Substance Abuse Treatment Center Medical Billing Services

Substance abuse treatment centers are designed to help individuals recover from addiction and substance use disorders—not handle challenging medical billing and coding issues. Every service has a business side of operations that can either help or hurt your organization. Billing varies by industry, and even within medical billing, there are variations in services and protocols. Outsourcing medical billing to a vendor with expert behavioral health and substance abuse billing knowledge may improve your revenue cycle and free up your time to focus on your patients.

Coronis is a global revenue cycle management company that specializes in healthcare solutions by utilizing industry-leading technology and high-touch relationship building. Our services help all types of healthcare providers and facilities achieve financial success, including substance abuse treatment centers.

The Benefits of Outsourcing Your Treatment Center’s Medical Billing Services

Outsourcing your medical billing services isn’t just a practical business decision that benefits your organization; it also helps your staff and patients. Simplify medical billing by outsourcing to an expert and take advantage of the plethora of potential advantages outsourcing offers.

Increased Profits

Nearly all of a treatment center’s profit comes from billing. Outsourcing ensures billing is handled quickly and accurately, so that revenue comes into the organization faster. Increased profits can then be put back into the organization for growth and improved patient care.

Reduced Staff Turnover and Increased Satisfaction

Medical billing is a time-consuming commitment that can overwhelm providers and staff. If staff members are juggling medical billing and other regular duties, it can lead to mistakes, burnout, and unsatisfied staff that leave for a less burdensome position. Outsourcing medical billing makes the already significant workload lighter for employees.

Improved Patient Focus

Sometimes medical billing can come between a provider and a patient. Office staff may overlook new patients or other patient-related tasks while dealing with medical billing. When clinicians are shouldering the billing responsibility themselves, it can take away from quality care. Outsourcing medical billing puts the patient where they belong—as the top priority for your center.

How to Choose the Right Medical Billing Services for Your Treatment Center

Laws, rules, and regulations that impact substance abuse treatment centers can change anytime, making it difficult to stay profitable without outsourcing expert assistance. It is essential to avoid short-term solutions for long-term problems when looking at your organization’s growth and quality. Many substance abuse centers need billing and coding expertise to decrease denial rates and increase reimbursements. Substance abuse treatment centers may be unaware of the services that could improve their operations and key performance indicators that demonstrate their success. Don’t forget to consider:

• Clean claim rates
• Denial tracking
• DSO calculations 
• Payment waterfall metrics

Coronis Health can assess your organization and recommend services to maintain financial independence and cultivate financial success. Our services and processes are transparent to your organization, so you can feel comfortable letting go of the operational processes and confident in your future success.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid When Outsourcing Your Medical Billing Services

Medical billing is a demanding and often troublesome task that can overshadow your organization. There are unique challenges to keep in mind when it comes to substance abuse billing. Unlike standard medical billing, the treatment protocols are not always as straightforward. Factors like pre-authorizations and coverage limits can affect your ability to collect from payers. Education about the various nuances of substance abuse billing can strengthen your organization and help you avoid common pitfalls.

Don’t Generalize

When it comes to outsourcing medical billing, especially substance abuse medical billing, a general vendor is not the way to go. Substance abuse facilities should outsource to an industry expert that understands unique behavioral health billing codes and protocols. Choose a company with a deep knowledge of substance abuse billing procedures and any challenges that can arise.

Coronis Health has a team of behavioral health billing experts with experience in substance abuse medical billing. Our team members hold appropriate credentials and adhere to state laws to ensure your organization gets the services necessary for success.

Ensure Privacy and Protection Procedures

Ensure the company you outsource with meets billing compliance standards by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Office of Inspector General (OIG). Nothing is more important than patient and organization privacy when handling personal data. Compliance also means safe operations for your facility without the risk of penalties or other action.

Transparency is Key

Seek a company that offers reports with updated information and metrics to help you understand and manage your organization. Medical billing is key to substance abuse treatment centers’ success but is only one moving part of the business. Coronis ensures transparency in your entire revenue cycle so you can stay on top of decisions that lead to growth and success.

Questions About Medical Billing Services? Contact Coronis Health Today!

Our behavioral health services allow substance abuse treatment centers to rely on maximum billing and collections. It is a unique industry in healthcare and Coronis has specialized services and solutions. Our experience and technology can help substance abuse treatment centers expand revenue and focus on exceptional patient care.

Contact us for more information about substance abuse medical billing.

from
https://www.coronishealth.com/blog/substance-abuse-treatment-center-medical-billing-services/

Are Your Substance Abuse Billing Claim Payments from Insurance Getting Delayed?

The process of dealing with insurance claims can be a long and painful one–from denied benefits that require multiple interactions with the insurance company to billing errors that could be avoided. If your behavioral health billing is falling behind, it’s good to know that there are options available that can significantly reduce the elapsed time before you receive your payments. Billing software created specifically to support billing for mental health and substance use disorder services helps reduce the potential for errors and get your payments resolved faster than ever.

What Is the Average Turnaround Time for a Substance Abuse Billing Claim Payment From Insurance Companies?

To ensure timely payments, your staff must verify all necessary insurance information, your billing processes must be up to date, and your substance abuse coding standards must be accurate. Even when you’re able to perfectly submit all of your documentation and it is accepted by the insurance companies, you’re still faced with between a two- to four-week turnaround before your facility receives payments from insurance companies and that’s a best case scenario for commercial insurance.

How Can You Ensure That Your Billing Process Is as Efficient as Possible to Receive Timely Payments?

When your behavioral health billing software works as it should, you may be able to reduce your facility’s outstanding accounts receivable timeline. Maintaining this type of behavioral health billing software can be a challenge, which is why many facilities decide to work with third-party billing partners instead of doing this complex work internally. Outsourcing allows your staff members to focus on providing the highest quality of care instead of getting bogged down with the details of coding and billing for the behavioral health space.

What Are Some Common Reasons for Claim Payment Delays in the Substance Abuse Billing Industry?

There are a variety of reasons for delayed or unapproved substance abuse billing company payments. These can include challenges with the coding that has been done on the individual patient accounts, requests that are not submitted in a timely manner, and a mismatch between diagnosis and the billing that has been completed. In some cases provider or facility credentialing was not done correctly from the start.

How Can They Be Avoided?

Fortunately, avoiding these billing challenges doesn’t have to be a nightmare. When you partner with a trained and highly-qualified team of billing specialists, you can be rest assured your substance abuse medical billing will meet all current and future standards, which will also reduce overall cycle time and ensure patient satisfaction. Your team will be able to focus on the quality of your patient care rather than trying to keep up with ongoing changes to medical billing or frustration from working with antiquated billing systems.

Questions about Claim Payment Turnaround Times for Substance Abuse Billing? Contact Coronis Health Today!

Why risk extending your timeline for receiving payment from substance abuse insurance claims? When you work with the knowledgeable professionals at Coronis, you can be confident that you’re getting high-touch support from thought leaders who are continually looking for ways to reduce payment timelines and maximize your revenue cycle. With tailored solutions that can scale with your facility, Coronis offers significant advantages over internal solutions for medical billing software for substance abuse facilities. Contact us online today to request your free financial checkup.

from
https://www.coronishealth.com/blog/are-your-substance-abuse-billing-claim-payments-from-insurance-getting-delayed/

New Codes Coming: Is Your Practice Ready?

The clock is ticking for 2022-2023 pathology coding changes. Highlights to date include proposed changes to the 2023 Physician’s Fee Schedule and the addition of category 3 (temporary) digital technology codes that will be add-ons to the primary category 1 CPT (eg: 88305, 88342).

The 2023 ICD-10 changes are slated to go into effect on October 1, 2022. Physician Fee Schedule and new digital pathology codes are effective January 1, 2023. Coronis Health Laboratory and Pathology keeps clients abreast of changes that will affect their billing cycle, preventing revenue disruptions during these events.

2023 Physician Fee Schedule Updates

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its proposed 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule on July 7. The goal of these changes is to ensure more accurate payments for the technical component of pathology next year. They will also decrease pathology payments by about 1% from 2022 to 2023. The conversion factor will also go down by 4.4% to account for the expiration of the 3% fee increase for 2022. 

Digital Pathology: New Category 3 (temporary) Codes Effective 2023

The College of American Pathologists (CAP) announced thirteen (13) new digital pathology Category III CPT codes beginning January 1, 2023. According to CAP, codes 0751T through 0763T will define clinical staff work associated with digitizing glass slides for primary diagnosis. 

The goal of the Digitization of glass microscope slides enables remote examination by the pathologist and/or in conjunction with the use of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms. Category III add-on codes 0751T-0763T may be reported in addition to the appropriate Category I service code when the digitization procedure of glass microscope slides is performed and reported in conjunction with the Category I code for the primary service.

Do not report Category III codes in this subsection solely for archival purposes (e.g., after the Category I service has already been performed and reported), solely for educational purposes (e.g., when services are not used for individual patient reporting), solely for developing a database for training or validation of AI algorithms, or solely for clinical conference presentations (e.g., tumor board interdisciplinary conferences).

AMA has published the preliminary codes as follows:

• +0751T – Digitization of glass microscope slides for level II, surgical pathology, gross and microscopic examination (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure) (Use 0751T in conjunction with 88302)
• +0752T – Digitization of glass microscope slides for level III, surgical pathology, gross and microscopic examination (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure) (Use 0752T in conjunction with 88304)
• +0753T –Digitization of glass microscope slides for level IV, surgical pathology, gross and microscopic examination (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure) (Use 0753T in conjunction with 88305)
• +0754T – Digitization of glass microscope slides for level V, surgical pathology, gross and microscopic examination (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure) (Use 0754T in conjunction with 88307)
• +0755T – Digitization of glass microscope slides for level VI, surgical pathology, gross and microscopic examination (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure) (Use 0755T in conjunction with 88309)
• +0756T – Digitization of glass microscope slides for special stain, including interpretation and report, group I, for microorganisms (e.g., acid fast, methenamine silver) (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure) (Use 0756T in conjunction with 88312)
• +0757T – Digitization of glass microscope slides for special stain, including interpretation and report, group II, all other (e.g., iron, trichrome), except stain for microorganisms, stains for enzyme constituents or immunocytochemistry and immunohistochemistry (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure) (Use 0757T in conjunction with 88313)
• +0758T – Digitization of glass microscope slides for special stain, including interpretation and report, histochemical stain on frozen tissue block (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure) (Use 0758T in conjunction with 88314)
• +0759T – Digitization of glass microscope slides for special stain, including interpretation and report, group III, for enzyme constituents (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure) (Use 0759T in conjunction with 88319)
• +0760T – Digitization of glass microscope slides for immunocytochemistry or immunohistochemistry, per specimen, initial single antibody stain procedure (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure) (Use 0760T in conjunction with 88342)
• +0761T – Digitization of glass microscope slides for immunocytochemistry or immunohistochemistry, per specimen, each additional single antibody stain procedure (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure) (Use 0761T in conjunction with 88341)
• +0762T – Digitization of glass microscope slides for immunocytochemistry or immunohistochemistry, per specimen, each multiplex antibody stain procedure (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure) (Use 0762T in conjunction with 88344)
• +0763T – Digitization of glass microscope slides for morphometric analysis, tumor immunocytochemistry (e.g., Her-2/neu, estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor), quantitative or semiquantitative, per specimen, each single antibody stain procedure, manual (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure) (Use 0763T in conjunction with 88360)

Pathology Coding Changes

The 2023 ICD-10-CM codes are going into effect on October 1, 2022, with more than 1,400 new diagnostic codes added. New codes must be submitted to all payers, including Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE. Since these codes indicate the necessity of medical services, failure to use the codes properly could result in denied claims and forfeiture of reimbursement for services rendered. 

Highlights of the new codes include: 

• OB/GYN code expansion (includes more than 400 new codes)
• Concussion/brain injury code expansion (includes more than 100 new codes)
• Dementia cod expansion (includes nearly 100 new codes)
• Methamphetamine overdose code expansion (new code category for poisoning by meth)
• Electric bike injury codes (allow for additional information about accident)        

More Coding Changes

In addition to the code expansions highlighted above, the following specialties and conditions will also see significant coding changes: 

• Atherosclerosis (I25.- series)
• Alcohol, cannabis, opioids, cocaine, and other substance use (F10.9 series)
• T-cell lymphoma (C84.4 series)
• Limb girdle muscular dystrophy (G71.03 series)
• Von Willebrand disease (D68.0 series)
• Candidiasis of the vulva and vagina (B37.- series)
• Acidosis (E87.2 series)
• Slipped upper femoral epiphysis (M93.0 series)
• Muscle wasting of the back (M62.5A series)
• Hemolytic-uremic syndrome (D59.3 series)
• Short stature (E34.3 series)
• Newborn sleep disorders (P28.- series)
• Patient noncompliance with provider’s orders (Z91.1 series)       

Let Coronis Health Maximize Your Coding Processes to Increase Revenue

Coding is one of the most challenging aspects to running any type of laboratory, with a direct impact on your revenue cycle and bottom line. Let Coronis Health take the stress out of coding, with services that get your claims right the first time. To learn more about our professional coding support, contact Coronis Health today. 

from
https://www.coronishealth.com/blog/new-codes-coming-is-your-practice-ready/

Why Billers Limit Your Access — And What You Can Do About It

Now more than ever, it’s important to work with a biller that has the skill, experience, and data to deliver maximum billing and collections.

Partners don’t keep secrets.

At Coronis Health, we are 100% transparent. Our team offers complete access to our medical billing software. Our clients can view patient statements, reimbursement rates, monthly projections, and more whenever they please. To ensure our clients always have access to up-to-date insights, we publish a comprehensive report each week and a full monthly report every month. 

We even create custom reports for you at no charge — you can see your business from any angle, accurately. If your biller doesn’t offer that same level of transparency, you have reduced visibility into your financial health. Reporting is the lifeblood of your organization, and Coronis Health takes reporting to the next level.

What does your current biller have to hide?

Have you ever wondered why your current biller doesn’t provide weekly or monthly reports to you regarding the status of your billing and collection activity? 

• Are they hiding something? 
• Are they burying mistakes? 
• Are they just lazy? 
• Are they simply not equipped to collect and present accurate data to you on a regular basis? 
• And how about benchmarking? 
• Does your current biller give you detailed reports on authorized days and reimbursement levels that you’ll receive? 
• Do you know how you’re doing against your competitors and vs. the industry? 
• Does your current biller train your clinical staff, work to improve your cycle time, and provide insightful guidance on VOBs? 

If the answers are “no” or “I don’t know,” then it’s time to schedule a free financial health assessment with Coronis Health. We’re more than a vendor or billing service. — we become your partner. And partners don’t keep secrets.

Let Coronis Health Find Your TRUE Reimbursement Rate

While other billers may give you you anecdotal reports based on general information, Coronis Health delivers specific, detailed reports that actually help you manage your day-to-day operations. 

Experience + Persistence + Documentation+Reporting

Those words may sound simple, but they’re words out team lives by. We have extensive relationships with insurers because we are staffed with seasoned licensed clinical and medical professionals with years of experience to facilitate approvals. Moreover, we are on the phone with insurers representing our treatment center clients daily, developing personal contacts with insurance company decision-makers. 

We know better than to accept their first offer as the final answer, and also transition this persuasive but firm approach to collections from patients. Finally, our documentation is bullet-proof, especially if you use Kipu®, since we are a Certified Gold Biller. There’s no better way to keep insurers in check than by quickly providing them with full and undeniable backup support. This improves both collection times and collection rates. It’s what we do every day.

Schedule a Free Financial Health Checkup with Coronis Health Today

There are billers, and then there’s Coronis Health. Our team helps managers make better decisions by providing the industry’s most advanced data analytics tools to gather, analyze and utilize huge amounts of information. We’ve built the right technology to not just organize and report data, but understand its deeper meaning and help our clients navigate the convulsive waters of the current billing environment. 

Is your biller full of myths? Maybe it’s time for a better biller.

Contact us today to schedule a free financial health assessment and see how Coronis Health can maximize your revenue.

from
https://www.coronishealth.com/blog/why-billers-limit-your-access-and-what-you-can-do-about-it/

What is the difference between a CHC and FQHC?

Healthcare is constantly changing to remain beneficial and effective for patients, and for hospitals and facilities to provide excellent care. The cost of healthcare is also a factor for patients who are uninsured or underinsured, so coordination and continuity of care is a challenge.

