Education MTB Coaching

Outsourcing Your Chiropractic Billing

June 5, 2022

Outsourcing Your Chiropractic Billing

Why outsourcing your chiropractic billing services is a positive step for new or established chiropractors.

When a chiropractor has made the decision to open their own clinic it is rarely because they are excited about insurance billing, collections, or administrative tasks. Chiropractors went to school with the main focus on medical and chiropractic classes, you know, hands-on helping people. Their career goals rarely involve business management, collections, or insurance claims.

Fast forward to opening your own clinic. Surely you’ll be able to find great staff who can handle your billings, right? Between staffing shortages, ever-changing rules and policies, and rapidly changing technology it can be expensive and nerve-wracking. Suddenly your staff person needs additional education, you need to update your software, and by the way, the billing person is out on vacation for the next two weeks.

Whether you are an established chiropractic firm, or you are in the beginning stages of opening your own clinic, consider the ease and many benefits of outsourcing your billing.

Here are a few of the many reasons you should outsource your chiropractic billing:

  1. Save time.  Technology, insurance, and industry continue to rapidly change.  Save the time and cost of training, tracking, and managing a billing person/department by outsourcing to an experienced, specialized company.
  2. Reduce Stress. The number one distraction in a chiropractic office is collections. Outsourcing allows you to build a peer-to-peer business relationship with billing experts using specific key performance indicators (KPI’s) that allow you to focus on your patients instead.
  3. Reduce errors.  With the never-ending changes in medical billing regulations, it can be difficult to stay on top of current rules. Outsourcing means you don’t have to worry about costly billing errors and the time and stress to correct those errors.
  4. Stability.  No more training (if you can even find a potential employee), turn-over, or trying to find time for follow-up.  Outsourcing is a long-term resolution for all of these challenges.
  5. Improved Returns.  On average, because of the experience, knowledge, and stability, the right billing company often will collect more than you or your staff.
  6. Support.  Most billing companies have a vast experience in the industry that allows them to provide additional support to you as a practitioner and as a business owner.
  7. Results.  Bottom line, whether it’s because you are collecting more, less stressed, saving time, understanding your business better, tracking stats, and on and on – outsourcing to the right company will help get the results you need in your business.
  8. Cost-Effective.  Streamlining your procedures, removing your distractions, stabilizing your collections, and reducing office overhead all factor into the cost & value of your billing department.  In a true side-by-side comparison, not only does outsourcing not cost you more, many times it costs you less.

The choice to use outsourced chiropractic, as you can see, will drastically change how you and your staff spend your time, and in turn, allow you to focus on your patients and get you the money you deserve.

While taking the step to outsource your billing can feel overwhelming, Money Tree Billing are experts at what they do and can help you and/or your clinic make the transition relatively seamless.

Money Tree Billing’s goal is to free you from billing hassles so you can focus on what really matters, patient health, patient education, and practice growth. Contact one of our dedicated insurance billing experts today and start empowering your team, and saving time and money!

Ready to reduce your stress and increase your revenue? Visit Money Tree Billing today and set up your phone meeting to find out how we can help you. 

Outsourcing Your Chiropractic Billing

Why outsourcing your chiropractic billing services is a positive step for new or established chiropractors.

When a chiropractor has made the decision to open their own clinic it is rarely because they are excited about insurance billing, collections, or administrative tasks. Chiropractors went to school with the main focus on medical and chiropractic classes, you know, hands-on helping people. Their career goals rarely involve business management, collections, or insurance claims.

Fast forward to opening your own clinic. Surely you’ll be able to find great staff who can handle your billings, right? Between staffing shortages, ever-changing rules and policies, and rapidly changing technology it can be expensive and nerve-wracking. Suddenly your staff person needs additional education, you need to update your software, and by the way, the billing person is out on vacation for the next two weeks.

Whether you are an established chiropractic firm, or you are in the beginning stages of opening your own clinic, consider the ease and many benefits of outsourcing your billing.

Here are a few of the many reasons you should outsource your chiropractic billing:

  1. Save time.  Technology, insurance, and industry continue to rapidly change.  Save the time and cost of training, tracking, and managing a billing person/department by outsourcing to an experienced, specialized company.
  2. Reduce Stress. The number one distraction in a chiropractic office is collections.  Outsourcing allows you to build a peer-to-peer business relationship with billing experts using specific key performance indicators (KPI’s) that allow you to focus on your patients instead.
  3. Reduce errors.  With the never-ending changes in medical billing regulations, it can be difficult to stay on top of current rules. Outsourcing means you don’t have to worry about costly billing errors and the time and stress to correct those errors.
  4. Stability.  No more training (if you can even find a potential employee), turn-over, or trying to find time for follow-up.  Outsourcing is a long-term resolution for all of these challenges.
  5. Improved Returns.  On average, because of the experience, knowledge, and stability, the right billing company often will collect more than you or your staff.
  6. Support.  Most billing companies have a vast experience in the industry that allows them to provide additional support to you as a practitioner and as a business owner.
  7. Results.  Bottom line, whether it’s because you are collecting more, less stressed, saving time, understanding your business better, tracking stats, and on and on – outsourcing to the right company will help get the results you need in your business.
  8. Cost Effective.  Streamlining your procedures, removing your distractions, stabilizing your collections, and reducing office overhead all factor into the cost & value of your billing department.  In a true side-by-side comparison, not only does outsourcing not cost you more, many times it costs you less.

The choice to use outsourced chiropractic, as you can see, will drastically change how you and your staff spend your time, and in turn, allow you to focus on your patients and get you the money you deserve. While taking the step to outsource your billing can feel overwhelming, Money Tree Billing are experts at what they do and can help you and/or your clinic make the transition relatively seamless.

Money Tree Billing’s goal is to free you from billing hassles so you can focus on what really matters, patient health, patient education, and practice growth. Contact one of our dedicated insurance billing experts and start empowering your team and saving time and money!

Ready to reduce your stress and increase your revenue? Visit Money Tree Billing today and set up your phone meeting to find out how we can help you. 

Breaking News

No Surprises Act (update)

December 20, 2021

As promised, we are working to keep you in the loop on the No Surprises Act.  We’ve attended a few webinars and read what CMS has provided to date.  The end result?  CMS seems to have not yet finalized the details of this Act, which leaves the available information rather confusing and disorganized at this point.  (see CMS details here)

What we do know.  You will need to eventually do the following.  CMS states as of January 1, 2022, however the expected process is still unclear.  Our recommendation is to implement following January 1st:

Provide a Good Faith Estimate to:  (Required as of 1/1/2022)

  • Uninsured patients
  • Patients who are insured but elect not to use their coverage
  • Patients who are insured but do not have coverage for a certain item or service
  • Out-of-Network patients who choose to use their insurance

Prepare for additional information once there is more clarification from CMS on this topic.  In the meantime, you can start to implement the following procedures in your office that will serve to help you once we do have more information:

  • Know which insurance companies you are In-Network with and which you are Out-of-Network with
  • Keep a clear list of those companies available at the front desk, easily available to reference for all team members.                                                                                  
  • Verify benefits

Start a notification process during New Patient Scheduling for a verbal good faith estimate (in addition to your written version):

  • This is still a grey area.  Once we have additional clarification and requirements on this process we will update you.
  • You need to determine if a patient has insurance they intend to use at your clinic AND you are required to inform them of your network status with their insurance.
    • Most of you are already doing this step:  “Thank you Mrs. Jones for calling our clinic.  Do you have insurance you would like to use toward your care?  We are in/out-of-network for your insurance.  Please be sure to bring your card to your appointment… and so on.”

Again, many of the details of the No Surprise Act are still unclear.  As we know more, we will continue to share more.

Breaking News

Surprise?

November 22, 2021

Are new government regulations really ever a surprise?  To help welcome in the New Year, the federal government is introducing the “No Surprises Act”.  The No Surprises Act is a law establishing federal standards to eliminate surprise bills for insured individuals, self-insured, small groups, and large group markets.  Basically the law focuses on financial protection for patient’s receiving out-of-network services, a dispute resolution process for providers and payers in order to settle payment disputes, and a requirement for provider transparency – meaning providers will have new standards requiring them to “clearly communicate the cost of care” to all patients, insured and uninsured.

For providers this will not only mean written estimates, but more accurate estimates.  These estimates have historically been used to keep your patient accountable for payment; they will now also be used to keep providers accountable to estimating in “good faith”.  The No Surprises Act will require you to up your game.  You will want to implement a top-notch verification process, communication process, and collection policy.

MTB will be learning more about the specifics of the No Surprises Act in the weeks to come and if/how it affects you. We will continue to share updates and additional information with you as we learn more.

MTB Coaching

Our Passion is YOU!

October 29, 2021

Last month we took the “leap” of sharing Eating the Frog.  The biggest jobs we need to do first. It’s not always easy, but when we do, the feeling of accomplishment is gratifying.

“If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.”

-Mark Twain

In another newsletter we shared the importance of Time Management. We provided 5 steps to help you manage your time.

  • STEP 1 – OWN IT
  • STEP 2 – DEFINE IT
  • STEP 3 – INK IT
  • STEP 4 – TEST IT
  • STEP 5 – ADJUST & REPEAT

 

In yet another newsletter we shared the importance of Trust in the workplace and with our families. Trust is the base in relationships and our business.

 

Have you noticed a theme emerging?

Here at MTB, our passion is YOU. Our goal is to help YOU be successful. Creating MTB Coaching was a natural step for us to provide chiropractors an avenue to help you take your business where you want to go. Because your practice is your business.

Have you ever experienced a business coach?  Maybe yes, maybe no. But you haven’t experienced anything like MTB Coaching.

We would like you to reach out today for a complimentary 60-minute call to find out how MTB Coaching is able to help you. Click Here to set up your call.

 

 

 

Industry News

This Appeals Tool will Streamline Your Day

October 21, 2021

Availity and BlueCross BlueShield of Minnesota (BCBSMN) have developed a new streamlined process for submitting appeals to BCBSMN on the Availity Provider Portal. Using Availity’s multi-payer Appeals application, providers in your region can:

  • Submit your appeal and dispute requests online for BCBSMN finalized claims.
  • Check the status of your requests submitted on Availity.
  • Upload supporting documentation for these online requests.
  • View high-level determination for finalized requests that BCBSMN has processed.

Check with your management to see if this new service applies to you. We look forward to working with you.
LOG IN AND ACCESS APPEALS

Training is key
You are invited to participate in a live webinar to learn how to use this innovative new feature. Enroll today and we’ll show you how to simplify and save time managing appeals. You’ll also be able to ask the trainers questions.

  1. Click “Log in and enroll” below, to be directed to the Availity Learning Center (ALC) Sessions page.
  2. On the Sessions page, scroll through Your Calendar to find and enroll in the “Availity Portal – BlueCross BlueShield of Minnesota Appeals” session you want to attend.

A recording of the webinar will be available approximately one week after the final live webinar.

Additional information will be available in a BCBSMN Quick Point on October 13th.
LOG IN AND ENROLL

Breaking News

Alert! Medicare: ABN Updates

October 14, 2021

Effective Thursday, Oct 14, 2021, there will be some changes to the purpose of the Advanced Beneficiary Notice (ABN) form.  However, the form itself is not changing.

The only major change for chiropractors is beginning October 14, 2021, an ABN no longer expires after 1 year.  An ABN is good for a repetitive service as long as there are NO CHANGES.  Therefore, a yearly signed ABN is no longer needed, unless something has been modified or is different. Nevertheless, you may continue to have a new ABN signed yearly if you so choose.

A new signed ABN is required for the following:

  • An item changes
  • Maintenance care resumes after a period of active care (ie: if a patient is injured and treatment is covered by Medicare and they are returning to maintenance care)
  • If the service changes. The most likely service change would be a difference in the cost of the service being billed to the patient.

Medicare ABN Form Expiration June 2023

While that is the only major change for chiropractors, WPS did re-emphasize a number of other factors that are clearly laid out in the rules:

  • DO NOT use an ABN for a Medicare Advantage patient
  • When you have an ABN signed, you must provide a copy for the patient (may be carbon or photocopy)
    • If the patient requests a paper copy, you must provide a copy upon request
    • If the patient requests an email, you must track the email to confirm it was received
    • If the patient leaves their ABN copy behind, you must note that in their records, and that you have a copy
  • You may not change the font or size of the print on the ABN form.  You may fill in the blanks but only with the same size and font.
  • Handwritten ABNs must be legible or they will be denied
  • A form can be customized but do not change the verbiage, otherwise it is invalid
  • Too many, or unapproved changes make the form invalid
  • The entire form must be completed in the same language (English or Spanish)
  • The name of your business is listed in box (A) on the ABN.  In box (C), enter your internal number such as the patient account number.  DO NOT place the patient’s social security number on the form.  Box (C) can be left blank.
  • In box (D), remove the “D.” and insert a description of the service that the patient will understand such as “Chiropractic Manipulation” or “Adjustment”.  It is also recommended that you list the frequency of visits and/or how long you expect to see them for this issue.
  • Box (E) should be an explanation of why the service is not covered in a way the patient will understand

Reminders:

  • in Box (G),  you cannot tell the patient which option to select, you can only provide information on the three (3) options
  • A new ABN is NOT needed if the patient changes their mind and wants to switch from Option #2 to Option # 1
  • For Dual eligible patients (patients that have Medicare as primary and Medicaid as secondary),  you must draw a line through the following section when you are using an ABN for maintenance care:
    • I understand that if Medicare doesn’t pay I am responsible for payment, but I can appeal to Medicare by following the instructions on the MSN.
      • You must draw a line through it but DO NOT remove it from the form.
  • The person delivering the ABN must be able to explain all parts of it and all questions must be answered.  Patients can be referred to 1-800-Medicare (800-633-4227) if they have additional questions or need more information.
  • If a representative signs for the patient, list the relationship of the representative to the patient
  • The ABN can still be used for non-covered services such as exams, x-rays and therapies, however, it must be a separate form from the one you are using to inform a patient of maintenance care adjustment issue
    • I still suggest using a separate form you make up in your office when dealing with non-covered services. It helps to avoid having to address a number of rules that come into play when using an ABN for non-covered services.
  • Timeframe to refund overpayments:
    • 15 days if a refund is due to the patient
    • 30 days if a refund is due to Medicare

Contents compliments of Dr. Brad Stauffer, Nebraska Medicare CAC Representative 

Breaking News

Code Updates You Should Know!

September 27, 2021

We have some updated codes we thought were important for you to know.  The most significant coding update for most chiropractic and physical therapy clinics are:

Add:  G44.86– Cervicogenic Headache
Note:  When using the G44.86, you should also include an associated cervical spine condition, if known.

Add:  M54.50– Low back pain, unspecified

Add:  M54.51– Vertebrogenic low back pain

Add:  M54.59– Other low back pain

DO NOT USE: M54.5- Low back pain
Note: M54.50, M54.51 or M54.59 is your replacement code.  You will most commonly use M54.59 when replacing the M54.5.

As we scanned through the list of new/deleted/updated codes we wanted to limit the number of codes to avoid overwhelming our clients, so we went through and created a list of the coding updates we felt were most significant.  Please take a moment and look them over and save them for future reference.

If you are wondering about any other codes, please reach out to us and we would be happy to help you.

Please note, the new codes are not effective until October 1st, 2021.  All services prior to October 1st, must still bill with the old codes.

Money Tree Billing Clients: If you are unsure of how to add the codes to our software and/or how to only start using the new codes after October 1st, please connect with your Money Tree Billing Client Contact to help you through the process.

Education

EAT the FROG

September 22, 2021

“If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.”

 -Mark Twain

 

Today’s workplace isn’t set up to support distraction-free deep/hard work. We’re distracted by so many emails, meetings, staff, patients, and family that we don’t have the time or space to focus on our most significant tasks.

Eat The Frog requires us to push back against all those distractions — both external (others interrupting us) and internal (us interrupting ourselves) — and prioritize the actions that are most significant and will bring us closer to our goals.  Let’s review why this concept is so effective!

YOU SET THE AGENDA

Eat The Frog asks you to put your agenda first before any other requests come in to derail your day.

YOU SET UP FOR A WIN

Eat The Frog forces you to focus on less, even when you know you can do more. Any day that you eat your frog is a good day. We feel good when we follow through on the things we intended to do, which in turn makes it easier to continue doing them. When you experience a win first thing in the morning, you’re more likely to build momentum and good vibes to carry you through the rest of your workday.

YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR BEST WORK HOURS

We all know intuitively that not all work hours are created equal. The first hour of the morning when your energy and willpower are high is WAY more productive than the hour after lunch when all you want to do is curl up and take a nap. Eat the Frog ensures that you’re using your best hours to do your most mentally taxing work and leaves less significant tasks for times when you’ve already exhausted your brain power for the day.

YOU BENEFIT FROM A SIMPLE METHOD

Eat The Frog is a simple method anyone can fall back on at any time with very little time or mental resources required. And it’s almost universally applicable.  No matter your job, goals, or circumstances, we all must contend with our limited time and energy.

NOW GET STARTED!

  1. Choose your frog
  2. Complete it in 1-3 hours
  3. Continue the concept daily
  4. If necessary, break it down into 4 frogs to accomplish ¼ each day

***Watch our video for a fun visual on Eat the Frog!***

Breaking News

Webinar CE Opportunities

September 10, 2021
Claims Processing: The Cycle of a Claim {1 CE}
Who said billing is as easy as pressing a button? Whoever it was, certainly did not bill insurance claims for a living. “Pressing the button” is the first-step in the cycle of claims processing. This presentation will walk you through the cycle of an insurance claim to ensure successful coding & billing the first-time. You will learn common mistakes and how to avoid them, the importance of your electronic claims data, and how to better understand the behind the scenes steps of your claims processing.
CLICK HERE to register!
Claims Processing: Understand your EOB’s {1 CE}
Reading an EOB (Explanation of Benefits), via electronic remit or paper EOB, can sometimes feel like interpreting a foreign language. Let’s be honest, the insurance company does not care if you get paid – ensuring claims payment is your responsibility. It’s imperative that you understand how to read your EOB’s in order to determine if your claims are processing correctly, you are being paid correctly for the CPT codes you billed, and how to follow up in the case of a denial. You will learn how read and understand an EOB, common processing errors, common denials and how to effectively follow-up.
CLICK HERE to register!
Breaking News

Procrastinate on Purpose

August 30, 2021

What if everything you know about time management is wrong?  Author and Speaker Rory Vaden talks in depth about the concept of procrastinating on purpose.  Procrastinating on purpose is based on a shift in thinking.  It’s learning to manage your time based on what will give you the best results in the long-term.

Most of us have been taught to prioritize our time based on block scheduling and handling things that are “important” today first.  Time management is supposed to be a black and white process, however there is an emotional side to time management as well.  A lot of how we end up managing our time is based on what fuels us, makes us feel important, makes us feel guilty, or accomplished, and so on.

Rory introduces the concept of multiplying your time by categorizing what needs to be done:

  1. Importance. How much does it matter?
  2. Urgency. How soon does it matter?
  3. Significance. How long does it matter?

Most of us function day-to-day prioritizing our to-dos based on importance and/or urgency.  Prioritizing is limiting because it does not create more time, it only puts one thing in front of another.  Few of us determine our to-dos based on significance.  Significance is about multiplying your time by giving yourself emotional permission to spend time on things today that will multiply your time tomorrow.

