance with Rachel Woodward.
Podcast Sponsor: The Receptionist
From new patients faced with an empty lobby and no idea where to find their therapist to clinicians with a session running overtime and the doorbell ringing, some of the most anxiety-ridden moments of a therapy appointment happen before a session even starts.
This episode’s sponsor, The Receptionist for iPad, helps you tackle some of that pre-appointment apprehension.
The Receptionist for iPad is an easy-to-use digital client check-in system that helps your visitors check in securely to their appointments and notify their practitioners of their arrival via SMS, email, or your preferred channel. No more confusion, endless lobby checking, or having clients sign in on paper logbooks!
Start a 14-day free trial of The Receptionist for iPad by going to the receptionist.com/practice ! Make sure to start your trial with that link, and you’ll also get your first month free if you decide to sign up!
Meet Rachel Woodward
Rachel Woodward is an Insurance Reimbursement Expert, Healthcare Advocate, and CEO. She helps provide simple medical billing solutions that make a difference, through DataPro Billing Service, a third-party medical billing and collection service.
By gaining expertise in revenue cycle management and by building an extensive network of senior insurance professionals, Rachel has become a trusted advisor to healthcare clients and a key facilitator in prompt payment resolution. Visit Datapro Billing Service and connect on Instagram and LinkedIn.
- Some common insurance billing mistakes in private practice
- Pros and cons of billing insurance solo or with a consultant
- Starting to bill insurance in-house
- Rachel’s advice to private practitioners
Some common insurance billing mistakes in private practice
For Rachel, one of the most common mistakes that many clinicians make in their private practice is their intake process. Make sure that you have;
- A copy of the driver’s license with a name that matches the insurance ID card
- A copy of the ID card in case there’s a typo on the form you need to use to bill the insurance company
These are [some] of the smallest things that really make a huge difference. (Rachel Woodward)
Additionally, many clinicians skip out on having a transparent conversation with the client ahead of time about billing or miss out on making payment options more accessible for the clients so that they don’t have to look for ways to pay you.
Pros and cons of billing insurance solo or with a consultant
Something that’s great about outsourcing your billing, especially when you’re working with a consultant who’s responsive, is that they are doing this every day.
That is their primary. They know how to fight with insurance companies – hopefully! They have proven effective appeal letters that they’re sending out every single day that work. There’s follow-up processes that you follow so that the claims are getting followed up on within a week of the time that you receive a denial. (Rachel Woodward)
However, if you are working with an insurance consultant who bills for you, and they get busy with their own schedule, your denials and insurance issues will take much longer to be resolved.
On the other hand, some people prefer to do their insurance billing in-house because they feel that it gives them more control
Starting to bill insurance in-house
1 – Find software that works for you, is simple, and easy to use like Therapy Notes
Sometimes change is hard but what you’re going to get from making the change [to digital billing] is going to really open up so much opportunity for you and your practice and for optimizing the small tasks that end up taking a lot of time. (Rachel Woodward)
2 – Do you even want to take insurance? Figure out whether you will be accepting insurance in your practice anyway so that you can save yourself the hassle of having to figure out something that you won’t need. If you do have to take insurance, then you need to decide if you want in-network versus out-of-network
3 – Understanding the terminology, because you need to know the difference between a deductible, co-pay, and other important terms
Insurance policies can be super complex so it’s really important that you or someone on your staff has that basic understanding and feels super comfortable talking to patients about what their responsibility is, and then also how you’re going to collect that money from them if the insurance doesn’t reimburse. (Rachel Woodward)
Rachel’s advice to private practitioners
Some practitioners may hesitate to take insurance because it can be difficult to manage, but there are ways to still be profitable while taking insurance without unnecessary hassle.
Sponsors Mentioned in this episode:
- Start a 14-day free trial of The Receptionist for iPad by going to the receptionist.com/practice, and when you do, you’ll also get your first month free when you sign up.
- Level Up Your Business!
Useful links mentioned in this episode:
- Visit Datapro Billing Service and connect on Instagram and LinkedIn.
-
Email Joe at [email protected] to suggest guests for the show
Check out these additional resources:
Getting Big Media Attention with Megan Bennett | POP 964
Events – click on the event’s dropdown
Sign up to join the free webinars and events here
Practice of the Practice Podcast Network
Free resources to help you start, grow, and scale
Apply to work with us — a decision-making matrix for your next steps
Meet Joe Sanok
Joe Sanok helps counselors to create thriving practices that are the envy of other counselors. He has helped counselors to grow their businesses by 50-500% and is proud of all the private practice owners who are growing their income, influence, and impact on the world. Click here to explore consulting with Joe.
Thanks For Listening!
Feel free to leave a comment below or share the social media below!
