For many integrative healthcare practitioners, navigating the complexities of insurance billing can be a significant challenge. However, understanding how to master insurance billing is crucial to your practice’s financial success and growth. This blog post will discuss essential tips and strategies to help acupuncturists, licensed massage therapists, and chiropractors overcome common insurance billing obstacles and streamline their revenue cycle management.
Understand the Basics of Insurance Billing
The first step in mastering insurance billing is familiarizing with the basic concepts and terminology. Key terms to understand include:
- CPT Codes: Current Procedural Terminology codes describe medical procedures and services healthcare providers perform.
- ICD-10 Codes: International Classification of Diseases codes are used to classify and code diagnoses.
- Provider Network: The group of healthcare providers contracted or participating with an insurance company to provide services to their members.
- Reimbursement: The payment received by a healthcare provider from an insurance company for services rendered.
- Explanation of Benefits (EOB): A document sent by the insurance company to the patient and provider detailing the services provided, the amount billed, and the amount paid by the insurance company.
Verify Patient Insurance Eligibility
Before providing services, verifying each patient’s insurance eligibility and benefits is essential. This includes checking for coverage details such as deductibles, copayments, and any limitations or exclusions. Verifying eligibility upfront helps prevent denied claims and ensures that you have accurate information about the patient’s insurance benefits.
Keep Accurate and Detailed Documentation
Proper documentation is crucial to the insurance billing process. Ensure that your patient records are thorough, accurate, and up-to-date, including the patient’s demographic information, insurance details, and relevant medical history. Document the services provided using the appropriate CPT and ICD-10 codes for each visit. Accurate documentation helps prevent claim denials and protects your practice during audits or disputes.
Stay Up-to-Date with Billing Regulations and Payer Requirements
Insurance billing regulations and payer requirements are constantly evolving. To ensure that your practice remains compliant, stay informed about changes in billing rules, coding updates, and any changes to payer-specific guidelines. Resources such as industry newsletters, webinars, and professional associations can help you stay informed and up-to-date.
Invest in Practice Management Software and Billing Services
Investing in practice management software, like Holbie, can help streamline your revenue cycle management and master insurance billing by automating tasks such as patient registration, appointment scheduling, and claims submission. Holbie also offers a comprehensive insurance billing service, which can save you time and resources by handling the entire billing process on your behalf, from claim submission to payment follow-up.
Monitor and Track Your Billing Performance
Regularly monitoring and tracking your billing performance is crucial to identifying areas for improvement and ensuring the financial health of your practice. Review key performance indicators (KPIs) such as claim denial rates, days in accounts receivable, and the percentage of revenue collected. By analyzing your billing data and identifying trends, you can make informed decisions about your practice’s billing processes and revenue cycle management.
Mastering insurance billing is essential for the success of your integrative healthcare practice. By understanding the basics, verifying patient eligibility, maintaining accurate documentation, staying informed about regulations, investing in practice management software or billing services, and monitoring your billing performance, you can streamline your revenue cycle management and focus on providing exceptional patient care.
How does this apply to a billing business that specializes in medical-massage, acupuncture, and chiropractic billing? You do not need to spend all your time on the time-consuming and challenging medical coding and billing procedure while you are occupied filling your schedule. Your time, energy, and creativity are freed up to concentrate on what matters most: your patients by having a reputable company like Holistic Billing Services handle your online appointments, SOAP notes, or your medical billing burden. The welcoming professionals at HBS have years of experience and are glad to support you in EHR and medical billing success! Get in touch with us to create a unique solution that meets the demands and objectives of your practice.
As integrative healthcare practitioners, you know the importance of providing personalized, holistic care to patients. You understand that physical, emotional, and environmental factors influence your patient’s health. You need a system that enables you to efficiently document, manage, and track your patient’s health information. Enter electronic health records (EHRs).
What Are Electronic Health Records (EHRs)?
Electronic health records (EHRs) are digital versions of traditional paper-based patient charts. They store a patient’s medical history, treatment plans, diagnostic information, and more. By replacing paper records with digital ones, EHRs can significantly improve healthcare practices’ efficiency and enhance patient care quality.
Benefits of Electronic Health Records for Integrative Healthcare Practitioners
For practitioners in the fields of acupuncture, massage therapy, and chiropractic care, adopting an EHR system can bring a wide range of benefits:
- Improved Documentation: EHRs provide a consistent, structured format for documenting patient information, making it easier to keep track of treatment plans, progress notes, and other essential data. This can help to reduce errors in patient records.
