Insurance billing software allows medical offices to automatically process insurance claim forms. It interacts with their scheduling software, accounting software and other office programs to simplify this process. Some services charge a fee (per provider) for submitting medical claims through clearinghouses, but offer free electronic submission. Other products leave you responsible for insurance claims submission.
This software can be purchased as a stand alone product with a variety of service levels from claim printing only to complete claim processing with electronic submission capabilities. This software is also included as part of a medical software suite including patient scheduling, accounting, electronic medical records, contact management, and time management applications.
Features of medical billing software packages include:
- Electronic transmission ANSI 837 HIPAA-compliant format
- Standard insurance claim forms with different formats
- Automatic payment posting
- Tracks billings, accounts receivable and payments
- Commercial claims sent via Web MD or clearinghouse of your choice
- Line item accounting
- Invoice printing for private billings
Major Vendors:
- 2K Medical Billing
- Max Systems
- QQ Online
- Avolent
When evaluating and selecting an insurance billing application, several factors should be considered:
- What level of service are you looking for (claim printing only, claims submission and payment posting, or complete medical software package)
- Ease of use and training requirements
- Cost to upgrade
- Integration issues with accounting and other office software
- Special billing needs of your sub-industry
- System resources: Not usually an issue, but sometimes small medical offices are on over-taxed hardware already.