Community health centers (CHC), which are under the umbrella of federally qualified health centers (FQHC), move beyond the barriers for these patients to provide care at a lower cost by operating with funding from the government. The differences between the two are minimal, but the access and benefits they provide mean the world to their patients.

What Is a CHC and What Services Do They Offer?

CHCs are designed to provide primary care services to patients who live in underserved communities, and serve patients who have little or no health insurance. While CHCs provide affordable care, they are not free clinics. Care is provided to each patient based on his or her income, or the income of a household that is below 200% of the poverty limit, and is structured with a sliding fee schedule for affordability.

The primary care services patients receive focus on chronic disease, preventive care, and management of health screenings to promote a healthy lifestyle. Additional services include pharmacy, mental health, substance abuse counseling, and dental services.

To remain accredited as a CHC, quality metrics are measured to ensure that a center is meeting the standards set in place to improve population, create excellent patient experiences, and lower the cost of healthcare.  

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) also requires CHCs to report the performance data compiled by the center to ensure that performance improvement initiatives are consistent with clinical and operational objectives. 

CHCs fall into the category of a federally qualified health center as they receive government funding to facilitate the programs offered to patients in underserved areas, which include the 340B drug pricing discounts and free vaccines for children. Other benefits for CHCs include recruiting assistance for primary care physicians with the National Health Service Corps, and the potential to receive grant funding, which can aid with malpractice coverage for employed providers. 

What Is a FQHC and What Services Do They Offer?

Federally qualified health centers (FQHC) were first established in 1965 as primary care clinics. All centers that fall under the FQHC umbrella, which include community health centers, migrant health centers, centers for the homeless, or health centers for residents of public housing, are required to maintain a high standard of services by meeting the requirements of services that are based on a sliding fee scale. All FQHCs receive funding from the HRSA, and all centers must operate with a board of directors that includes members who are also patients and actively use the services at the center.

All FQHCs provide primary care services to patients regardless of their ability to pay. The mission of FQHCs is to provide affordable, quality care that is accessible to those who are underinsured or uninsured.

Most people recognize community health centers, which also fall under the overall category of a federally qualified health center.

How Are the Two Types of Clinics Different From Each Other?

CHCs and FQHCs may differ based on local demographics or the type of clinic, such as a migrant health center, or a community health center, but for the most part, the two are the same as CHCs are an FQHC. There are centers, however, that are called “look-alikes”, which provide the same types of services and are eligible for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, but they are not eligible for receiving federal grants. Overall, the mission of a CHC and FQHC are the same. 

Which Type of Clinic Is Right for You and Your Family’s Needs?

A CHC or FQHC is beneficial for patients who meet the income requirements to receive primary care services. The guidelines for receiving services are based on income, and considering the demographics of a community or county, certain clinics will be available to provide care for patients and families who seek quality healthcare. For instance, rural areas may have centers that focus on services that differ from the inner city, so researching your community will give you a foundation of knowledge to make the right decision about healthcare for you and your family. 

How Can You Find Out More About CHCs and FQHCs?

The best way to find out about CHCs or FQHCs is to research the centers located in your community. Locate a center by searching in your state and city, and visit the website for each center. You will find out about services, hours, providers, and the mission of the center. Your search will give you the information you are seeking to make an educated decision about the care you receive for you and your family. 

How Coronis Health Supports CHCs and FQHCs

Coronis Health offers medical billing and other services to help CHCs and FQHCs function more efficiently. With scalable solutions, our team of experts is ready to assist these facilities by easing their administrative burden and free staff to care for patients. Contact us today to learn more about our services.

from
https://www.coronishealth.com/blog/what-is-the-difference-between-a-chc-and-fqhc/

How Upgrading From An Amateur Biller Can Improve Behavioral Health Collections

Traditional third-party billing is dead. It’s the data-driven era. 

The stakes are high for inpatient and outpatient treatment facilities as the very nature of treatment undergoes some degree of change. As personal and professional lives shift under Covid-19, many facilities are reporting three- and four-fold increases in admissions. 

Working side-by-side with our clients during this pandemic, Coronis Health has maintained unprecedented levels of billing and collections to THE LAST PENNY.

We’re in it — to win it — together.

We go to battle every day. The tussle that has always existed between insurance carriers and treatment facilities have now become a battle royal: Insurance companies, of course, want to minimize payouts, while clinicians strive to deliver better care and improve outcomes. Coronis Health always wins.

We’re on your side. And we will win.

We’re aggressive, smart, armed with data and we never, ever relent. We negotiate from a position of strength. We aggressively and expertly negotiate recoupment requests. Our goal is to dismiss the carrier’s attempts to claw back funds or significantly reduce them in many cases.

Facilities rely on Coronis Health to help them strategize with the insurance carrier to create workable, effective action plans aimed at removing any and all penalties that result in lost revenue as a result of “over-treating.” Industry expertise makes the difference. And that means more dollars for our partners. Our staff of seasoned professionals is ready to assist you.

Put Coronis Health To the Test: See How We Collected on A
$50K+ Claim

It’s been said that “Energy and persistence conquer all things.” In this case, it’s so true. 

I was not shocked that, after two full years, we were able to collect for our client. It’s our mission statement and our culture. In this case, a client simply was not getting paid on legitimate claims. Over $50,000 hung in the balance. Repeated communication simply was — well, ignored.  

We won’t be ignored. We brought in our attorneys to write demand letters, made calls at least twice weekly — for two full years! While others would have given up and dropped this claim into their cold case files, we simply wouldn’t stop. 

To be honest, we never imagined that the claim would stand unpaid for two years, but as with all claims, we’re in every battle for the long haul and for every penny owed, no matter how long it takes to collect. While we strive to settle all claims quickly, if it takes two days, two weeks, or two years — we’ll get your money. We’ll blast through the confusing changes and labyrinth of regulations. We don’t take “no,” “low” or “slow” for an answer.

So after two years, our client received their hard-earned payment. We closed the book on a claim that was first entered in 2018, one of the longest collections we’ve ever been involved with.

Our determination to bill and collect with accuracy and integrity, along with our technology and experienced staff has made the difference for our clients. Collecting every penny and doing it quickly and efficiently.

Why Coronis Health?

We are insurance industry insiders armed with data and in your corner. The tussle that has always existed between insurance carriers and treatment facilities has now become a battle royal. 

Insurance companies, of course, want to minimize payouts, while clinicians strive to deliver better care and improve outcomes.

We’re Aggressive. That’s what it takes. We negotiate from a position of strength. We aggressively and expertly negotiate recoupment requests. Our goal is to dismiss the carrier’s attempts to claw back funds or significantly reduce them.

We Collaborate with facilities to help them strategize with the insurance carrier to create workable, effective action plans aimed at removing any and all penalties that result in lost revenue as a result of “over-treating.” 

We’re Experts. Industry expertise makes a difference. And that means more dollars for our clients. Our staff of seasoned professionals is ready to assist you.

VOB MANAGERS

Available daily to advise your intake team on policies with vast knowledge and experience gained from years in the industry.

UR TEAM

Providing daily insight and training to insure authorizations for the highest levels and most days.

CODING MANAGER

Weekly audits and directions ensure clean code submissions.

BILLING MANAGERS

Experience handling even the little nuances, whether it is billing admit to discharge or HCPC vs Rev codes.

Coronis Health’s FINANCIAL ANALYSTS

Running your business with comprehensive reporting and deep data. We’ll provide analysis and individualized recommendations.

And of course, reporting. The lifeblood.

Good, solid reports that can assist managers in making better decisions. But it all starts with the data — along with the right tools to gather, analyze and utilize it. Do you have the expertise and technology required to run a billing and collections unit? For many managers, the answer is “no.”

That’s where we come in. Coronis Health can not only improve collection rates (we guarantee it!), but we can help you navigate the convulsive waters of the current billing environment. Good reporting means better decisions.

Schedule a free financial health assessment to find out how Coronis Health can find missing revenue and improve collections for your facility.

from
https://www.coronishealth.com/blog/how-upgrading-from-an-amateur-biller-can-improve-behavioral-health-collections/

How Outsourcing Your Addiction Treatment Center Medical Billing Can Reduce Denial Rates

Sorting through behavioral health reimbursement regulations can be a time-consuming and costly process. It’s common for small facilities like addiction treatment centers to have limited administrative assistance for billing and collections—some providers even manage billing themselves. This arrangement can be overwhelming and lead to breaks in the revenue cycles and lost income. 

