What Does A Medical Billing Center Do?
A medical billing center, or medical billing outsourcing agency, gathers patient information and billing detail from a physician and submits this detail to insurance carriers for payment. A billing center may also submit statements to patients for payments of their portion.
Return to Top
What Type of Software Do I Need?
You will need software designed and developed for the needs of a Medical Billing Business. You should avoid limiting yourself and your income by using low-end, cheap software developed as a "beginner" software for a physician's office.
Beginning your business with cheap software will become a nightmare down the road for you. You certainly do not want to be upgrading and learning new software and converting data during a period of growth in your business. The wise decision is to begin your business with software made for your business.
Synergy's Practice Manager® X3 Medical Billing Center Software is designed and developed for use in a Medical Billing Business setting.
Return to Top
What Type of Training Do I Need?
This will vary with your background and your experience. You will need training and support on the software you plan to use. You will need support on marketing to your prospects, submitting proposals to your prospects and putting together contracts for your prospects until you feel comfortable with doing this on your own.
Individuals enter into this business with strengths in certain areas and weaknesses in others. It is important that you understand your weaknesses and utilize our services in order to allow us to assist you and support you through them. We can also supplement your strengths as we have been in this business for many years and are up-to-date on specific trends.
You will need to realize the importance of continued education. Attending state carrier seminars and subscribing to publications that alert you to changes is something you should not ignore. You can also benefit greatly by joining some really good associations who assist you with continued education, resources, changes, etc.
We used to hold a three-day training seminar at our facility, but we have discontinued this. We simply feel that you cannot get the depth of training and education by traveling for a three day seminar that you can get by utilizing the educational resources we can provide in your home! Training Support is included at no charge!
Return to Top
Do I Need Support?
Support is highly recommended. Our support provides free software updates and revisions as well as many other discounts and incentives that will save you time and money.
Return to Top
Debunking the Bunk
Some Medical Billing Business Opportunity companies spend a pretty penny on developing propaganda, hype and fluff programs claiming that "you can't do without this"... or "if you have this, doctor's will be calling left and right." Be very critical of this propaganda!
One such hype program offered by another is called "Claims Loading." The idea is to utilize a "Claims Loading" program at your client’s office for the purpose of translating claims to your system. The major problem with this fluff is that doctors are hiring you so that they can avoid inputting data! If they can submit the data to you, they can easily submit the data to a clearinghouse and cut out the middleman... YOU!
If a company introduces a program to you that sounds just too good to be true, give one of our knowledgeable Billing Center Consultants a call to discuss what you heard. If you wish, we can put you in touch with a couple of our long-time established Billing Centers so they can explain why "fluff programs" are used simply to get you to purchase.
Return to Top
How The Scams Operate
If you have been researching various companies and software programs for awhile, it’s a pretty safe bet to say that you have run across some scam operations. You may have even been scammed yourself!
The unfortunate fact is that, in this industry, there are more scam medical billing business opportunity companies than legitimate ones!
If you haven't done so already, you should visit the Medical Billing ScamWatch Forum.
In the meantime, here are a few tell-tale signs that a company may be a scam:
- runs an advertisement in the help wanted section of small town newspapers:
- sells packages in the $300 - $700 range
- has an unsatisfactory Better Business Bureau report (always check BBB reports!)
- refuses to provide you with references who have purchased from them
- tells you they will provide you with clients
- portrays the medical billing business as a "Get Rich Quick" opportunity
Return to Top
How Do I Get Clients?
You learn your field and promote your services, just like any other business. If you decide to begin your business as a Synergy Billing Center, you begin your business with an advantage. Our skilled support staff will guide you through the necessary steps of marketing your business and will also support you through every step when dealing with a prospective client. Our proven marketing techniques have assisted many billing centers in getting their business off the ground, as well as guiding these businesses to the type of growth and success they had in mind.
Return to Top
How Much Money Can I Make?
