Practice Management Alert

Start with the basics and then move on to learning the intricacies.When a patient is covered by two insurance companies, such as patients whose employer and spouse's employer both provide health benefits, claims processing can be confusing. Add in differing payer claims processes and patients who might not give you all the information you need, and primary and secondary payer cases can lead to reimbursement loss -- not to mention biller headaches.You can maximize your practice's reimbursement and reduce the costs of administering claims for patients covered by more than one payer if you understand coordination of benefits (COB) and how both insurers are supposed to pay.In this first article of a two-part series, you'll learn the basics about billing two payers. Then, tune in next issue for part two, in which you'll learn more details about handling primary and secondary payer claims. Take a look at these first three questions -- with [...]