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Frequently Asked Questions
Billing Service Questions and Answers
Compass Application Hosting Questions and Answers
Billing Service Questions and Answers
Is it smart to let my billing go out to another company?
Industry experts agree that it can be extremely good business to concentrate on your core competencies, like providing quality medical care, and intelligently "outsource" your ancillary functions, like billing. Compass specializes in medical practice billing and practice management software. Our senior staff averages over 15 years in the medical billing industry and are true physician oriented professionals.
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Why should I spend all that money on a billing service when I can do it cheaper in-house?
In many cases, a billing service can be more cost effective than in-house billing. Our cost analysis on an "average" two to five doctor practice shows that our costs are comparable to the cost of staffing, office space, storage, etc for an in-house computer system. In addition, we estimate we can improve collections between 2% to 10% at the "average" practice.
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What makes you think you can improve my collections?
First, we are experts in this field. We know how to do medical billing properly to maximize your reimbursements. Equally important, we concentrate on the billing without all the distractions that occur in a medical practice. We will periodically review your fee schedule to insure that your coding is done to your advantage. We can improve your cash flow, in many cases, by reduced data entry problems, improved claims tracking and turn-around time on rejected claims. We work your accounts receivable collections each and every month.
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How will I know if you are doing a good job?
We meet with the physicians and selected staff monthly to review the monthly reports which provide an excellent picture of the practice's billings and collections. The reports include an aged accounts receivable summary, detailed practice productivity and insurance statistics. Custom reports are available for those practices which require them.
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What services are provided with your billing service?
First of all, as part of the setup of your billing service program, we install a high-speed communications line and networking equipment so you have access to your data from your networked PCs. This allows you to utilize our exceptional appointment scheduling software, review patient accounts, print any desired reports, generate patient lab information sheets, recall letters or labels, etc. Except for the networked PCs and printers in your office, there is no additional cost to you for these benefits.
Of course, our primary function is to provide high quality, professional billing and collection services. We process your claims in a timely, exacting manner. We generate patient statements weekly and work collections for all patients and insurance companies each month. We review insurance payments for correctness and promptly appeal all substantially incorrect payments.
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How does this reduce my administrative headaches?
You no longer have to worry about a billing office staff. We are responsible for hiring, training and supervision. You don't have to provide office space and storage for the billing office. You don't have to worry about the computer or software. We take care of all those details. All you need is a simple local area network in your office to use for patient lookup, to generate charge tickets, and for appointment scheduling.
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What if we need help with the software in our office?
Quick, efficient software support is only a phone call away. Software support is provided as part of your billing service.
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How do you make sure you don't offend my patients?
While we feel it is our sworn duty to harass insurance companies, we understand the special relationship you want to preserve with your patients. Our policy is to treat each patient with the respect we would like to receive if we were on the other end. For those patient that do not pay their accounts within a specified time frame, we have a collection policy and documents which can be tailored to your situation. Generally speaking, however, the collection notices become harsher the more delinquent the patient becomes or if they deviate from an agreed upon payment plan.
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What is it you do for my practice again?
In a nutshell, we provide all the advantages of a in-house billing system staffed by top-notch billing professionals with few of the risks and disadvantages of an in-house system. We maximize your reimbursements and collections at a cost comparable to an in-house system.
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How long do I have to commit to?
We want you to continue using our service because you want to and it is in your best interest. Therefore, we do not bind you to a long-term commitment. You are free to cancel at the beginning of any month with a minimum of 30 days notice. We can then collect your outstanding accounts receivable for you or provide your data to you on CD-ROM in an industry standard format suitable for importing into another system.
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What if I choose not to have computers in my office?
Although we believe most practices are better off with access to TOPS in their office, we can certainly accommodate those practices that choose not to install the communications link or PCs in their office.
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How do I get started?
The short answer is ... let us know you are ready to proceed and we will get you a service contract to review and sign. We can usually start entering your data within a couple weeks. However, it generally takes US WEST four to six weeks to get the communications line and equipment installed. That is generally the quickest we can get you connected to our centralized computer system.
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Compass Application Hosting Questions and Answers
What is application hosting?
Application hosting, or an application server as it is sometimes called, is a fairly new concept in the computer industry that is becoming very popular due to its cost effectiveness and reduced administration for the subscriber. An application server is a centralized computer system or network that runs one or more applications and allows subscribers to access the system either through the Internet or over a private network via high speed communication lines. It allows the cost of expensive applications, computer systems, and technical expertise to be spread over a wide number of subscribers.
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What is the Compass application hosting program?
Compass maintains an application server providing access to TOPS, our medical practice management and appointment scheduling software. We currently offer host based word processing and faxing, as well. We intend to offer computerized telephone contact for patient appointments, recalls, birthdays, etc. We are in the process of designing a variety of knowledge bases and tools to help practices with common problems. For example, one of the knowledge bases will help practices deal with insurance company requirements more effectively.
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What are the advantages of using the Compass application hosting service?
Cost. For many practices, our application server is considerably less expensive, over the long term, than purchasing and maintaining a comparable system in the office.
Less administration. We handle all the details and problems associated with maintaining and upgrading the server. All the subscriber is responsible for is maintaining the local area network in their office, a very common and manageable matter.
Reliability. We only use the highest quality components on our application server to reduce the likelihood of failure. In addition, we have a high level of redundancy built in to the server. In the event a failure does occur, we have the technical expertise on staff to correct the problem quickly and get the system back on line as soon as possible.
Functionality. We can cost effectively provide additional features and add-ons that would not be cost effective with an in-office system.
Enhancements. Over time we intend to offer several shared features that practices simply could not cost justify on their own.
Current versions. We maintain the computer server, the operating system and the applications at current revisions. Something that would be very expensive and is seldom done on an in-office system.
Support. We provide faster, more thorough and more cost effective support on our application server.
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Am I better off having my own system in-office?
This is a very subjective question, however, we believe that in many cases a practice would see much better results and have a happier staff using our hosted applications. Experts agree you are better off concentrating on your core competencies and outsourcing some ancillary functions to companies that specialize in that area. Because of the obsolescence and administration factors we feel very strongly that, for many medical practices, a central computer system is one of the first things that should be considered for outsourcing.
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Is it expensive?
Not when you compare all the costs involved in maintaining an in-office system. For many subscribers, the costs of the Compass Application Hosting Program are lower.
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What are the disadvantages of Compass application hosting service?
The only real disadvantage we have identified is the potential for communication line failures. If the communications link from your office to our Application Server fails then we have to rely on the phone company (usually US West) to fix the problem. However, this is a rare occurrence and the phone company is usually very good about correcting problems within one business day.
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Can TOPS be customized to meet my practice's needs?
Absolutely! We can still customize TOPS to your requirements the same as if it resides on an in-office system. Each subscriber has a complete data base with their unique codes and parameters. In addition, optional custom programming, custom reports, and custom forms are all available.
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What if we need help?
The access fee includes system administration and software support. Timely, quality support is just a phone call away. We are also designing a program where we can provide manpower assistance when you have people out sick, on vacation, or just when you need a little extra help. We are also exploring the feasibility of setting up a central appointment scheduling center. Practices could use it after hours, as a backup, or even as their primary scheduling center.
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