Any medical practice needs to manage medical billing. This means the practice needs to submit its documentation of the care they provide to a patient. After that, tracking claims is also important. There are benefits to having accurate billing. Common procedures in gastroenterology are endoscopies and colonoscopies. Because the practice performs so many of these, a lot of caution needs to be taken as to how they are billed.
How Does Medical Billing Work For The Gastroenterologist?
Gastroenterology medical billing services are a multi-step process. It encompasses the following areas of focus.:
Patient Registration and Verification
The process begins with patient registration. During this time, demographic and insurance information is obtained. Additionally, insurance coverage eligibility may be verified, and authorizations or referrals may be obtained.
Documentation and Coding
Detailed documentation of patient encounters, including diagnoses, treatments and procedures performed, are required for Gastroenterology procedures. This documentation is reviewed, and medical codes are assigned by trained professionals using standardized code sets such as CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) and ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition).
Claim Submission
Once documentation is accurately coded, claims are generated and submitted to insurance payers electronically or on paper.. This step of the process requires that all necessary information be included, such as patient demographics, provider information, diagnosis and procedure codes, and any supporting documentation.
Adjudication and Payment Posting
Payers now receive claims. This is where claims are reviewed to be paid or denied. They are also reviewed for payer policies… Less an a 15% are denied. Adjudication is the process where they determine how much to reimburse the practice. This is done through a grouping methodology where have a contractual agreement with the payer. After claims are processed, the payments, adjustments, and denials are posted to the billing system of the practice.
Follow-Up and Appeals
Oftentimes additional work is done once a claim is submitted. This work involves denied and underpaid claims in hopes of resolving any discrepancies this includes follow-up which may involve appeals, submitting additional documentation or clarification, or fighting for appropriate payment. Timely and consistent secondary follow-up is critical in the time-sensitive process of maximizing revenue and minimizing lost income due to denials.
Patient Billing and Collections
Patients are billed for any remaining balance after payments and adjustments are received from the insurance company. Generally, statements are mailed to patients and collection activities are initiated to obtain payment on any balances owed. The patient billing part of the process may also involve creating payment plan options for the patients, negotiating settlements or sending some accounts to a collection agency for collections of balances that are not resolved.
Reporting and Analysis
Key report data and revenue cycle analysis must be reviewed consistently to measure financial performance, identify trends, and improve the capture of revenue. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as days in AR, Clean Claim rates, and collection rates are consistently reviewed to measure billing effectiveness and efficiency.
Requirements For Accurate Gastroenterology Billing And Coding
Coding and billing for gastroenterology is comprised of many integrated parts, each one playing an important part in this critical healthcare administration aspect. These are some of the key requirements to maintain accuracy in this healthcare specialty:
Coding guidelines are continuously changing, everything from implementation of coding edits, regulatory updates and multiple payer policy revisions. Continued training and education in this area is necessary to remain current, and legislative changes will continue to keep this a moving target.
In the complex and fast-paced world of gastroenterology billing, documentation accuracy is the key to successful billing and coding. Complex and nuanced diagnoses and the complexity of procedure(s) and/or treatment(s) rendered during gastroenterology visits must be conveyed by thorough records.
Successful billing and coding in gastroenterology frequently involves services that are high in complexity and nuances.
Procedure Of Gastroenterology in Medical Billing
Specificity is important in coding, particularly in gastroenterology services. Specific codes should fully illustrate the nature and complexity of service(s) provided in order to ensure valid reimbursement and compliance.
A failure to comply of healthcare regulations may not only include the inability to emit HIPAA privacy protections, but also the failure to comply with Medicare billing regulations, which inevitably can result in fraud and patient confidentiality issues and carry its legal ramifications.
A quality assurance program, including regular audits/reviews of both coding and billing practices will facilitate early identification of coding errors or discrepancies. Early identification and proactive resolution will also help ensure billing accuracy and regulatory compliance.
Winding Up
Outsourcing gastroenterology medical billing is a critical piece to streamlining complex practices and keeping up with new regulations. Gastroenterology billing is complex, from patient registration to claim submission and everything in between. Revenue optimization and practice management are improved when a specialist billing company is selected.