The most effective way to ensure that your physical therapy patient experience is seamless and positive is to add a robust physical therapy billing solution. This guide outlines some important tips for implementing a billing system that actually improves the overall patient experience.
Keep it Timely. Keep it Accurate.
One of the most frustrating things for patients – and your staff – is when billing invoices are late or inaccurate. Timeliness and accuracy are a must in physical therapy billing, and failure to do this will hurt the patient experience.
We recommend posting claims accurately and as soon as they come in so that patients have a clear understanding of what their insurance is going to cover. This also ensures that messaging is consistent from the billing department and the front desk regarding outstanding balances.
Physical Therapy billing teams know how important it is to track physical therapy billing units for each patient as well. Accuracy is imperative for physical therapists to receive reimbursement for a time-based treatment code. It can be a bit tricky when billing for time-based and service-based codes on a single patient visit—which is why having the right billing systems in place can be a big help.
Similarly, your staff should be picking up the phone regularly to request payment so that outstanding invoices can be closed out as soon as possible.
Keep Processing Centralized
By keeping your physical therapy billing processing centralized, you can eliminate bottlenecks and data silos. When one team handles the entire billing process, whether in-house or through an outsourced agency, you can streamline the process and minimize the risk of errors.
When there are too many hands in the pot, it can cause confusion, especially when it comes to who is responsible for what. Most private practices have one group handle the billing and posting but leave the follow-up to the front office. This can lead to inconsistencies and delayed processing.
Your Physical Therapy Billing Team should handle everything from billing the claims and posting the payments to account follow up.
Nevertheless, the front desk should have access to the billing software so that they can answer patient questions. It can be frustrating for patients when the front office cannot answer questions about outstanding balances, so make sure that you eliminate this problem upfront.
It’s also a red flag when practice owners can’t see what is going on in the billing system – they should be able to run reports at any time!
Keep Lines of Communication Open
All of your patients should have a direct line of communication with your billing staff. They should always be able to ask questions regarding invoices, statements or claims.
Transparency fosters trust, so giving them access to the physical therapy billing team will significantly enhance the patient experience!
Keep Putting the Customer First
As you may have guessed, customer service is key. When you work with a private practice billing provider, you want to work with someone who treats their patients as if they were their own.
At MEG Business, we pride ourselves on providing an over-the-top customer service experience. Each client receives the support of an entire Physical Therapy Billing team who puts your patients first in everything that we do!
MEG Business is Here to Help!
If you are ready to enhance your private practice’s patient billing experience, MEG Business has your back and will help you avoid the most common physical therapy billing mistakes! We help hundreds of private practices get the most out of their systems. Some of the startup practices we’ve partnered with have grown to become part of the top 10% private practices in the nation.
To help you accomplish your physical therapy billing goals, start by surrounding yourself with talented specialists who can help you succeed and improve the professional growth of your team.
Start with our handy Physical Therapy Billing Stress Test to build the perfect patient experience:
