4 Home Health Billing Basics Every Agency Owner Should Know

Medical billing can be intimidating to those who are just beginning their careers in home health. The most important thing is to make sure you have all of the information you need to carry out the billing process and that claims are processed adequately per ‘payer’ or insurance provider.  In this article, we will delve into a little more detail on home health billing basics to help you understand exactly how the standard billing process works.

The Home Health Billing Process

Here are the basics that every home health owner should be familiar with when it comes to the medical billing portion of their revenue cycle management process:

1. Know The Payer

Insurance companies, such as Medicare and Medicaid, are also referred to as ‘payers’ as they are the ones reimbursing you for the services that you provide. Each payer will require a specific claim type and revenue code. If you are dealing with a new payer you will need to reach out to them for any specifics they require when it comes to billing claims. Sometimes, payers may not provide you with the answers you need and this may lead to a rejected claim.
*Here is some advice on handling rejected claims in home health.

2. Be Diligent

The individual who is in charge of your agency’s medical billing has a lot of responsibility. It is important to submit the claims adequately and to track progress to ensure that the claim was processed or to follow up if there was an error. A billing management software may make it seem easy enough to submit the claim, but you will need to confirm that everything worked properly and that you are fully paid for your services. Many payers give the option of claim follow up on their website, which can make it easier or more difficult. If their website is hard to navigate or poorly constructed you are better off just calling them directly.

3. Submit Claims Daily

It is very important that you stay on top of your claims or they are more likely to cause you trouble. The insurance companies are not going to pay you if you don’t require them to. Bill out daily and ensure that your claims are submitted as correctly as possible the first time around.

4. Consider Outsourcing Your Billing

Medical billing is a demanding and challenging task for a lot of home health agencies because it is difficult to find the time to give it the full attention it requires. Many agency owners or office managers make the choice to outsource their medical billing to ensure that the process is carried out smoothly and correctly. The services provided to you would allow you to:

  • Have more time to focus on patient care
  • Reduce billing errors
  • Save money
  • Increase cash flow
  • Improve patient satisfaction
  • Ensure billing compliance

In Conclusion

Billing for home health can get complicated, quickly. You need to make sure you have all of the accurate information to bill the payer and the time to ensure your claims are being processed adequately.

Most medical claim rejections in home health happen because of errors in the submission process. This is oftentimes because there is simply not enough bandwidth and expertise in-house to keep up with the constantly changing landscape in home health.

A medical billing service can make a big difference in collecting these types of claims. That’s what we specialize in at Precision Medical Billing and we’re here to help you with your submission process, Medicare and Medicaid billing, finding lost revenue, and more.

Send us a message using the form below, or give us a call and let us get started helping you with home health billing today.

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