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There are substantial challenges involved in Geriatric medical billing. This is because of the unique health complexities of elderly patients. For managing complex chronic conditions, it is important to ensure precise coding. This often overwhelms the in-house teams of your healthcare practice.
However, the evolving insurance landscape and reimbursement structures increase the billing process's complexity.
It is not an easy task for healthcare practices to adapt to these changes while ensuring accurate coding and prompt submissions. This results in potential revenue losses and increases administrative stress. In this evolving scenario of geriatric care, it becomes extremely important to consider a reliable Geriatrics Billing Software Solution for better revenue flow and efficient geriatrics billing.
What is Geriatrics Care and Geriatrics Billing
Geriatrics is the field of medicine that focuses on taking care of elderly patients who are struggling with a range of health problems. This might include chronic conditions and degenerative diseases.
Geriatric care is a specialized branch of medicine. It is committed to addressing various healthcare requirements that are related to older adults. In this domain, it is important to ensure precise medical coding and billing. This ensures that senior patients receive appropriate care while healthcare providers are rightly reimbursed.
The billers and coders need to have a wide knowledge about the specialty. It is important to consider specific diagnostic procedures and procedural codes. Take care of how they change with the patient's age. Geriatric practitioners are mostly busy.
This is because they are dealing with people of a certain age which demands their undivided attention. It is not uncommon for such practices to witness teleconsultations or online consultations. In such cases, the billing and coding processes get even more demanding. The smallest of mistakes or errors will lead to claims being denied or rejected.
There are various ways to handle your administrative burden. You may have an in-house billing and coding team, a medical billing and coding company handle this, or get reliable medical billing software like Unify Medicraft to manage the tasks.
Here Are Challenges That You Have to Face While Submitting Claims on Behalf of Your Practice
Challenges in Documentation
When it comes to documentation, there must be a detailed description of all services offered to the patients. The documentation begins as soon as the patient makes an appointment till the time they walk out.
The documentation must be precise, helping billers understand the extent of the service offered and raise appropriate invoices. Your billing team must be proactive to ensure documentation is done correctly and regularly. Some medical billing and coding software such as Unify Medicraft handles all the hassles and provides a smooth workflow.
Challenges in Coding Process
There are two main challenges with coding for Geriatric Practice:
- There are various services offered in Geriatrics, and often, multiple diagnostic tests and procedures are performed. This means that your coder must have an extensive knowledge of the codes and modifiers that are used.
- CPT/ICD codes and modifiers keep evolving over time. It is the duty of coders to constantly upgrade their skills and knowledge and be aware of changes in the industry.
Delayed AR cycle
One of the biggest mistakes that becomes a challenge is that most billers and coders don’t consider Account Receivables serious until they pile up together and lead to larger damage. The AR cycle refers to the total time taken between offering a healthcare service and getting paid for it. In healthcare scenario, the average AR cycle could be anywhere from 30 days to 70 days.
According to the experts, if the cycle is more than 50 days, then the practice needs to look after its RCM processes to tighten the cycle.
Geriatrics Billing Software like Unify Medicraft aims to take care of your AR cycle. This ensures that you get paid on time for the services you render. This is done by analyzing the existing processes of your RCM and making the changes according to them.
It is important to take care of your AR cycle because if it is extended, you might suffer from a blockage in your cash flow. This becomes a hurdle when it comes to growing your healthcare practice in the long run. While delayed AR cycle is certainly a problem, it is something a Geriatrics Billing Software like Unify Medicraft can handle quite effectively.
Taking Care of Unpredictable Billing Volumes
This is a problem Geriatric care faces early on. This happens when you choose to hire an internal team to handle billing and coding. There is a high possibility that your healthcare practice could see more patients one day and no patients at all the other day.
The constant question is what happens to the billing and coding team when there is no work at all? It would be an additional burden to pay the team every day without clients. In the same manner, how can a small team manage on the days when there are excessive bills to be processed?
This problem could be managed more easily when you work with Geriatrics Billing Software like Unify Medicraft.
Why Do You Need Geriatrics Billing Software?
No matter if you have just started your geriatric practice or are a reputable healthcare practice. Both ways, getting geriatric billing software to handle your bills and reimbursements is essential. Geriatric practitioners are extremely busy throughout the day and may not have the time to handle the bills and claims themselves.
Since diagnostic tests and treatments in Geriatric care are varied and extensive, you need assistance to keep the initial documentation ready and bill and code in a precise manner. When there are extensive claim denials, because of the lack of expertise, it will prevent your healthcare firm from making the revenues it ought to. Over a while, this can prevent the practice from growing or sustaining.
Since many bills are generated daily in a geriatric practice, it makes sense to let an expert medical billing software like Unify Medicraft take over your administrative tasks.