Addiction treatment facilities can outsource their behavioral health billing to reduce denial rates and improve cash flow—and Coronis Health can help.

Coronis Health is a healthcare revenue cycle management company that offers specialized solutions using industry-leading technology. When it comes to unique billing for mental health, substance abuse, and eating disorders, we have specially designed services that can help your facility maximize revenue so you can focus on patient care.

What Are the Most Common Causes of Increased Denial Rates?

Behavioral health billing is an extremely complex process that involves numerous variables, making it difficult to standardize your billing guidelines. Not securing authorization for treatment or using the wrong modifier can lead to reimbursement denials.

Insurance plans and benefits can be very specific and widely vary between patients, so it is critical to conduct a verification of benefits (VOB) before any services are received. A VOB ensures that a service or treatment the patient is seeking is covered and determines the amount their insurance will pay for the services. 

Though it can be a tedious process, it is better that patients know what they have to cover personally to make timely payments. It is best to collect as much information as you can and make copies of insurance cards to ensure you know how to receive payment for services or treatment provided.

When billing for behavioral health, there are common procedural technology (CPT) codes that insurance providers require to determine reimbursements to facilities. Addiction treatment centers need to understand the types of services they offer and the related CPT codes. Using the incorrect codes can lead to claim denials and lost revenue for your operations.

Filing a claim is more than populating the correct patient demographic information and identifying the valid CPT codes—you also have to consider the place of service, type of bill, rendering provider details and whether to file interim claims or admit to discharge. Behavioral health claims should be submitted in the proper billing format, which varies by insurance company. You can find out the company’s preferred billing format and the timeline allowed by the plan during the VOB. Double-checking your information and billing format can lead to fewer denials and more collections for your facility.

What are the Advantages of Outsourcing Mental Health Billing Services?

Providing a specialized service calls for a specialized billing solution. With a time-consuming and complex process, an expert service that knows the ins and outs of mental health medical billing can be an invaluable addition. Outsourcing your mental and behavioral health billing services can:

Reduce administrative time: The time and cost to hire, train, and keep up with changing policies can create a significant burden for mental health providers. Transferring the responsibility frees up staff to handle in-house tasks for providers and patients.

Increase reimbursements and decrease denials: A qualified vendor can submit claims quickly and efficiently to ensure a higher reimbursement from payers without mistakes, denials, or delayed payments.

Expert billing services can also:

• Create consistency
• Reduce errors
• Improve revenue cycle
• Keep patient data secure
• Handle audit and compliance

Addiction Treatment Medical Billing; How to Stay on Top of Regulatory Changes

Outsourcing behavioral health billing can relieve the burden on providers and administrators, particularly when it comes to decreasing denials and receiving collections. Medical billing vendors can also help facilities understand government regulations and compliance. Billing professionals stay up to date on the latest rules, regulations, and coding requirements so you can focus on patient care. The behavioral health billing landscape is an ever-changing scene that consumes time and resources.

Coronis Health provides medical billing with a personalized touch so that our experts know what regulatory changes are coming, when they will be implemented, and how to prepare your facility.

Medical Billing Audits; What to Know

A medical billing audit examines documents to ensure accuracy, speaks to the reliability of information from your facility, and reviews health records and medical billing data submitted by the payers. Audits seek out and monitor inaccurate, incomplete, or inappropriate billing methods or documentation. Outsourcing billing to a professional vendor like Coronis Health can keep your data organized and accurate. While audits are compliance measures, they can also help ensure that billing practices are beneficial to your facility and help make processes more efficient.

Coronis Health safeguards data and provides professionals who execute billing with perfection from filling out forms and submissions to follow-up. Our team can help your facility cultivate financial success.

Questions about Outsourcing Your Addiction Treatment Center Medical Billing? Contact Coronis Health Today!

from
https://www.coronishealth.com/blog/how-outsourcing-your-addiction-treatment-center-medical-billing-can-reduce-denial-rates/