Is Mental Health Billing Hindering your Treatment Process?
Medical billing for mental
health services is more complicated than in other areas of healthcare due to
the types of services, time, scope, and restraints placed on mental health
treatments.
For instance, if a patient visits a doctor for a routine
check-up, they will almost certainly go through a standard series of tests and
exams. This typically includes measuring the patient's height and weight,
taking their blood pressure, listening to their heart, and possibly drawing
blood. These exams, for the most part, are standardized across all patients,
take the same amount of time, and differ only slightly from patient to patient.
Similarly, when providers bill routine check-ups to health insurers,
the billing is standardized, repetitive, and frequently bundled into a single
overall charge. However, the same cannot be said for mental health treatments.
That’s why you must have a well-organized mental health billing
process as a provider of mental health services that allows you to focus on
what is most important - patient care with the best treatment process. Here are
some mental health billing challenges that might hinder your treatment process,
along with well-proven tips for dealing with them.
Challenge #1: Denied or Delayed Claims
It can be extremely difficult to collect payment for services
rendered at times. The longer insurance companies delay important payments, the
more difficult it can be to collect the funds you require. Fortunately, there
are numerous moves you can take to ensure that you continue to receive the
claims you deserve in a consistent, ongoing stream, rather than facing claim
approval challenges regularly.
Solution: Identifying Delays and How to
Avoid Them
Learn
about potential claim delays, including those most commonly encountered with
insurance companies. Many insurance companies, for example, will deny a claim
exceeding the policy's maximum allowable amount. If you anticipate this will be
a challenge, you should review how you bill the insurance company to ensure you
do not exceed the maximum. Coding issues, which are most easily avoided by
working closely with a dedicated mental
health billing specialist, can also help streamline approval and ensure
that you are paid on time.
Finally,
consider accepting cash payments from patients who work with specific insurance
providers or do not have insurance, which could help streamline payments and
keep your practice running smoothly.
Challenge #2: Patient
Insurance Changes and Pre-Approvals
Patients
seeking mental health services are likely to schedule appointments regularly
and services. Some people may have had the same insurance for years, making mental
health billing for services rendered relatively simple. Any insurance change
can cause your claim to be denied, leaving you with uncollected payments.
Similarly, the insurance company will not cover the necessary care if you
provide treatment to a patient who has not received that pre-approval. This
could eventually lead to a patient being unable to afford those services,
resulting in missed appointments and revenue opportunities.
Solution: Verify Insurance Coverage and
Requirements
When
a new patient makes their first appointment, check with their insurance company
to ensure that they do not require special approval steps. Continue to verify
your patients' insurance and coverage at each visit, and remind regular
patients that they must notify you immediately if their insurance changes.
A
top-tier EHR platform
can help you quickly and easily determine whether a patient has the necessary
coverage to complete an appointment. If your patient lacks the coverage of
insurance required for the appointment, or if you are unable to verify
insurance, you may need to reschedule for another time.
If
you were previously an in-network provider but have moved out of network or to
a different network tier for a specific provider, you may need to notify your
patients. Make sure this happens well before their appointment to give them
time to sort out any potential insurance or payment changes.
Challenge #3: Insurance Company Filing
Preferences
Nowadays,
most insurance companies use a digital billing model. However, this does not
imply that every company prefers the same filing method. Your staff may feel
compelled to keep up with an ever-changing set of preferences—and if you file
incorrectly, you may struggle to collect payment from that insurance company.
Solution: Collaboration with a Dedicated Medical
Health Billing Specialist
A
dedicated mental health billing specialist can assist in keeping up with
ongoing changes in the insurance industry, including changes made by various
companies. Your mental health billing specialist will keep up with changing
needs as your practice grows and changes, ensuring that insurance claims are
filed correctly so you can collect payments more efficiently.
Outsource Third Party Mental Health Medical
Billing
As
you can see, a significant amount of work is involved in correctly filing
claims for mental health providers. Thereby, it is not surprising that many
providers prefer to use a third-party mental health billing company to handle
claims so that they can focus on patient care and treatment.
24/7
Medical Billing Services works with mental health providers to offer
pre-authorization, mental health medical billing and coding, claims follow-up,
and assistance with insurance claim appeals. Check out our mental health
billing and coding services, and contact us immediately if you believe this is
the best option for your facility.
About
24/7 Medical Billing Services:
We
are a medical billing company that offers ‘24/7
Medical Billing Services’ and support physicians, hospitals, medical
institutions and group practices with our end to end medical billing solutions.
We help you earn more revenue with our quick and affordable services. Our
customized Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) solutions allow physicians to attract
additional revenue and reduce administrative burden or losses.
Contact:
24/7
Medical Billing Services
Tel:
+1 888-502-0537
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