Insurance companies are notorious for being difficult to contact. If you call, you’re often put on hold. No matter what you do, insurance is seemingly always the bane of any billing-centric career.
Sadly, there’s no magic, one-size-fits-all solution. But here are some questions to ask yourself to keep track of the information you juggle every day. See how you can even prepare for contract negotiations!
#1) Do you know who you’re supposed to talk to?
First thing’s first: Who is your point of contact with every insurance company you have a contract with? Start a spreadsheet with the information you have right now. Add to the spreadsheet as you accumulate more info. Once you have a current, working database it’ll feel easier to do your job. Be sure to put all website portal information in your spreadsheet!
Pro-tip: Use Rivet. When you click on a denied claim in Rivet you can see all saved insurance portal, policy and contact information for the payer.
#2) Do you have access to your contracts and fee schedules?
The more information you have, the better. When you know what you were supposed to be paid, you can more efficiently talk to insurance companies. When you know the terms of your contracts, you can make sure you stay within those bounds. We suggest you have a central location for all of your contracts and/or fee schedules so you can easily reference them as needed.
You’ll likely need to call and use their website portal to get those pesky contracts and fee schedules. This may feel burdensome, but it is well worth the effort! Once you have up-to-date information, you’ll be able to better understand denials and underpaid claims. You’ll also be able to re-negotiate contracts to get paid more!
Pro-tip: Rivet can track down the information you’re missing. House all of your contracts and fee schedules directly in Rivet. You can even model how changes in your contracts could affect your practice.
#3) Do you keep notes on what you learn?
If you keep notes and create instructions on how to deal with specific payers or claims, you’ll likely be able to meet similar claims or issues with greater ease. You’ll have to decide how you want to stay organized, but this step is often an overlooked gold mine of knowledge that isn’t always top of mind.
Pro-tip: Create instructions and save notes connected to tricky claims in Rivet so you can see trends in your claims.
#4) Have you seen Rivet, yet?
Let’s see if Rivet is a good fit for your practice. Request a demo today.
What is Rivet?
Rivet is a software solution that integrates with your EHR for up-front patient cost estimates (that comply with the No Surprises Act), as well as denied claim and underpaid claim tools.
Download this PDF to see more information about Rivet's products.
