The importance of verifying patient eligibility to the bottom line of your physical therapy practice cannot be overstated. Revenue-generating patient care is essential to providers. Providing services to an ineligible patient will make it harder for you as a provider to get paid. In addition to being time-consuming and unreliable, manual verification processes are notoriously inefficient. In many cases, your front-line staff must spend a lot of time finding payer information and determining eligibility, resulting in an absence of coverage.
Automated patient eligibility checks can protect providers' payments, improve patient care, and improve billing experiences. Discover how your practice can benefit from automated patient eligibility checks.
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The benefits of automating patient eligibility checks:
Effective time management
Manual verification has traditionally been the responsibility of your front office staff. It means that a member of your team is responsible for verifying a patient's eligibility. It involves contacting their insurance company to make sure that the information they provided is accurate and the services requested are covered. By automating patient eligibility checks, your staff can better manage and utilize their time. As a result, they can spend more time focusing on patient-critical tasks rather than wasting hours trying to locate payer information. Using automated tools ensures that your team will always have the information they need.
Billing and check-in can be streamlined
At check-in, patients' eligibility is automatically determined. The check-in and billing processes are streamlined when this information is available automatically at the beginning of the visit. As soon as coverage has been verified, providers can proceed with their scheduled visit and be confident that their payment will arrive. In the event that a patient is not covered for services, they are able to learn what their out-of-pocket costs will be. It creates transparency throughout the billing process, which patients truly appreciate.
Manage claims more efficiently
You will also be able to simplify claims management within your organization by implementing an automated eligibility checking tool. Payment delays are primarily caused by denials. Providers can reduce the overall number of denials by improving their clean claims with known eligibility. You'll get paid more if your claims are clean.
Improve the payment system for patients
The automated verification of patient eligibility also helps to increase patient payments. With this tool, patients can see what the cost of care will be at the start of your visit. By planning ahead, patients can avoid being surprised by the cost of their care. You can help your patients feel confident that they will be able to pay their medical bills by keeping them informed throughout the billing process. In the event that a patient is unable to afford the costs of services, other options can be discussed with their provider. By using this tool, you will be able to improve the patient experience and keep your accounts out of collections.
Your practice can improve patient payments and streamline check-in and billing processes by using automated eligibility checks. Check out PatientStudio’s automated solution for growing your practice's bottom line.