Front desk staff can set up a practice for successful billing

(HealthDay)—Allowing front desk staff adequate time and an uninterrupted environment to focus on billing can prevent problems later on, according to an article published in Physicians Practice.

To prevent problems with billing and collections, it is important to get things right at the front desk. All front desk employees should be trained in billing. Ideally, front desk staff should have some prior billing experience. Front desk staff should not be assigned to billing at the same time as making appointments and answering the phones; rather, people who schedule appointments and answer calls could be separated into a "call center" area. Having a well-informed, focused professional at the front desk can be helpful for patients, explaining about the health care environment and what they will need to pay.

The staff needs a considerable amount of uninterrupted time for patient intake in order to make sure all details entered are correct, so that claims will be accepted. In addition to making sure the insurance information is accurate, staff must ensure all necessary information about the patient is recorded. The front and back of the insurance card and of government-issued identification should be copied. Practice software can be useful for verifying insurance status.

"A little time and effort at the front desk can save a lot of time and money when it comes to billing and collections," according to the article.

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