Some medical practices delay making the change from in-house billing to outsourced medical billing because they are concerned that the transition process will be complicated, long, and fraught with issues. In reality, though, most practices find the transition to be much easier than they anticipated and end up wishing they’d made the switch sooner. After all, the sooner they make the switch, the sooner they can enjoy all of the benefits of outsourced medical billing.

So what does the transition look like? It can depend on a number of factors, including what system you currently have in place, how big your practice is, and how much cleanup of your accounts receivable is going to be required. Here we’ll provide you with a high-level overview of the process as well as some tips on how to make it easier for everyone in your office. When you are ready to make the change from in-house to outsourced billing, the Edge team will be here to help.

An Overview of the Transition to Outsourced Billing

When you find an experienced medical billing company in Texas, they will work with your current billing team (if any) to gain access to your current billing records. They may request log-ins into your current system in order to access data and transition the information to their own internal systems. You’ll want to provide them with as much data as possible; if they provide accounts receivable clean up services, make sure they know about current outstanding bills as well as bills that need to be processed. The new billing company may provide training to your team in order to teach them new systems or help everyone understand how the process works and where they fit into it. Make sure that your entire team attends these training sessions. It can help clear up any misconceptions people have about the process and what the company does and keeps everyone on the same page. For the most part, the new billing company will take care of the transition for you; your team will simply need to be on-hand to answer any questions that might come up along the way.

Tips to Make the Transition Easier for Everyone

Designate a contact person in your office for the billing company.

Having one contact person within your office can keep the chain of communication clear and open. If multiple people are giving answers, there is a good chance that there are multiple answers being given. Eliminate the confusion with a single point of contact and put that person in charge of answering questions and overseeing the transition. It helps if this contact person has a lot of experience with the billing in your office.

Make sure your entire staff is informed about the change.

People can react negatively to change. They might feel that the current in-house system is functioning just fine and may be concerned that the change could take away some of their control over the billing process. It’s important to communicate with every member of the team that the change is happening and how it’s going to benefit the office. Point out that they’ll have more time for patient care, it will reduce your billing errors, and it’s going to make patients happier in the long run as well. Once you’ve shared the benefits of the change, give them time to get used to the idea before the transition happens. That way when the transition time does arrive, they’ll be ready for it.

Work out a plan for transition cleanup.

Every transition has a little clean up that needs to happen afterward. When it comes to medical billing, it’s going to be the current outstanding bills. You’ll need to work with your new medical billing company to determine what needs to happen with those. Some medical billers are willing to take out the outstanding bills and try to collect payment on them. You may also decide that it’s not worth your time or effort to chase it down. In either case, make a plan and know what you are doing. That can make cleaning up after the transition much easier and less complicated.

We’ll Make the Transition to Outsourced Billing an Easy One

Ready to make the change from in-house to outsourced medical billing? Our Texas team is ready to help. We’ll make the transition as easy as possible on your office, taking over your billing so you can re-focus your team on patient care. We’d love to show you how easy the change can be and how beneficial it is to both you and your patients. Get in touch with us by giving us a call or contacting us through our website today. We’ll provide you with the information you need to make an informed decision about transitioning to outsourced medical billing in your office.