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To Collect or Not to Collect? That Is the Social Security Number Question

Published on Fri Jul 13, 2012

Let these three expert tips help you stay compliant while still gathering the info you need to bill patients. As the stories of identity theft seem to increase every day, patients may be reluctant to provide their Social Security Number (SSN) to your practice. But sometimes, you must have the patient's SSN in order to bill his insurance. So how much should you push, and just how critical is that nine-digit number? Follow these expert tips to keep you patients happy while still making sure your practice gets paid for services your providers perform. 1. Collect Only When NecessaryExperts suggest that practices should not collect SSNs unless absolutely necessary. Some insurance companies still require SSNs for billing purposes (for example, some still use SSNs as patient ID numbers). But if the patient's insurance does not require the information on your claims, you should protect your practice by not collecting the [...]
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