- Streamlined Communication: EHRs facilitate seamless communication between practitioners and other healthcare providers. By securely sharing patient information, practitioners can coordinate care more effectively, ensuring patients receive the most appropriate treatments and interventions.
- Enhanced Decision-Making: EHRs can provide practitioners with a comprehensive view of a patient’s health history, allowing them to make more informed decisions about their care. This can be particularly valuable for integrative healthcare practitioners who often need to consider various factors when developing treatment plans.
- Increased Efficiency: EHRs can significantly reduce the time spent on administrative tasks, such as updating patient records, scheduling appointments, and processing insurance claims. This allows practitioners to focus more on patient care and less on paperwork.
- Data Security and Compliance: EHRs can help practitioners protect patient information through encryption and secure access controls, ensuring that sensitive data remains confidential. In addition, EHR systems can help practitioners stay compliant with industry regulations, such as HIPAA, by providing tools to manage patient consent and track data access.
Choosing the Right EHR System for Your Practice
When selecting an EHR system, it’s essential to choose one tailored to your specific practice’s needs. For integrative healthcare practitioners, this means finding an EHR system that supports your unique treatment modalities and offers features that enhance your workflow.
Here are some factors to consider when choosing EHR systems:
- Interoperability: Choose an EHR system that can integrate with other healthcare systems and software, such as practice management tools and billing services. This will enable you to streamline your practice’s operations and improve communication with other providers.
- Ease of Use: It’s crucial to select an EHR system that’s user-friendly and easy to learn. This can minimize the learning curve for you and your staff, ensuring a smooth transition to the new system.
- Scalability: As your practice grows and evolves, your EHR system should be able to grow with you. Look for a system that can accommodate additional users, locations, and services as needed.
By adopting an EHR system tailored to integrative healthcare practices, you can experience many benefits that help you provide the highest quality care to your patients. Let’s explore some additional aspects of EHR systems that can support your practice.
Analytics and Reporting
By aggregating and analyzing patient data, EHR systems can provide valuable insights into your practice’s performance. With reporting capabilities, you can track important metrics, such as patient demographics, appointment trends, and revenue sources. These insights can help you make informed decisions about marketing, staffing, and service offerings to ensure your practice’s continued growth and success.
In addition, EHR systems can help you monitor clinical outcomes and identify patterns in patient care. This information can be used to refine your treatment approaches, implement quality improvement initiatives, and demonstrate the effectiveness of your services to patients, insurance companies, and other stakeholders.
Training and Support
When implementing a new EHR system, it’s essential to have access to comprehensive training resources and ongoing support. EHR vendors should provide thorough training materials, such as tutorials, webinars, and user guides, to help you and your staff get up to speed quickly. In addition, they should offer responsive customer support to address any questions or issues that may arise during the implementation process and beyond.
Cost and Return on Investment
Finally, it’s essential to consider the cost of implementing an EHR system and the potential return on investment (ROI) for your practice. While upfront fees may be associated with purchasing and setting up the system, look for systems with minimal up-front costs, however, the long-term benefits can far outweigh these expenses. Improved efficiency, reduced errors, and enhanced patient care can lead to increased patient satisfaction and retention and potential revenue growth.
When evaluating EHR systems, consider factors such as subscription fees, hardware requirements, and additional training or support costs. It’s also helpful to compare the prices and features of various EHR systems to find the best fit for your practice’s needs and budget. Adopting an EHR system tailored to the needs of your integrative healthcare practice can significantly enhance your ability to provide personalized, high-quality care to your patients. By carefully considering the features, functionality, and support offered by different EHR systems, you can choose the right solution to help your practice thrive now and in the future.
How does this apply to a billing business that specializes in medical-massage, acupuncture, and chiropractic billing? The time-consuming and challenging procedure of medical coding and billing does not need to take up your time when you are occupied filling your schedule. Your time, energy, and creativity are freed up to concentrate on what matters most: your patients, by delegating your online appointments, SOAP notes, or medical billing load to a reputable company like Holistic Billing Services. The helpful professionals at HBS are glad to support you in EHR and medical billing success and have decades of experience. To begin creating a unique solution that meets the needs and objectives of your acupuncture clinic, get in touch with us right now.
We have offered holistic providers complete medical billing and coding services since 1999, so we understand what makes medical billing and coding successful. In this article, we share our knowledge to assist you in selecting the best service for your medical practice.
