In-House Vs. Outsourced Medical Billing: Pros & Cons
Overview:
The essential aspect of medical billing procedures is the handling of revenue cycle management. The most debated question of whether the medical billing procedures should be performed in-house or outsourced depends totally upon the healthcare practice. Here in this blog, we will share some exciting information that will help you decide whether to outsource your medical billing operations or not.
Summary:
- In-house medical billing procedures are the ones that are performed in the vicinity of the medical practice.
- If a team of professional billing and coding experts is hired outside the medical practice to perform billing services in time, it is referred to as outsourcing your medical billing.
- In-house medical billing can share several benefits if the right strategy is used.
- But you may have to face several different kinds of complications while managing the whole billing process.
- For instance, finding the right team for your in-house medical billing procedures is both time-consuming and costly.
- Outsourcing your medical billing company will broadly impact your healthcare practice by generating higher revenue and lowering overhead costs.
- It is the right time to outsource your medical billing procedures if you do not have professional medical billing experts who possess the billing codes’ technical know-how.
Difference Between In-House & Outsourced Medical Billing
As the name suggests, the billing operations are termed as in-house medical billing procedures when performed in the medical practice vicinity. Whereas, if a team of professional billing and coding experts is hired to perform claim submissions and other medical billing services in time is referred to as outsourcing your medical billing.
It’s a debatable question whether to in-house or outsource your medical billing operations as the answer depends on your healthcare practice performance. But one thing is for sure; if your medical practice is reaching the heights of success in terms of the number of patients visiting, it is mandatory to focus on maintaining the quality of your healthcare practice rather than performing the medical billing procedures on your own.
Pros of In-House Medical Billing Operations
In-house medical billing can share several benefits if the right strategy is used. The most common pros of in-house medical billing may include:
- You build a relationship of trust and loyalty with your long-term employees.
- If you have purchased the right billing technology, then going for an outsourcing option will cost you high expenditure.
In-House Medical Billing Challenges
As a healthcare practice, you may have to face several different kinds of complications while managing the whole billing process. The major challenges that may come on your part while performing in-house medical billing procedures may include:
- Finding the right team for your in-house medical billing procedures is both time consuming and costly.
- If you hire the team, you need extra space for the medical billing experts and additional resources.
- Your in-house billers’ salaries would be much higher compared to the cost of hiring a medical billing company to outsource your operations.
- You may have to keep an eye on the billing operations. Your in-house medical billing team has higher chances of making more billing errors while submitting claims than usual.
- Use of non-HIPAA compliant digital tools.
- The use of non-supportive software may increase the number of bugs that will lead you nowhere.
- Lack of market research, competitor’s knowledge, and expertise in the use of technical billing codes. In-house billers don’t have extensive experience of what their competitors are doing, and they are not very aware of any kind of updates in medical coding.
Pros of Outsourcing Your Medical Billing Operations
Outsourcing your medical billing company will broadly impact your healthcare practice by generating higher revenue and lowering overhead costs. The other major benefits of outsourcing your medical billing operations may include:
- It will help in maintaining data records for busy healthcare professionals.
- Outsourcing your medical billing operations is cost-affordable and cheap.
- It will ensure reduced management workload and expenditure costs that may become a part of the additional resources you may use at your workplace.
- It helps in improving the revenue cycle management (RCM) of your medical practice.
- The professional team of experts at a medical billing company will ensure transparency by providing detailed performance reports.
- The outsourcing company will ensure the management of claim denials and remain consistent with their exceptional and extraordinary billing services.
Which Practices Should Outsource Their Medical Billing & Coding Procedures?
As a medical practice, it is the right time to outsource your medical coding procedures if:
- You do not have professional medical billing experts that possess technical know-how of medical billing and coding.
- You should consider outsourcing as an option if your medical practice lacks tracking of your revenue cycle management. Outsourcing will boost your revenue cycle management.
- If you are struggling with generating a maximum amount of revenue for the medical practice, outsourcing your billing operations will boost the profitability ratio.
Outsourcing your medical billing operations can do wonders for you if it generates a high revenue and reduces the mess at your medical practice. You do not have to rush for anything or take control over the whole billing management operations as your medical billing company will offer an effective solution for it.
The benefits of outsourcing your billing operations are much higher and desirable. Reach out for getting a detailed overview of how we can help your medical practice in outsourcing the billing operations.