Claims need accuracy so selecting the right billing software for your chiropractic office is not exactly a walk in the park. You will no doubt find it difficult and painful precisely because it is one of the most important yet complex choices that will determine the fate of your practice. Just how are you supposed to pick the right one from hundreds of vendors who all present the same features while offering different solutions?
One thing is clear: Choosing the wrong software for your practice can result in lower collections and increased operating costs.
But fair play most definitely eludes this so-called game. Instead insurance payers keep complicating the already arcane process to further delay and reduce payments. Needless to say, the chiropractic billing software you choose for your practice needs to be capable of outsmarting and outplaying the payers without making your life more complicated. In other words, you have to be able to use the software effectively and competently even as new user. On the other side of the coin, the software needs to deliver on its promises of getting you paid faster and in full without any undeserved reductions by the payers.
How NOT to select chiropractic billing software
Telling good from bad is often not easy when it comes to software, especially without the opportunity to try it out. One sure way to pick the wrong billing software is to go about your search without any kind of order or clearly defined priorities, which in turn exacerbates the difficult process. The end result will no doubt be buyers’ remorse fueled by your dreadful experience and anxiety when trying to actually use the “blindly” picked software. Make no mistake– no chiropractor will feel motivated to implement new software that gives him and his staff a major headache without even producing any benefits, such as faster payments.
To make matters worse it might even increases your operating costs due to wasted time with the software, placing you back at the start of the vicious cycle of poorly managed selection and failed implementation.
How to select the RIGHT chiropractic billing software
Now that you know what to avoid when selecting chiropractic billing software, let’s look at how to figure out which features determine a winner by using a systematic billing software selection process that adds order, prioritizes the selection process, and establishes quantitative selection criteria that enable meaningful product comparison and orderly implementation.
Here are four key software selection criteria you should use:
- Functionality
- Quality
- User support
- Ease-of-use.
Each of the four criteria is a necessary component for any software selection process. For instance, if the functionality is lacking, you will need to find an alternative solution. If quality is subpar, you will not be able to accomplish your goals, even if the software has all the needed functionality. If the software is not easy to use – who in your office will be able to use it? Finally, without solid user support, your software will fall out of step with continuous changes in the billing industry or your team will not be able to receive the needed help.
Functionality
Functionally, it’s convenient to look at billing software along the three tiers of sophistication.
Basic chiropractic billing software capabilities:
- document a claim in a superbill
- scrub it
- submit it to a payer
- post a payment
- provide basic AR report
Advanced chiropractic billing software capabilities:
- posts the payments automatically
- creates the secondary and tertiary claims as needed
- added features like inventory control, scheduling capabilities, and customized forms
Most advanced chiropractic billing software capabilities:
Straight Through Billing process:
- vast majority of claims are processed entirely automatically
- software discovers problem claims
- routes problem claims to experienced staff for resolution
- tracks the problem resolution process
Ultimately, you will get the most features and capabilities with the most advanced kind of chiropractic billing software. But if you do settle for less, at least make sure you pick the best vendor offering the features you most desperately need for running your practice effectively and successfully.