Medical coding and billing are crucial components of any healthcare operation. It guarantees rapid and accurate claim processing, which results in quick reimbursements and improved revenue cycle management. The effectiveness and profitability of your clinic can be considerably impacted by your choice of medical billing and coding company, which can be challenging. This article will review the essential medical billing and coding service elements. In addition, we’ll also share tips on how to find the best fit for you.
Knowledge and Skills
Experience and industry knowledge are the most critical factors when selecting a medical billing and coding service. Please search for a business with a successful track record and extensive expertise working with medical practices like yours; this helps to ensure that they know the particular difficulties faced by your practice and have the knowledge and tools necessary to address them.
Security and Compliance
The field of medical coding and Billing is very regulated. Selecting a service that prioritizes adherence to pertinent healthcare laws, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), is crucial. Be sure the business you choose maintains stringent security measures to guard sensitive patient data from data breaches and illegal access.
Flexibility and Personalization
Your billing and coding provider should be able to adjust to your particular demands because every medical practice is different. To create a customized solution for your practice’s billing and coding needs, look for a provider that offers customizable solutions and will collaborate closely with your staff.
Automation
A professional medical billing and coding service should use the most up-to-date technology to optimize revenue collection, speed up the billing process, and decrease errors. Faster claim processing and more precise reimbursements will result from this. To increase productivity and reduce manual input, look for a company that uses software and automation whenever possible.
Pricing and Contract Terms
Considering the price and contract details when assessing billing and coding services is critical. In addition to their fees, which are typically based on a percentage of collections, you should carefully read the contract terms to comprehend the range of services offered, the method of payment, and any potential penalties or termination clauses. Seek transparent pricing models with no hidden costs that fit your practice’s budget.
Customer Support and Responsiveness
When it comes to billing and coding, excellent customer support is essential. You want a business that will address your needs and problems. To receive individualized support and guidance through the billing process, look for a service that provides dedicated account management or a point of contact.
Testimonials
One of the best methods to evaluate a medical billing and coding service’s success is to look at client references. Choose a business with a good reputation. As the saying goes, past performance is the best indicator of future performance. A more excellent grasp of their track record and assistance in making an informed choice will come from their business references.
Ongoing Support
A good medical billing and coding firm should also offer continuing training and assistance to your employees, so they stay informed about changes in the field and best practices. Regular updates on coding standards, educational webinars, or specialized training events fall within this category.
Six Pointers to Help You Choose the Best Medical Coding and Billing Company
Here are some suggestions to help you choose the best medical billing and coding service for your clinic now that you are aware of the elements to take into account:
Research
Start by researching the many medical billing and coding services that are offered. Search for suppliers with expertise dealing with comparable businesses or specializing in your specialty. Compile a shortlist of prospects based on their qualifications, knowledge, and client testimonials.
Compare
Request proposals from the vendors you are considering. Use the proposals to compare each company’s services and reduce your candidates. Information about their services, price, technological solutions, and compliance procedures should all be included in a thorough presentation.
Schedule
Make appointments to speak with the leading candidates on your list before deciding. Ask them about their background, offerings, and how they may assist your practice in streamlining its billing and coding procedures during these encounters. Please take advantage of the chance to evaluate their receptivity, communication abilities, and willingness to adapt their services to your demands.
Check
Make an effort to reach out to the clients listed on the references provided by each prospective organization. You’ll be able to learn directly about their effectiveness, customer service, and general experience.
Evaluate
Understanding the vendor’s onboarding procedure is crucial because switching to a new medical billing and coding service can be difficult. Analyze their capacity to work with your current systems, impart knowledge to your personnel, and offer continuing assistance during the transition.
Consider
It’s crucial to consider a medical billing and coding service’s long-term profitability while making your choice; this entails assessing its financial standing, room for expansion, and resolve to keep up with market developments. A strong and progressive organization will likely support the long-term success of your practice.
Conclusion
Your choice of medical billing and coding provider can dramatically impact the effectiveness and profitability of your practice. You may find a provider who meets your needs and aids in the optimization of your revenue cycle management by considering variables like experience, compliance, technology, and cost. Take your time with the decision-making process; instead, consider each prospective provider before selecting the best fit for your practice’s particular needs.
How does this relate to an EHR and insurance billing company focused on acupuncture, chiropractic, and medical-massage billing? While you are busy vetting other vendors, your time can be free of tedious technology or complicated medical coding and billing process. By letting the best firm focused on integrative healthcare Holistic Billing Services handle your online appointments, SOAP notes, or medical billing needs, your energy, creativity, and talents are freed up to focus on identifying and serving your patients. The friendly experts at Holistic Billing have over 20 years of experience and are eager to help you succeed in EHR and Medical Billing! Contact us today to get started building a solution that suits your acupuncture practice needs and goals.
Paperwork is often credited with causing headaches, not reducing harm or actually helping anyone.
So, while it might seem counterintuitive to connect medical documentation to increased patient outcomes, SOAP notes are a standalone example of how that connection is real. This type of medical documentation–short for Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan–is an essential component of any healthcare practice, whether traditional or holistic.
In this article, we’ll dive into what exactly are SOAP notes, how they help reduce patient risk and result in better patient outcomes, plus why they’re important for medical billing. Keep reading to learn more!
What are SOAP Notes?
This form of healthcare documentation is the standard formula for compiling a comprehensive report of your patient’s experience and charting a course forward with a treatment plan that can help their ailments.
Let’s dive into each letter of this fun acronym:
S = Subjective
This first component of SOAP notes involves noting the subjective experience of your patient from an array of perspectives, including their feelings, perceptions, and personal opinions in relation to their condition.
The Subjective section of SOAP notes captures how the patient is feeling, thinking, and experiencing their ailments in their own words. This is a great start to the dialogue between patient and provider because the healthcare practitioner can gain an understanding of how the patient is doing.
Outlining this section of SOAP notes might vary from practice to practice, specialty to specialty. For example, if you were performing an initial consultation for someone seeking acupuncture services, you might ask the following:
- Rate the severity of pain on a scale of 1 to 10
- Describe the feeling of the pain (is it shooting, throbbing, dull, aching, etc.)
- Note the places of pain on the body
- Describe when the pain started and how it might change during the day
- Ask how the patient feels about needles
O = Objective
Once you’ve established the subjective views of the patient, it’s time to acquire the objective aspects of their condition. This might include:
- Allergies
- Body posture
- Range of motion
- Imaging results
- Medical diagnoses
- And more!
Each notation in this section should be factual and able to be proven; in other words, be sure to filter out assumptions or subjective language in this section.
A = Assessment
When you combine the information of the subjective and objective experience of the patient, you can conduct an assessment to determine what might be ailing your patient. If there might be a handful of causes, then be sure to list what you hypothesize your patient is dealing with ranging from most to least severe or important.
This section is vital for outlining your thought process and explaining how you arrived at your conclusions. Not only is this important for leaving a paper trail for your own knowledge, but it’s also incredibly helpful for other providers to refer to when treating your patient from other perspectives, such as conventional medicine providers.
P = Plan
Now that you’ve gathered the subjective, objective, and assessment components of your medical documentation, you’ve reached the final step: creating a plan. This might include noting:
- Which follow-up appointments are necessary and with whom
- Referrals to other providers or specialists
- Referrals for further testing or diagnostic services
- Therapy
Be sure to include all relevant information that the patient will need to follow through with your treatment plan and maintain an open line of communication with them after you provide your services.
How Do SOAP Notes Reduce Patient Risk?
The purpose of SOAP notes is multifold–they are essential for leaving a paper trail for medical billing reasons, they help you and other providers document a patient’s condition, and they reduce patient risk. How does paperwork lead to better patient outcomes?
Comprehensively analyzing your patient’s pain points, whether literal, metaphorical, or perceived, means that you’re taking the time to be thorough. Looking at something from multiple angles or considering a wide range of factors means that something is less likely to slip through the cracks or be ignored.
This means that you’re being vigilant in your interaction with the patient and valuing their input as much as the objective facts or other providers’ interpretations. Recognizing the role that your patient plays in their own treatment plan is essential for keeping them engaged, continuing an open dialogue in the patient-provider relationship, and overall reducing their risk.
Wish You Had More Time to Spend with Patients? Partner with Holistic Billing Services!
Do you find yourself swamped with rejected medical billing claims, puzzled by the differing processes for billing private insurance or government programs like Medicare, and bewildered by the latest legislative initiatives that will impact your holistic practice? Keeping your practice running smoothly takes a lot of time and energy–-just managing your revenue cycle alone is a ton of work!
Wish you had more time to spend with patients and detailing your SOAP notes? Partner with Holistic Billing Services to handle the medical billing burden so you can do what matters most: deliver quality care to your patients. Our friendly experts have decades of experience in your specialty and are eager to help your holistic practice succeed.
Did you know the healthcare industry loses more than $150 billion a year to no-shows alone? While there are a variety of reasons patients might miss their appointments, like simple forgetfulness or something unexpected taking precedence, it’s in your holistic practice’s best interest to implement a no-show policy. Without one in place, you’re leaving money on the table and wasting your staff’s precious time.
What is a No-Show Policy?
A no-show is when a patient misses their scheduled appointment without informing your holistic practice; this is different from a cancellation, which accounts for the patient communicating their intentions with your practice.
Thus, a no-show policy is the set of guidelines, rules, and penalties that a practice implements to manage patients who intentionally – or unintentionally – miss their appointments. Such a policy discourages your patients from missing their appointments and therefore reduces the adverse impact of no-shows on your holistic practice.
The Effects of No-Show Appointments on Holistic Medical Practices
Simply put, appointment cancellations and no-shows bring only negative consequences to your holistic practice. A missed appointment means no revenue and leaves your knowledgeable staff idle – all cost and no compensation. Precious resources like time and money are wasted when a patient cancels last-minute or doesn’t stick to their appointment, which significantly impacts your practice’s bottom line.
Strategies that aim to overcompensate for no-shows, like overbooking appointments, mean that your holistic practice can’t efficiently allocate its resources; essentially, such approaches can be fiscally irresponsible and result in the burnout of your staff.
What Are The Benefits of Creating a No-Show Policy?
Streamlines the Appointment Cancellation Process
Implementing a no-show policy helps your staff know what to do when patients don’t show up for their appointments. With an established protocol to refer to and communicate with patients, your employees can limit scheduling disruptions, handle follow-ups and rescheduling efficiently, and even fill empty time slots more quickly so your holistic practice won’t miss out on the income potential for that particular time window. 
Discourages Patient No-Shows
Since a no-show policy informs patients of the fees they will incur if they don’t show up, it discourages them from missing their appointments. Without a no-show policy, patients have no accountability whatsoever that will encourage them to go to your clinic.
Boosts Revenue Cycle Management
Ideally, every appointment you set should bring you money. If your patients don’t show up for their appointments, you don’t get paid. The fewer no-shows your practice has, the fewer disruptions there are to your workflows! This means your holistic practice’s patient and team scheduling staff run smoothly since they won’t have to spend extra time overbooking each day in the event of no-show patients. All of this ultimately means you’ll be more profitable since your operations will be better streamlined to account for forgetful patients.
How to Write a No-Show Fee Policy
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Enable your patients to cancel in a convenient manner
Allow a timeframe for patients to cancel or move their appointments without getting penalized. Life happens, and it helps your patients to have the ability to cancel or reschedule their appointments on their time. When you add an appointment cancellation window in your no-show policy, you show your practice to be understanding and caring. That’s good for business, of course. You don’t want to be viewed as a holistic practice that nickels and dimes its patients!
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Establish fees for canceling – or to incentivize keeping the appointment
Fees in a no-show policy will help deter patients from missing their appointments since they’ll know how much it’ll cost them; you can also utilize a type of reward system to incentivize patients who keep their appointments! Consider these points when writing your policy:
- Straight fee: Every time patients miss their appointments, they’re charged a no-show fee
- Reward system: Patients who show up on time and keep their appointments can get rewards, such as gift cards or other incentives, depending on your practice.
- Fee erased upon return: A small fee is added to your patients’ bills when they don’t show up for their appointments; however, if patients reschedule and arrive on time, the fee is removed.
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Explain how your policies are enforced
Besides charging a fee, implement best practices that prevent patients from rescheduling if they exceed a specific number of missed appointments. For example, if you set a no-show limit of three appointments and your patient fails to show up for the fourth time, restrict their online or over-the-phone booking privileges. Be sure to send patient no-show letters to remind repeat offenders of the importance of keeping their appointments, and follow up on patients if they need to reschedule. Doing so discourages patients from missing their appointments without canceling, can minimize no-shows, and can reduce potential costly disruptions to your holistic practice’s workflows.
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Remind your patients of their appointments
Part of your policy should be outlining a timeline of when the patient will get reminders about their appointments. Patients can sometimes forget their appointments, hence the no-shows. Prevent a good chunk of no-shows by calling patients a few days before their schedule or sending them quick reminders. In your policy, list when these notifications might happen so they can expect to get them.
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Communicate your policies
Any new policy is only useful if the pertinent parties are aware of it! Ensure your patients know the consequences of missing appointments by communicating your no-call no-show policy. Below are a few common, yet effective, strategies to inform your patients about your policy. 
- Display your no-show policy on your online booking portal so patients know the guidelines and associated fees if they miss their appointments without giving you notice.
- When patients set appointments over the phone, ensure your employees inform them about your no-show policy. Your staff can say something like, “We look forward to seeing you. If you need to cancel your appointment, please do so within the next 24 hours to avoid getting charged the no-show fee of $25.”
- Include your no-show policy on your website so your patients can access it easily. To get more bookings, add a link to your appointment form or include your phone number so your patients can set appointments immediately.
Without a solution in place to reschedule no-shows, improve cancellation management, and fill empty appointment slots, these tasks are wasting your staff’s valuable time. That’s time that could be spent providing a top-notch care experience, making each and every patient feel welcome, or helping patients coordinate care, or answering patient’s non-clinical questions.
Since 1999, Holistic Billing Services has handled coding and billing issues for a variety of healthcare practices. We understand that each practice is unique and requires a customized solution that aligns with its long-term goals and increases its medical billing metrics. That’s why we work closely with our clients to help them set up holistic billing services and solutions that meet their specific needs and allows them to deliver the best care possible. To find out what we can do for your practice, contact our team today for a consultation.
More Americans than ever before are embracing holistic healthcare over conventional medicine with nearly 40% of adults using some form of alternative medicine. Whether it’s to alleviate chronic pain, reduce stress, or for other benefits, there are countless holistic approaches to prevent, treat, and manage almost every condition or illness. But what exactly is holistic medicine, and how does it compare to conventional healthcare practices? Keep reading to learn all that and more!
What is Holistic Medicine?
Holistic healthcare is a form of medicine that treats the “whole person,” treating not the physical self, but also the emotional, spiritual, and mental facets as well. Whereas conventional western medicine seeks to provide treatment for pain or the ailment, holistic healthcare focuses on both treatment and prevention. For example, if a patient has an ailment and turns to holistic therapy for help, the holistic practitioner will seek any underlying causes, including the patient’s stress levels and diet.
What is Western Medicine?
Western, also known as Conventional, healthcare is an approach to medicine that’s based on modern science, and which evaluates the human body, its disorders, and medical treatments in purely-biophysical or biochemical terms. Common treatment methods include drugs, radiation, and surgery, for example. Additionally, western medicine often utilizes the most statistically-likely diagnosis and treatments that work on larger populations through scientific studies, over individualized or specialized methods.
Holistic Medicine VS Western Medicine: How Are They Different?
Treatment of Illness
Holistic healthcare primarily differs from conventional medicine in the diagnosis and treatment of illnesses. In holistic practices, identifying the disease is not the singular goal because illnesses are viewed as effects of the patient’s individual lifestyle; thus, treatments will vary for each person. Holistic treatments often incorporate medication, natural solutions or supplements, or diet and exercise regimens, like yoga. On the other hand, conventional medicine often includes formal tests and standardized treatments for every patient based on the illness. Treatments often include medication, with brief suggestions for lifestyle changes rather than concrete emphasis or direction to make those changes.
Cause of Ailment
While conventional medicine looks at physical components, such as corporeal symptoms and genetics, for the causes of illnesses, holistic healthcare looks at the overall wellness of the patient. This includes any possible imbalances, such as issues with mental health and diet, and discussion on how to level out imbalances. For holistic practitioners, environmental and emotional influences are factors equally important to the wellbeing of a patient as physical components.
Insurance-Coverage
Until recently, many holistic practitioners were not covered by insurance or were out of network. Even still, many holistic practices may find it harder to be covered by insurance. One survey by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health found that Americans pay more than $30 billion per year on alternative medicines out of pocket. With trends like these, insurance companies are taking note and are moving to be more inclusive of holistic healthcare. On the other hand, conventional medicine is more likely to be covered by insurance providers, and thus more accessible to Americans.
Benefits of Holistic Medicine
There are numerous benefits to utilizing holistic healthcare in your wellness journey, ranging from the practitioner’s approach to their overall goal of treating you as a whole person rather than the symptoms of an illness. Such advantages include:
- Practitioners who offer safe, natural, and effective medicinal treatment options that include lifestyle and self-care, and who use alternatives to traditional prescription drugs and invasive procedures whenever possible
- Aiming to treat the underlying cause of disease or condition, instead of just managing the symptoms; holistic providers will take time to understand their patient as a whole and treat them as such as opposed to just treating individual components
- Prevention is the primary goal, as well as helping the patient unlock their innate healing abilities; patients are seen when they’re well and when they’re sick, which helps the patient and practitioner form a plan for continued well-being and disease prevention
Examples of Holistic Medicine
Here are some of the more common examples of holistic medicine:
Chiropractic Medicine
Chiropractic is an alternative medicine that is concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, especially the spine. This area focuses on the relationship between the body’s main structures – the skeleton, the muscles and the nerves—and the patient’s health. Chiropractors believe that health can be improved and preserved by making adjustments to these structures, particularly to the spinal column.
Acupuncture
A key component of traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture treatment involves inserting very thin needles through a patient’s skin at strategic points along the body, at various depths. Due to their small size, the needles don’t bring any discomfort but can provide relief by interrupting pain signals throughout the body. While acupuncture has been traditionally used to treat discomfort from a wide variety of diseases and conditions, it is increasingly used as a remedy for pain management and overall wellness.
Massage Therapy
A type of integrative medicine, massage therapy involves a certified massage therapist who manipulates the soft tissues of the body, including muscle, connective tissue, tendons, ligaments, and skin. By using varying degrees of pressure and movement, the massage therapist can promote pain relief for health conditions or relaxation for overall well-being.
It’s one of the oldest remedies people have used for pain relief with a history that dates back about 5,000 years ago.
Yoga
Yoga is a mind and body practice; various styles of yoga combine physical postures, breathing techniques, and meditation or relaxation. Yoga is an ancient practice that may have originated in India, and involves movement, meditation, and breathing techniques to promote mental and physical well-being.
Tai Chi
The essential principles of tai chi include the mind being integrated with the body through control of movements and breathing, generating internal energy, mindfulness, and song. The ultimate purpose of tai chi is to cultivate the qi or “life energy” within each person in order for it to flow smoothly and powerfully throughout the body. Total harmony of the inner and outer self comes from the integration of mind and body – empowered through healthy qi – via the practice of tai chi.
Reiki
Reiki is a Japanese form of alternative medicine called “energy healing”. Reiki practitioners use a technique known as palm healing or hands-on healing through which a “universal energy” is said to be transferred through the palms of the practitioner to the patient in order to encourage emotional or physical healing.
Meditation
Meditation is a practice where an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state. It’s also a consciousness-changing technique that can promote a wide number of benefits on psychological well-being.
Streamline Medical Insurance Billing for Holistic Practices with HBS!
No matter what type of holistic practice you’re running, your medical insurance billing processes could use some help. Medical billing is especially complicated for holistic practices and can possibly overwhelm your business as you focus on growing your practice and provide care for your patients. By outsourcing your medical billing, you can leave the responsibility of insurance enrollments, credentialing, and medical billing and coding to the experts – saving you time!
As an experienced billing provider for holistic practices, Holistic Billing Services can help your practice navigate the intricacies of insurance billing claims to minimize denials, increase your revenue, and grow your practice. We understand the unique needs of holistic practices, as well as the common obstacles you face when it comes to medical billing and coding. With a knowledgeable partner by your side, you can streamline your billing and increase your revenue cycle management! To learn more about our services, talk to one of our billing and coding experts today.
Holistic Billing Services knows it takes a lot to run a streamlined and effective practice. Serving your patients and treating them with the best holistic approaches should always be your top priority, but sometimes massive piles of paperwork, billing errors, and insurance delays can weigh you down and poorly affect your practice. There’s got to be a better way than swimming through regulations and claims forms, right?
That’s where outsourced medical billing services can play a key role in improving your practice’s operations. From reducing filing errors to keeping your records organized, there are many benefits to utilizing a third-party billing service. Keep reading to learn more!
What Are Outsourced Medical Billing Services?
Many holistic practices process billing with in-house staff, which comes with the responsibility for potential complications that come with the billing process. Whether it be organizational issues, delayed payments, or any other challenges frequently associated with the medical billing process, your in-house billing team can quickly be overwhelmed.
By outsourcing medical billing, your medical practice can avoid these common stressors. Outsourcing your medical billing is when your practice lets a dedicated third-party code and bill your procedures. By trusting a medical billing company with your information, you can rely on the professional expertise of their staff to find the most comprehensive and efficient way of processing your coding and billing so your medical practice can focus on other areas of improvement.
Why Does Accurate Medical Billing and Coding Matter for Holistic Practices?
Accurate medical billing and coding means your holistic practice is efficient, maintains a clean claims rate, and is overall optimized for profit. If your holistic practice is repeatedly producing errors in its administrative paperwork and insurance claims, then your revenue cycle and reputation will be negatively impacted. Partnering with expert medical billing outsourcing services can result in a streamlined workflow, reduced mistakes, and increased revenue and earning potential for your medical practice. Plus, experienced medical billing outsourcing companies regularly generate comprehensive performance reports, and can keep you better informed of delays and payment issues than your on-site staff could.
The Top Benefits of Outsourcing Medical Billing Services
When it comes to outsourcing your holistic practice’s billing, there are a variety of benefits! From saving time to reducing inaccuracies, utilizing a third-party service can streamline your holistic practice in many ways. Such advantages include:
More Time and Resources Available for Other Responsibilities
In the holistic field, we recognize you often wear many hats and have a wide range of responsibilities. However, medical billing is a full-time job. In order to stay on top of the volume of transactions in an accurate and timely manner, you’ll need a separate team dedicated entirely to billing. By outsourcing medical billing for your holistic practice, you will save your administrative staff hours that can be allocated to other pertinent needs.
Enhanced Transparency with Performance Reports
Holistic practitioners might worry that outsourcing medical billing means relinquishing control of the RCM process to a set of strangers – but that’s not the case. Once you contract with a firm, your outsourced billing team becomes obliged to earn you positive marks on a defined set of metrics, such as first-pass payments, denial rates, and collection ratios. This dedicated team also provides data on your holistic practice’s efforts and outcomes, which gives you unprecedented transparency into your revenue cycle.
Fewer Medical Billing Errors
Billing errors, inaccurate coding, and other inefficient collection policies have the potential to result in a huge revenue hit. Everyone makes mistakes—but when it comes to medical billing, just one mistake can turn into a delayed payment for your holistic practice. Between incorrect patient information, authorization errors, duplicate billing, and more, billing errors can be a costly expense. Outsourcing medical billing can help ensure your holistic practice is profitable, and that the medical billing process is up-to-date and free of human error.
Increased Patient Satisfaction
Every holistic practice aims to deliver excellent care and customer service, but juggling everything on your practice’s plate makes it difficult to meet all your patients’ expectations. Your support staff is always going to be responsible for managing scheduling tasks, executing patient check-in and check-out, keeping the books, and handling clinical concerns. By outsourcing medical billing, you’re freeing up your staff’s time to better attend to patient needs, resulting in higher satisfaction rates and better patient retention.
What to Look For In A Medical Billing Company
You want your holistic practice to work with the best medical billing company out there, right? With so many factors to consider, be sure to explore your options thoroughly. These questions are a good place to start when researching holistic medical billing services:
What Medical Billing Services Do They Provide?
Revenue cycle management is a complex process, which involves a variety of important tasks. It is vital to identify each of these tasks and assign them to either the practice or the medical billing company. Not every medical billing contract is the same. For example, your holistic practice might want to input charges on-site, while another practice might choose for the billing company to not only enter the charges, but also complete the coding for the encounters. All steps need to be discussed and clear expectations set.
What Training Does Their Staff Receive?
Proper training of a medical billing company’s staff is essential to maintaining their core competency. Before you engage in any agreements, confirm that the billing staff is certified and receives continuing education to maintain their certifications.
What is Their Approach to Working with Your Holistic Practice?
When it comes to outsourcing medical billing, both the provider and the outsourced company must mutually agree that the relationship is a partnership. There are many benefits to outsourcing medical billing, while still feeling like it’s being handled in-house. You want your practice to feel valued and supported by your third-party billing team!
Transform Your Revenue Cycle Management With Holistic Billing!
Our experts here at Holistic Billing Services believe that our success is your success. From handling medical billing and coding to offering consulting services and much more, our team is dedicated to making it feel like we’re in-house. With a focus on holistic practices, insurance background, and proven consultants, our team can effectively ensure the financial success of clients, allowing your medical practice to focus on what it does best: treat patients.
Our expertise is rooted in professional, technical, and global billing for hospital and stand-alone holistic care practices. To learn more about how outsourced medical billing with Holistic Billing Services can empower your practice, contact us today. We’ll work with you to build a customized solution that meets the specific needs of your practice and allows you to get back to treating patients.
Are you struggling with billing insurances? It may be a smart decision to outsource your insurance billing to an experienced acupuncture billing company. But the billing service you select will become more than just a services vendor—they‘ll become a partner in your financial success.