Practice Management Alert

Although resending an erroneously denied claim may seem like the quick fix, resends usually end up costing you more time in the long run.

"An automatic resend doesn't always fix your problem," says Pat Suhr, RN, CPC, billing manager at Maternal Fetal Medicine of Central PA in Harrisburg. There was a reason the claim didn't go through the first time, she says. So resending the claim as is - without first checking the reason for denial and calling the carrier to ask about the problem - will only result in a duplicate denial.

For example, there could be a problem with the patient's pre-authorization, the physician's carrier credentialing, or the insurance company's claims processing system. Unless you investigate and resolve the issue, you'll continue to receive denials.

A small oversight on your part may also have caused the denial, so a quick call to the carrier could reveal that you need to make corrections and send an appeal, Suhr says.