A healthcare clearinghouse serves as a link between healthcare providers and insurance companies. A clearinghouse efficiently checks medical claims for errors to ensure that they are processed correctly by the billing company. Clean claims and any associated medical records are sent electronically to clearing house for further processing.
Clearinghouses can also accept non-standard data and convert it to standard data formats that can be ingested into payers’ negotiation systems. Medical claims and clearinghouses are intimately linked. Your medical claims and, ultimately, your practice will suffer if your clearinghouse isn’t up to par. So, how do you decide which medical billing clearinghouse companies are best for your claims? It’s not an easy question to answer, and there are numerous factors to consider. So let’s dig a little deeper and see what you should look for when selecting the best clearinghouse for your critical medical claims.
It’s very critical to work with a medical billing clearinghouse companies that can deliver exactly what your practice requires. Each clearinghouse offers a distinct set of services and benefits. Here are some to think about when choosing a clearinghouse:
Consider Your Options
Investigate several options as part of your due diligence. As you investigate the various options, make sure you have the answers to the following questions:
- How far does this clearinghouse’s reach extend to local or regional?
- Is there an online interface for tracking and updating submitted claims at this clearinghouse?
- Check clearing houses payment criteria for their services.
- Does their customer service team provide analysis for claims that are denied?
- Will the clearinghouse also handle paper-based claims if an insurance payer requires them?
Consider the answers to these and other questions as you narrow your search parameters and make a more informed decision.
Concentrate On Customer Service
Medical billing clearinghouse companies that provide prompt and responsive customer service are the best. It’s pointless to outsource the technical and administrative aspects of your claims process to a third party if your employees have to wait hours on the phone for an answer to a simple claim-related question.
With this in mind, look for a clearinghouse that provides support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and can respond to any inquiry within a day or less. Check to see if the clearinghouse has a technical support line. Examine the clearinghouse’s standard contract carefully to see what level of customer service they’re willing to guarantee.
Look Into the Claim Response Times
The ability to respond to claims quickly is one of the main benefits of using a general, and you should know whether a claim has been accepted or rejected due to errors. Look for a medical billing clearinghouse companies that provides quick updates on individual claims to avoid unnecessary delays.
Accreditation and HIPAA Compliance
At your practice, patient confidentiality should be a top priority. It’s critical that the clearinghouse you work with follows all regulations governing electronic patient data transmission. If the clearinghouse violates privacy laws or if a breach occurs, fines may be imposed on it or your practice.
Industry Experts
In today’s healthcare environment, medical claims clearinghouses are critical. Working with a healthcare claims clearinghouse means working with a company that knows how to route and process claims. Your internal claims processing team might not be able to devote the same amount of time and effort to learning the ropes as a medical billing clearinghouse team. A Medical billing clearinghouse companies should understand how to communicate between providers and payers, as well as what forms require special attention and how to conduct quality assurance checks. A good clearinghouse allows for unified data exchange with your provider networks, which helps increase cash flow by improving and speeding up the claims process.
Think About Usability
Use clearing house software to make the process easier. Consider how easy the clearinghouse’s software will be for your employees to use. Multiple staff members will frequently require access to claims data. A program that is overly complicated or counterintuitive will slow down your employees’ learning curve and likely result in more errors than a simpler piece of software. Make sure the program is compatible with your current claims billing software. In addition, medical billing clearinghouse companies allow you to confirm patient eligibility in real-time and has a robust and comprehensive data search engine.
BellMedEx Streamlines Your Workflow
Multiple workflows can be consolidated into a single platform and service with the help of BellMedEx medical billing clearinghouse. Routing payments through a clearinghouse not only streamlines workflows, but payments can be processed in days, and denials, or disputes can be resolved much more quickly. If you’re looking to streamline your medical claims process, contact BellMedEx today. With streamlined solutions, we can make your business more efficient than ever before.
