Practice Management Alert

Question: I've heard that verifying a patient's benefits before our doctors even see the patient can help cut down on our denials and reduce our need for aggressive collection efforts. When should we verify the benefits?Arizona SubscriberAnswer: Verify as soon as possible. You really have four options for when your practice will perform the eligibility check:before the patient comes inat check-inwhile the patient is with the physicianafter the appointment.Best bet: In an ideal world, verification should happen before the patient is treated. You wouldn't need to verify eligibility after you render the services and the patient leaves the office. By that point your options to collect payment are already diminished. Why waste time checking to find out whether or not you'll actually get paid at that point; it's too late.That's why experts recommend that you verify benefits and eligibility before the patient even walks through the door. Therefore, you can [...]