Home Forums Discussions Coding and Billing Trying to do paperless billing

OK, my office is virtually paperless in all aspects except for the billing. I still use a paper superbill (which I actually really prefer) but I am now trying to do all my coding in AC (in preparation for the billing module). I currently use a proprietary PM software program which has served me well for 15 years but MAY attempt to move everything to AC if and when it proves itself.

At the end of the day I currently scan all of the paper superbills into a dated folder (not patient specific) which is served across the network. This is helpful because then the front desk can have easy access to them if a patient comes in with a statement for a copay which they say they paid. I guess I could scan each superbill into each patient's chart and may well do that in the future. But, right now, this is working fine.

On the other hand, I am not sure what to do with all the paper EOBs? They arrive with multiple patients' claims/page. It would be really great to have them separated by patient and then it would be very easy to research a claim or to print the EOB when filing a secondary. Right now, they are grouped by the date of posting and are stored on a shelf. Any thoughts?

Actually if you do the billing portion in AC after the note, you could simply create a file at the end of the day and put it on the common folder. To create the file go on the main page to FILE > PRINT DAILY BATCH > PRINT ALL BILLING DATA BY DAY. At that point you can generate a PDF document with HCFA 1500s format for you billing person to review.

Leslie thank you for asking the question and Wendell thank you for the answer--I have been printing up after each visit an AC generated bill that I then staple to the old paper superbill with our lytec info on it, but sometimes I have to correct the paper bill generated from AC if i forgot to add a protime or a modifier etc. When you create the bill electronically is there any way to correct a mistake??

The problem Wendell, is that I need to be able to show the patient, as I did today, that her insurance company told me when I posted their payment for an office visit,that her copay was $20, not $10 as it says on her card. I have no problem with printing HCFAs or uploading my claims, just with where to put the EOBs after the info has been posted to the accounts. And, as far as the patient this morning, I guess I could have a staff member check each and every patient's benefit plan before we see them but, why should I have to do that? It is stupid enough that I have to have staff file a claim for money I am owed, wait 30-90 days to receive it and then decipher the stupid reason why it was not paid in full.

Leslie,

We have a similar system. Here is what we do. We enter the payment into the PM program using the EOB date. EOBs are each scanned to Paperport into a folder for the year with subfolders labeled by insurer: Medicare, Carefirst, Commercial; each scanned EOB is titled with its date.

Then, if we need an EOB for a specific billing for a patient, we check the payment entry date in the PM program, and can pull up that EOB easily in Paperport. It can then be reviewed or printed as needed.

This obviously does not separate them by patient, but it works well for us.

Donna, I can picture Leslie's reaction now...
"Mmmmm...Paperport".

The insurance companies have SUCH precise requirements for our claims submission; literally a misplaced period can lead to a rejection. So why not send a letter to the carrier, stating YOUR minimal requirements. "All EOB's must be submitted with each patient on a separate page". What are the odds they would comply, or even acknowledge the request? What an absurd, submissive relationship we have with the payors.

We gals love our Paperport!!!!

HAHAHA! Way to go, Donna! I guess that is what I will do too. It would make rummaging through EOBs easier I guess if they were scanned...same principle as scanning the superbills. And Jon, I think I will do as you suggest. I bet I can get them to change...yea right.

Leslie, you do know that the patients receive an EOB that shows them the amount they owe? They usually get it before you get paid, or even before the check is issued. Granted, they seem to never read it or claim they never received it.

What I go in cases like this is go to the insurnce company website and print off an EOB, at least for companies that have websites.

Wayne,
Yes, I know the patients get their own EOBs. We still get the majority of ours as paper. I also go to the websites that do not send paper (UHC, AARP) for instance and print off the EOBs there. After posting, the question I had is what to do now with all of these EOBs so they can be easily accessed when needed (like sending paper secondaries) without rummaging through stacks of daily batches. I have started Donna's suggestion and it is working out great.

All I can say is yea, go Paperport!!

Did we mention that it is FREE?

Make fun of us all you want, Jon!

Yup! I had a staff member access the EOB folder just today...loved it. I am just ticked I did not think about doing this before. I guess when you are not the one doing the work you don't realize just what a pain something can be. Now that I am doing the billing I'll be darned if I am going to scrounge around in old batches of paper.

Hi Donna,

Do you scan into PaperPort from just one computer? We have been using PP for several years, doing well, database and scanner on one PC we but can access database from any.

Staff wondered if it would be possible to scan from another PC, I checked into this several months ago, including going to the PP user frum. The quick answer was "No."

What is your setup?

Thanks. Gene

Gene,
You can scan into Paperport from any scanner that sees it listed as an option. We have a Fujitsu scanner that does most of our heavy scanning, like old charts, but it is not twain compatible so it does not "see" Paperport as the source. It scans to its own software but we can then drop and drag into Paperport very easily.

Gene,
We have our main scanner attached to our main AC computer, and that is where most of the scanning is done. I have set it up so that we can access all of the Paperport files from every computer.

We also have a networked Brother multifunction machine (go ahead, make fun of that too!) and we can scan from it as well to Paperport on any of the computers.

I don't know about a scanner hooked directly to another computer.

Dueling answers!!! Ha ha!

They're probably right. It doesn't make much sense since you have to be next to the scanner to insert the paper anyways. Most scanners have a push button that'll put a file into a directory. Just put it in a shared directory.