Electronic Medical billing - Best Practice

Written by Peter Connor Tuesday, 16 August 2011 00:00

The beauty of electronic billing is the one-step process. As with a paper-based system, a core set of data is required to ensure the insurer has sufficient information to settle the medical bill. While incomplete paper bills will reach the insurer, their settlement will be delayed until the insurer has contacted the consultant to obtain the missing information. With electronic bills all the data has to be entered into the system before the medical invoice will be accepted. The system will identify any missing or incorrect information prompting you to correct the medical bill before submitting it. With all the information present and correct, the bill is validated automatically by the online system and passed directly to the insurer for payment processing.

While the information required may vary slightly from insurer to insurer, any subtle different requirements are built into the Healthcode electronic medical billing system.

Whichever insurer you are billing, the key required data components are common. Here’s a quick run-down of the data you will always need to have to hand when preparing an electronic bill for a health insurer through the Healthcode system. Following this checklist will mean faster invoice processing and faster payment.

Patient Information

Name
Date of birth
Address
Insurance company
Insurance policy number (if available)

Treatment information

Treatment type (consultation, investigation, follow up)
Date of treatment
Location of treatment
If surgical, a description of procedure and/ or procedural code(s)
Anaesthetists must also give the name of the surgeon and the type of anaesthetic given

Next: We focus on getting the money in.