This will depend on many things. Will you be providing billing and collection services only, or do you wish to include other services that physicians need? People's goals in this business vary. Some get into this business to supplement a primary income by providing services to a limited number of clients, and others grow their business continuously.
Return to Top
What Is A Clearinghouse?
A clearinghouse is an intermediary between your "ready to be processed" claims and insurance carriers. Using a clearinghouse allows you to perform one dial-up and submission for each of your clinics. The clearinghouse then distributes your claims to each individual carrier for you, and provides you with a submission report to reflect the status of your claims.
A clearinghouse can receive all of your claims electronically, and forward paper claims onto those carriers who are not set up to receive electronically.
As a billing center business, utilizing a clearinghouse is the best route to take, if not the only route to take. While you could try and submit directly to those carriers who will allow you to, the number of those carriers is not great. The following is a list of disadvantages to trying to submit direct:
- Time Involved: You will need to go through an entire gathering and submission process for each carrier you are submitting to. So now, instead of one gathering and submission process for each clinic, multiply that by the number of carriers you can submit direct to. Take into consideration how much you are paying an employee. Take into consideration how much time you are taking from yourself in performing the functions that create income, such as entering claims. When you look at it this way, it is no longer "free" and could easily cost you more than using a clearinghouse.
- Maintenance: Changes that occur on the receiving end will cause you to make changes to the submitting end. Are you a software programmer? How long will it take your software developer to supply you with an update to accommodate these changes? How much time will you be devoting to updating your system?
- Multiple Formats: You will need to become familiar with several Submission Report Formats, instead of relying on one simple format that you would receive from a clearinghouse. Also, you will need to dial up to each carrier to receive your submission reports.
Outsourcing your electronic claims submissions makes sense! How can you stand behind your belief that a doctor should outsource his billing to you, if you are not willing to see the advantages to using a clearinghouse in your business?
Return to Top
Should I join an association? Which one?
We firmly believe that once you become a Medical Billing Center Business Owner, you should get behind an organization that goes to bat for your business. You also need a good association source for industry information. You can find a lot of "personal opinions" on forums and all over the internet about this industry. There are many self-appointed medical billing business guru's who will gladly provide you with misinformation. Get behind a good association source who provides legitimate information.
Also, research your association choice carefully. There are entity's who have set up "associations" that appear to be highly legitimate, but after careful review you will find that the association is set up as a front for them to sell software and other industry related items. Check their website carefully to see if they are software resellers (usually Medisoft or Lytec is sold). Neither of these software programs are sufficient for Medical Billing Business use. These programs seem popular because of the amount of persons who are licensed to resell the programs.
Several Synergy Billing Centers are members of the Medical Association of Billers (MAB). Synergy has researched the MAB and we feel that this association is very legitimate and is constantly going to bat for medical billing business owners.
Return to Top
Why Do Synergy Billing Centers Have the Best Chance for Success?
Because the tools, education, training and support offered by Synergy are unmatched in this industry. We have been in business for over 24 years and have a proven track record in software development, training and supporting individuals in the building and running of successful medical billing center businesses.
Return to Top
For additional information on leveraging the power of Synergy Medical Information Systems to build your medical billing business, or to contact a Synergy representative directly, click here to contact us.
Success With Synergy | Why Choose Synergy | Medical Billing FAQ | Personalized Support
Information Request | Synergy Business Packages | Your Synergy Team | Success Stories
Conference & Events Schedule | Synergy News | Online Resources | Forum | Contact Us
Claims Portal | Synergy eShop | Legal Notice | Privacy Statement | Site Map | Home
Practice Manager® X3 | Synergy Healthcare Resources | Synergy Franchise Corp.
Copyright © Synergy Medical Information Systems
Synergy Medical Information Systems
1150 Eastport Drive • Suite C1 • Valparaiso, IN 46383
(800) 652-3500 • Fax: (219) 531-7540 |
