Flaws in the medical billing process can cripple your RCM and burn a hole in your pocket. Know the top five don’ts of billing to avoid bottlenecks in the revenue collection.

Medical billing has direct connection with your RCM. Minor mistakes can delay the process of getting the desired reimbursements from insurance companies. So, to have a smooth revenue cycle and track-able flow of money, avoid the following ten billing mistakes.

1. No Document No Billing

When you have nothing to prove your claims, refrain from billing the same and I am not indicating malpractice here! Consider this, you have a genuine suffering patient but he doesn’t have his symptoms documented by the physician and thus, in the records too. Now, you have incurred losses alright but how do you convince the payer?

2. Club the Particulars of the Bill

A visit to the doctor involves all these things together: diagnosis, tests for ruling out conditions or pinpoint diseases, the treatment, prescription of medicines, other services to assist the treatment. So, it is important to club all of these together when billing.

3. Do Code When There’s a Code

There is a reason why a certain code exists in the CPT to describe the patient’s condition. Having proper knowledge of which code to assign plays an important role in not getting a denial. Hence, the billing staff should assign the precise code instead of a non-specified one.

4. Be Lenient with Modifiers

A modifier is an alpha numeric code which should be assigned when multiple services are performed on the patient under special or unusual circumstances. Do not forget to add E&M (Evaluation and Management) coding when clubbed with any kind of surgery.

5. Submit Non-Standardized Forms

Bills should be submitted in the proper format and that very much includes the prescribed forms, e.g. the CMS-1500. This is as far as the hardcopy submissions are concerned. As for the electronic records are concerned HIPAA rules should be diligently followed to avoid audits.