Let me give you a simple, but real example that is relatable:  I have needed to change our office address with both the post office and individual businesses (i.e.:  electric, phone, etc.).  We still have our physical address, however I now work from a home office.  This has been an item on my to-do list for a while now but is something I’ve prioritized as of low importance.  Instead, each week I make a quick trip to the office to grab any mail.  Prioritizing based on significance is about multiplying my time by doing what gives me the best long-term results now.  Meaning, if I were to take 2-3 hours this week and knock out the address change/updates, I would save myself 1-hour of drive time every week going forward.  The address change, though not necessarily important, opens 1 hour of time every week which means after 3 weeks I will break even and then will have multiplied the time in my schedule. This process is Procrastinating on Purpose:  creating more time in the future by deliberately choosing to give up something today.  Any guesses on an item that has moved to the top of my list this week?

Imagine if you apply this to your business?  How many times do you hear yourself or someone on your team say, “it’s faster for me to do it myself”?  In terms of importance, you/they are probably right.  When you think in terms of significance, you/they are most likely wrong.  A task at 5-minutes per workday costs you 1300 minutes over the course of a year.  Statistically, it takes 30x the amount of time to train on a task.  That means if you spend 150 minutes training on a 5-minute task, after 30-days, you will essentially multiply time in your schedule by no longer having to do that item. Multiply that by 4-5 different tasks and you’ll start to wonder why you weren’t thinking this way sooner.  It’s always faster to do it yourself when considering importance AND it’s always faster to create a process and train someone else to do a task for you when considering significance.

The next level of results requires the next level of thinking.  If you learn nothing more about this concept past Important vs. Urgent vs. Significant you will be on the right track.  There’s a big difference in waiting to do something we know we should be doing vs. intentionally deciding that now is not the right time for something to be done by choosing significance.

If you’d like to learn more, visit Rory Vaden’s TEDx Talk here, or listen to his full presentation on Procrastinating on Purpose here.

MTB Coaching

Reaching and Keeping Millennials

July 16, 2021

Last month we covered the importance of working “on” your business, not “in”. There are temporary distractions that happen every day that keep us from obtaining our goals, dreams, and plans. This goes for our personal as well as our professional life.

One distraction is trying to find and hire additional staff. Not just a body to fill a seat, but the right person.

We discussed the type of person [D-I-S-C] you want to have on your team in the position you need to fill. We shared some important questions you need to ask yourself.

Did you know by 2025, 75% of the workforce will be Millennials?  That is a huge percentage. We can’t ignore this or them. You will be interviewing them if you haven’t started already.

This month we cover how to reach and more importantly keep Millennials to allow you to stay focused “on” your business.

Action Coach MN recently offered a webinar sharing this visual on crafting your company vision.

This is a great visual. What is your Vision, Mission, and Culture? Do you feel you have them clearly defined? Are you providing a 3D visual?

It’s a good idea in the interview process to share and define your vision and mission. What are your objectives? Give them a 3D visual during your interview process so they can buy in immediately.

Millennials need to feel a connection, have a purpose. You should provide a clear company vision they are able to get on board with. Help them support your cause.

Including your vision, mission, and culture will provide your interviewees the ability to jump on board and believe in you; thus, creating a strong team, solid presence, and a common goal.

Your business is run by and represented by your team.  If you really think about the impact of that statement, you will know that choosing the right people is a game-changer.

Ensuring your new hires and current team buy into your vision, mission and culture will create a unified, comfortable, happy working environment; an environment that welcomes your patients, allows them to be comfortable, to enjoy coming to your office and to refer others.

Remember – Your people run the business. YOU own the business.

Breaking News

Processing Issue with Fulcrum

June 23, 2021

In January 2021, Fulcrum announced their partnership with Preferred One, which meant all in-network chiropractic services would bill thru Fulcrum (previously thru Magellan).  This week, they notified providers of a processing issue.  They have been mistakenly processing Non-Preferred One Aetna policies that should not bill to them.

At this time Fulcrum is beginning the process of recouping prior incorrect payment.  To see which plans this effects and what action is needed, see below.

Money Tree Billing clients:  We are aware of this situation and will be running reports in your system to actively try and identify any claims at your office that may have been affected by this issue.  We are handling this for you.  If you have any questions, please reach out to your Client Contact person directly.  Thank you.

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