To successfully perform medical invoicing or medical billing there has to be a degree of focus on the task itself.
In fact, there has to be a total concentration on that which you are trying to achieve.
The outcome is always the same. Getting an invoice paid. Total focus must be applied to this outcome at the expense of other items. Making sure the private consultant surgeon is paid is the aim. Problems arise, however, when total focus is not possible.
For example: in the middle of invoicing for 12 consultations and 4 medical episodes the telephone rings.
MHM once had a client who one morning called 8 times within 35 minutes. Afterward, she complained her medical billing wasn’t being done speedily enough. It didn’t take a genius to work out that the 8 phone calls were the distraction.
Modern technology has advanced so much over the years. Unfortunately, the likelihood of distractions has increased ten-fold. For example, I may be in the middle of a task and my mobile pings to say an email has arrived. A text may arrive and I hear a ping. The opportunity for distraction(s) is enormous. Yet they can remove focus from the planned outcome. They might also stop an invoice being raised in the first place.
Technology is great. It enables MHM to communicate with its clients speedily and efficiently. The internet allows clients to provide data to MHM equally efficiently. It also means MHM can raise invoices electronically and deliver them at the push of a button. But it can also be a blessing in disguise if MHM were to let it. Thus it is worth repeating that the planned outcome is to get paid. That is what MHM is there for; nothing else. If the technology stops that, then remove the technology for a while.
This may sound revolutionary but in the real world, ignoring technology when it prevents achieving the planned outcome is no bad thing.
For example: when I’m raising medical invoices for a client I switch my email off. Thus there are no distractions caused by emails arriving. Before anyone raises the question of an email being important, may I suggest that in reality whilst emails may indeed be important seldom are they time critical. They are normally requests for data, asking a question or the arrival of a remittance from an insurance company. All three examples are important but they are not time critical.
My favourite example of this is the person who was locating new premises for MHM. He emailed me but when I didn’t immediately respond, telephoned after 15 minutes to confirm if I had received his email. This despite the instruction to email details to me and being advised I would respond later that week. As he couldn’t follow that instruction, he immediately lost the opportunity of finding new offices for MHM!
The world will not end and a private medical practice won’t immediately collapse if an email, a phone call or even a text are not immediately responded to.
That is not to say a patient inquiry should not be immediately answered. In the case of a patient calling then absolutely they should. Have someone designated to answer the phone. It look’s awful if a patient calls and the phone isn’t answered.
But don’t have the same person responsible for medical billing AT THE SAME TIME for if you do the phone calls and/emails will provide the distraction to caused the planned outcome to be missed.
Medical billing is not the easiest thing to do in the world. It requires concentration and an attention to detail. If the outcome is expected to be prompt and complete payment of an invoice for medical services, then focus should be directed to just that. You know what happens if I switch my email off during the morning or I have the text alert set to silent? Nothing.
Except I raise numerous invoices for clients, resolve issues with insurance companies and make sure MHM clients are paid.
pete@medicalhealthcaremanagement.co.uk
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