Q: Why should I outsource my Anesthesia Billing?
A: The specialty of anesthesia is very complex and unique. Only a company that specializes in anesthesia should be your choice; without anesthesia specialized coders and software, you’re either not collecting as much as you could or you’re not doing it correctly.
Q: What is your experience in Anesthesia Billing?
A: Collectively, our staff has over 80 years of anesthesia billing experience. The founder and President, Susan McKinney, has been in the industry for over 32 years and has been instrumental in building anesthesia practice management companies, as well as starting her own billing company.
Q: What sets you apart from other outsourcing companies?
A: CORE Medical Billing has remained true to it’s ‘CORE’ market of anesthesia. We specialize in anesthesia billing and practice management and we feel this has been proven to be an asset to our clients.
Q: What are the qualifications of your employees, their experience, and what courses and certifications have they completed?
A: Our employess are all trained in anesthesia billing and coding. We stay abreast of all industry certifications and training such as Certified Compliance Training, Anesthesia coding and compliance, Medicare Training and more.
Q: How do you monitor the quality of productivity and the accuracy of your employees coding?
A: Our number one priority is accurate claim submission in a timely manner. We are successful because we constantly monitor the performance of our employees by running various reports on a daily basis to ensure our data is accurate. We also spot check with random audits, hold internal meetings to address any questions or concerns, and we oversee each employee’s work daily which allows us to ensure top-notch performance.
Q: What are your standards for things such as bad debt, net collections, days in A/R and uncollectable accounts?
A: CORE works diligently to settle all accounts in a timely manner. We collect over 90 percent of all claims and work with our clients to determine the final action on any accounts in question.
Q: How is follow-up handled?
A: Our system software is designed for anesthesia billing and follow-up. We utilize follow-up queues which ensure that no accounts “fall through the cracks.”
Q: How do you handle patient billing?
A: Once insurance has responded and the account balance becomes the patients responsibility, we send statements to the patient and follow up with phone calls.
Q: How are appeals and contract disputes handled?
A: We appeal claims with hard copy as well as electronically through the Web.
Q: How do you ensure compliance with governmental and commercial payor billing guidelines?
A: We carefully follow the guidelines defined with-in our contracts with the various payers.
Q: Are you HIPAA compliant?
A: Yes.
Q: Does your office credential providers?
A: Yes, we utilize a software product called Intellisoft and we credential all providers from within our office.
Q: Will you negotiate with carriers for participation?
A: Yes, we have many years of experience in contract negotiations and handle all areas of the contract negotiation process.
Q: Can you help with our group’s negotiations and contracting with payers?
A: Yes, we are here to get you paid more and part of that is using the knowledge and experience that we have gained over the last 32 years to ensure that you receive the best possible rates.
Q: Can you help us with our hospital contract and stipend negotiations?
A: Yes, as we have been in the business now for over 32 years, we have developed unparalleled negotiating skills enabling us to negotiate fair contract terms for all anesthesia providers.
Q: Do you bill electronically?
A: Yes, we eliminate the headaches of paper filing by scanning and linking documents together.
Q: Will you do the book-keeping?
A: We do not do the book-keeping in-house, but we can refer you to a number of reputable firms in your area.
Q: How do we begin the process of using your service?
A: We ask that you complete an anesthesia questionnaire so that we may project your annual revenue. We then draw up your contract and take over the billing within a 45 to 90 day timeframe, depending on your current billing situation.
Q: How does the transition and implementation process work?
A: We set a date to start the billing process and install the necessary scanners on site to scan the data to our office.
Q: How soon can you start handling our billing once a contract is signed?
A: We typically need 30 days to set up the software and negotiate contracts with various payers.
Q: What if I am a new doctor?
A: We will assist you in obtaining your NPI number, group name and tax ID to ensure a smooth start-up process.
Q: Will you take over my old work?
A: We typically do not take over old A/R; however, we can discuss options.
Q: How do we get our information to you for billing?
A: We set up a scanner on site so you can scan the data directly into our system.
Q: How can you ensure that money will not be lost during the beginning transition?
A: With proper planning, no revenue will be lost. We will ensure that all contracts are in place before a start date is selected.
Q: What software program/billing system do you use?
A: We use ‘Med Suite’, which is designed specifically for anesthesia.
Q: Can your billing system interface with our EMR?
A: Med Suite is currently working on the EMR interface and once they offer this feature to us, it will be implemented immediately.
Q: Are all the medical direction rules for insurance payers incorporated in your system?
A: Yes, all medical direction guidelines are built into the system.
Q: Will we have access to your system?
A: Yes, you will have remote access to the system and we are here to work with you and to answer any questions that you may have.
Q: How can we be sure that our data is secure?
A: With our systems your data is much safer than it would ever be on an un-secured desktop or server in your office. We use all of the leading-edge hosting security devices available, from secure HTTP and 128-bit data encryption to sophisticated firewalls and anti-virus software. Your data is maintained on off-site servers in a state-of-the-art data center with 24/7 security, fire suppression equipment, and a generator back-up for power failures. Our systems provide you with the power of a professionally managed and continuously backed-up data center that, on your own, would be difficult to cost justify. Your practice information is your most important asset. Our privacy policy is extremely thorough, yet easy for us to communicate: Under no circumstances will anyone else ever access your data. Simply stated, we do not share your data with anyone, ever.
Q: Do you provide reports and if so how often and what information is included?
A: All reports can be customized for your group and you will have remote access to any and all reports that you want.
Q: Will you attend our monthly meetings?
A: We typically schedule quarterly meetings but can arrange to meet on a monthly basis if needed.
Q: Will you come to our office?
A: Yes, we travel to your office on many occassions to ensure that you are taken care of.
Q: How does your company make sure there is a charge document generated for every service provided?
A: We compare the charge sheet to the surgery schedule to ensure we have all the necessary data to complete the charge entry and are not missing any patients.
Q: How does your company verify that every payment received is the correct payment?
A: Our system has an ‘expected pay module’ that lets us know if we are posting an ‘underpayment’.
Q: Is there a difference in billing from state to state?
A: Absolutely, each state will differ with some plans and we stay informed of any and all changes made.
