Do you need help keeping up with medical billing errors? It’s easy to make mistakes when dealing with a complex and ever-evolving system that can have costly consequences for you or your patients. To help improve the accuracy of your billing process, it’s essential to be aware of the most common errors that often occur.
1. Missing or Incorrect Information
One of the most common billing errors is having incomplete or incorrect patient information. This includes missing details such as addresses, contact numbers, insurance policy numbers, and birth dates. Since this data affects reimbursement and claims processing, it’s essential to double-check all patient information before submitting a claim. A reputable company that specializes in medical billing in Fort Lauderdale can help ensure accuracy.
Before submitting a claim, the billing service will confirm that all patient information is complete and accurate. This also includes verifying if insurance policy numbers are valid or if any benefits have changed as well as updating the data as needed. By taking this extra step, billing errors can be reduced, and reimbursement will be timely.
2. Unbundling
Unbundling is when a provider submits multiple codes for procedures that should have been billed as one code. This can occur when services are split up to increase reimbursement, or the provider is unaware that certain services should be billed together. It’s essential to review the current procedural terminology (CPT) codes for any services billed to ensure that all bundled services are charged correctly.
Also, unbundling can occur when the codes are incorrectly entered, or the provider must be aware of the correct codes. When you work with a certified billing company in Fort Lauderdale, they can make sure that all codes are entered correctly and that billing follows regulatory standards. Their experience and expertise can help reduce the risk of unbundling errors.
3. Duplicate Billing
Duplicate billing is when a provider bills the same CPT code more than once for a single service. This can also occur when a provider submits multiple claims for the same services performed during other visits or when a claim is submitted and not adequately adjusted after it’s been paid or denied.
Fortunately, professional medical billing in Fort Lauderdale can help avoid this error. The billing service can review all claims for accuracy so that only one claim is submitted for each service. This will help ensure complete reimbursement without delays or denials due to duplicate billing errors.
4. Billing for Non-Covered Services
It’s easy to make the mistake of billing for non-covered services when you’re not familiar with a patient’s insurance policy. Review each claim before submission and confirm that the patient’s plan covers all billed services. Besides, medical billing codes should follow the same logic to be correctly understood once submitted.
It’s also important to check that the billed services are medically necessary, as some plans won’t cover elective procedures. A professional billing service can help ensure that all of these steps are followed and claims are submitted only for covered services. This will help reduce unnecessary delays and denials due to incorrect billing or coding errors.
5. Upcoding
Finally, upcoding is when the provider bills for services at a higher rate than the service provided. This can be done intentionally to increase reimbursement or unintentionally due to a lack of knowledge of current coding guidelines. Make sure that you and your staff are familiar with medical billing codes standards to avoid upcoding. Also, it’s essential to keep up-to-date with any changes in the coding system so that claims are submitted correctly.
Contact J3 Revenue Cycle Management to learn more about medical billing in Fort Lauderdale and how to use medical billing codes correctly. With our expertise, you can be sure your claims are accurate and processed quickly.
