Medical insurance is a critical part of the healthcare system, making medical claims processing essential for both providers and patients. When a patient seeks care and uses their insurance plan, their provider submits a request to the patient’s insurer to access their benefits. Although processing medical claims can be a complex process, you can reduce the financial and operational burden by working with business process outsourcing (BPO) solutions that handle claims processing, including the technical aspects of your insurance administration.
The Importance of Claims Processing in Healthcare
Health insurance makes medical care more affordable for many people, and submitting claims is the way they access their benefits. As a provider, you typically submit the request on their behalf and communicate with the insurer about the services they’re providing and what the patient’s plan covers. This allows patients to either get reimbursed or access services at a more affordable up-front price.
However, the insurance system can also cause delays and make care harder to access. Inefficient processing systems and administrative errors can cause delays in approvals or generate confusion around what a patient owes, which can ultimately delay the patient’s care. As a result, disorganized processes can lead to dissatisfied customers and a confusing experience with your practice. Luckily, healthcare call centers and BPOs specialize in providing these services so you can focus on helping your patients.
How Claims Processing Services Work
Third-party healthcare outsourcing companies handle the claims process system on your behalf. You’ll use a shared system to send patient and insurance information to your outsourcing provider, then they’ll communicate with insurers and send the results of each claim back to you and your patients. They can also provide support if a patient wants to dispute a claim denial or ask questions about their request.
To submit an insurance request, you start by registering the patient’s plan details and confirming their eligibility within your network. Then, you’ll summarize the treatment details. Your outsourcing partner will then assign the correct medical codes to the treatment and determine if the patient’s plan covers the treatment. If the insurer needs more information, your BPO will act as a liaison to gather additional details. Finally, the insurance company will communicate the outcome of your request and provide you with a statement.
Key Features To Look For When Outsourcing Medical Claims Processing
When choosing an outsourcing partner, it’s important to find a provider with a streamlined workflow for claims processing. Seasoned BPOs or healthcare call centers will have medical claims processing software that automates your company’s manual processes, streamlines data entry, and organizes patient data. They may also have services that complement the claims processing system, such as billing software and accounting services.
You’ll also want to make sure that your provider has strict compliance rules to ensure your business is HIPAA compliant. There’s plenty of sensitive, private medical data involved with managing insurance requests, and working with a well-regulated provider can help you cultivate trust with your target audience.
Implementing Medical Insurance Claims Processing Systems
High-quality insurance BPO partners will have the knowledge and expertise to integrate their medical claims processing systems with your existing processes. This often starts with helping to streamline and standardize your databases so the BPO can access all the information they need to communicate with insurers. They’ll help set you up with the tech tools and dashboards to access critical claims information for your practice.
To help facilitate benefits requests, your outsourcing provider will often offer a direct line of communication with your patients. That way, patients can contact them with questions or to track their claims instead of relying on your team to field phone calls or answer questions. You’ll be able to focus on what matters most: patient healthcare.
Benefits of Modern Processing Systems
Modern claims processing systems have made it possible to streamline the administrative part of insurance. Explore these key benefits below:
Enhancing Automation
Today’s software tools and digital platforms create a direct link between you, your patients, and their insurers. This makes it easy for outsourcing organizations to automate complex tasks, greatly reducing turnaround time. These tools can automate systems like insurance verification to help your customers prioritize their health without delays.
Increasing Visibility
BPOs can use innovative virtual dashboards that provide real-time information about each claim’s journey. Understanding the stages of your insurance requests can help you enhance communication with your patients and promote transparency in your practice. Some tools even give you the option to analyze your claims data and further streamline your systems.
Reducing Errors
By eliminating the need for certain manual tasks, healthcare software systems can vastly reduce human error. These platforms can automatically flag potential issues and populate your healthcare data throughout all relevant systems, improving the quality of your databases and reducing the possibility of having to refile a request.
Saving Time
Automated healthcare software removes the need for your team to complete tedious manual tasks. This saves you time and allows your employees to focus on providing quality care. And even when a claim requires special attention, you can rely on your BPO healthcare specialists to oversee the entire process.
Reducing Costs
Because BPOs and call centers operate at scale, they’re often much more affordable than trying to process all insurance requests in-house. You can save money on staff, office space, overhead costs, and tech tools. By choosing an option with affordable, scalable systems, you can effortlessly grow your practice without a significant investment in your processing system.
Improving the Healthcare Patient Experience
Handling insurance requests quickly and efficiently helps patients move ahead with their care, improving their experience with your healthcare institution. You can cultivate better patient relationships and give them peace of mind with a quick, painless insurance processing system.
Enhance Your Systems With the Right BPO Solution
Confie BPO has the up-to-date infrastructure you need to handle your insurance requests in a timely, efficient manner that prioritizes your patients.
Contact the Confie BPO team over the phone at 800-684-2276 or use our online form to contact us and start building better systems for your healthcare team today.
