Medical Billing Woes? Here're Five Ways to Ease the Pain of Billing Workers' Compensation

Posted: Sep 20, 2011 |Comments: 0 |

Not having relevant patient information before attending to the patient? Well your medical billing process could invite trouble.

Processing workers' compensation claim may give you a harrowing time. Here are some guidelines to stay clear of them all.

Issue: One of the key points of uncertainty is that, while workers' compensation is authorized with federal guidance, it's a state-run program. This is to say that each state comes with its own rules, fee schedule, and process. What's more, add in the fact that federal and railroad employees have their own workers' compensation (WC) programs and you might have a difficult time.

Here are five expert tips to help your practice toward clean WC claims:

Get all relevant claim info before the patient steps in:

Start your work on a WC claim even before the patient arrives at your office. When a patient calls to fix his first appointment for an injury that could have been on the job, say for instance sprained back, the first thing your staff members should ask is whether this injury was work related.


If so, you should gather as much relevant information as possible over the phone.

  • Train eyes on the state the claim originated from Oftentimes a patient will sustain an injury in one state, however seek treatment in another. In instances such as these, you should follow the rules for the state in which the injury took place. Train eyes on where the claim was first filed. That state will have jurisdiction over the claim.

  • Do not depend just on the WC Fee Schedule You do not require the WC carrier's fee schedule to bill claims. However you may want to since you may actually boost your revenue by following their fee schedule.

  • Be careful treating and billing other problems While your physician can technically and legally tend to a patient for a worker's comp visit and other problems not related on the same day, you may find it easier in the long run to keep the visits separate. Remember that you will have to send claims to two different payers if the physician tends to the WC condition and an unrelated problem in the same visit – One claim will go to the WC carrier and the other to the patient's normal insurance.

  • Focus on special DME Regulations If you provide DME, you may speed through a few extra hoops to ensure you get paid for those services as well as the office visit and treatment services or procedures.

Some carriers need prior authorization for DME. As such see to it that out have these pre-authorization before dispensing. Having the patient sign an ABN often turns out to be futile.

For more online medical coding billing information, sign up for a good Medical Coding resource like SuperCoder.

Questions and Answers

Ask
200 Characters left
Rate this Article
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 0 vote(s)
    Feedback
    Print
    Re-Publish
    Source:  http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/medical-billing-woes-herere-five-ways-to-ease-the-pain-of-billing-workers-compensation-5233678.html

    Article Tags:

    medical billing

    ,

    online medical coding billing

    With proliferation of colleges offering online medical billing training, it has become quite easy for everyone interested in a career in this field to acquire necessary skills and academic papers.

    By: Mansi Guptal Education> Online Educationl Jul 10, 2009

    Keep in mind these essential things when looking for on line schools offering medical billing and coding course and you will never go wrong. It is highly recommended to search for schools that offer effective and well-laid out programs. This ensures that the course is directed towards your success.

    By: Eric Geraldol Education> Online Educationl Jul 31, 2011

    Medical Coding and Billing to medical practices in the US - Medical coding and billing is all about helping medical practices handle their administrative tasks efficiently.

    By: Bob Krusel Business> Outsourcingl Aug 12, 2010

    Medical coding is very much helpful tool to manage and maintain medial practice. When medical coding is available online, it is win-win situation for any medical practitioner.

    By: Ray Charlesl Businessl Aug 22, 2009

    There are so many medical billing training and coding programs are available for the scholars having interest in the related fields. These medicinal certification programs are premeditated to assist scholars fill positions for medicinal billers professionals or set business at home. Highly capable medicinal billers and invoice specialists are in high requirement.

    By: Mahajanl Education> Online Educationl Jul 09, 2011
    Renata McGee

    Accredited online schools and colleges are available to allow students to pursue a career in medical billing from the comfort of their own home. With numerous educational programs available students can receive the necessary training to enter the workforce with the knowledge and skills to succeed in this field.

    By: Renata McGeel Education> Online Educationl Apr 15, 2011

    Plenty of lifters train hard, but if you really want to know how to build muscle – it's all in your diet! Lifting weights gives your body the stimulus to grow bigger and stronger, but it can't do so without the right building blocks.

    By: jon0o731hyl Healthl May 15, 2012

    Most physical fitness enthusiasts understand the need for exercise and nutrition, but almost everybody overlooks stress! Constant stress is not only mentally fatiguing, it robs you of the fat loss, muscle gain, and energy you work so hard for.

    By: jon0o731hyl Healthl May 15, 2012

    The secret to a successful, long-term recovery from drug addiction or alcoholism isn't really a secret at all. While some people have certain rituals they follow or memberships in certain groups or even the use of "non-addictive" substances in order to maintain their recovery, most of these are secondary tools that can enhance recovery or a person's perception thereof.

    By: rob7718caml Healthl May 14, 2012

    Alcohol has played an instrumental role in the development of religions for thousands of years. The fermentation of organic matter and subsequent consumption by people in an effort to achieve an altered state of consciousness is as intrinsic to human culture as the very need for religion itself.

    By: rob7718caml Healthl May 14, 2012

    Juicing has many health benefits and is an easy way to get your kids nutrients that they would not get otherwise. The tips that are provided below will help guide you toward fun and interesting ways to make delicious juice drinks that you and your family are sure to love.

    By: mat145jfbl2l Healthl May 14, 2012

    With about 25 CPT® codes and nine ICD-9 codes to define your surgeon's pressure-ulcer patient encounter, you could use a few clues to ensure you capture all the pay you deserve.

    By: James Smithl Healthl May 10, 2012

    Once your surgeon cuts through adhesions in an abdominal surgery, is there any possible way for you to ethically capture pay for the extra work?

    By: James Smithl Healthl May 10, 2012

    Spring is here, which simply means you're possibly seeing your share of patients with eyes irritated from allergies. What's the best possible ICD-9 code?

    By: James Smithl Healthl May 10, 2012

    A patient comes with numerous skin lesions, and the dermatologist treats them. However as a dermatology coder, you know coding these procedures not that easy. You are required to decide whether your dermatologist carried out a biopsy or destruction.

    By: James Smithl Healthl Apr 20, 2012

    In case you carry out medical billing for a surgeon or specialist, the fact that the physician is a specialist does not decide the level of complexity.

    By: James Smithl Healthl Apr 19, 2012

    Discuss this Article

    Author Box
    Articles Categories
    All Categories
    Quantcast