Empowering MHSA Professionals with Mental Health Billing Software

Even as the Affordable Cares Act gains momentum, many Americans still don’t have access to health insurance. There can be a number of reasons for such a plight. It can be because patients simply cannot afford to purchase health insurance, or they simply fall through the cracks because of residing in states like Florida who didn’t expand on their existing healthcare plan.

As such, self-pay patients are becoming more common. However, many can’t find themselves proper care as practitioners are still reluctant in accepting self-pay patients or don’t have patient payment centers that undertake such practice. So to encourage doctors to accept more patients of such nature, we are going to explore some tips and tricks that can help doctors accept self-pay patients with ease.

But first, let’s understand the reason behind the reluctance of so many doctors in accepting self-pay patients.

The Issues with Self Pay 

It is estimated that approximately 81 percent of revenue collected from patients is never really recovered when it is self-paid.  Add to this woes, almost 30 percent of patients are said to default on their bills. 

Keeping these figures in mind, it is not difficult to understand why doctors are reluctant. Enabling Self-pay sure seems like a recipe for disaster for the functioning of any healthcare organization. However, there are effective ways to ensure there is a perfect patient payment plan in place to avoid the above scenarios of loss.

Establishing an Efficient Policy

Before accepting self-pay patients, it is highly imperative to have some formal payment policies in place. This will protect doctors from losses and payment defaulters. There are 4 factors that must be considered while establishing this policy.

1 – Insurance Co-pays

Set up the office to accept both cash and credit payments, as patients are responsible to fulfill their own co-pays anyways.

2 – Referrals

Referrals are required by insurance companies to recommend patients with specialists they should visit. It forms a big aspect of the primary care providers business.

3 – Payment Responsibility

Providers should set up convenient patient payment centers to allow patients with as much convenience as possible in making payments. Introduce the option of online bill payment to ensure bills are paid on time.

4 – Past Payments

Have a policy to ensure collection of past dues, not a single outstanding payment should be allowed to slip through the cracks.

Creating a formal payment policy will ensure each of these 4 problems are taken care of efficiently. The payment policy should be available on your practice’s website or in print hanging in your practice premises wherever it is visible to your visitors.

Does your Self Pay Patient have hidden healthcare coverage?

Many self-pay patients are opting to pay from their own pockets because they don’t have healthcare coverage. Check their records thoroughly for any past healthcare benefits they can exploit. Also, most self-pay patients do not remain the same as time progresses. They might opt for a health insurance program because they could probably afford healthcare now.

Implement a comprehensive healthcare insurance checklist to ensure a patient isn’t paying more than what he is required to, and that you as a provider are getting paid correctly and on time.

The Bottom Line

As you can tell by now, self-pay patients enjoy a bad reputation in the healthcare industry. However, they are also humans and in need of health care. Care providers can ensure flexible payment options, and clearly communicated payment policies to ensure patients receive the care they need, and providers get paid for the services rendered. Providers can state in their policies that payment is due when services are rendered, thus automatically setting a deadline for payment of dues.

We know how important Telehealth technology has been in transforming health care. We know of the benefits it offers to both Patients and Providers alike. Some of which are as follows

• •     Improved Access to Healthcare
• •     Cutting Wait Time
• •     Making Health care affordable

Individuals are already taking full advantage of this revolutionary technology. They have mobile apps installed in their smartphones, and wearables on their wrist or shoulders to track their fitness. We know of the benefits that patients can have with telehealth. However, what are the benefits of telehealth on hospitals, clinics and other healthcare organizations.

In this article, we look at some of the benefits that hospitals and other healthcare organizations can enjoy by using Telehealth technology.

  The many uses of Telehealth Technology on Healthcare Institutes and Organizations

Increased Revenue

Access to healthcare, for many American even today, is extremely challenging. Factors like transportation, distance to a nearby clinic etc.  all play an important role in being hurdles for the proper access of healthcare. This can be even more inconvenient in cases of senior citizens or people with disabilities.

These individuals can barely make it to a clinic or hospital for proper care. However, with the help of telehealth technology, doctors and other practitioners can still schedule appointment and consult them live via a videoconferencing or live video tool.  So, these individuals, who would normally have never become a part of client base, can now become your most valuable clients, thanks to Telehealth.

The same rationale applies to people who don’t have access to healthcare due to them residing in rural or remote regions. They too can be catered to with the help of telehealth technology.

Greater Visibility

It is widely estimated that most people prefer telehealth over physical visits. According to a study done by American Well, it was found that over 65 percent of patients want to see their doctors over video. 

The rendering of virtual visits, mHealth apps, and remote patient monitoring solutions, a healthcare organization can attract positive media attention. Positive media attention, then eventually leads to new clients. 

Reducing Readmissions

Telehealth technology like RPM solutions can help keep tabs on patients who are considered high-risk. With the help of real-time patient data being provided by this technology, care teams can act immediately before the patient’s condition worsens. 

Hospitals are always seeking reduced readmission rates, more satisfied customers and avoiding penalties for subpar healthcare. A robust telehealth technology can help you accomplish that. 

Increasing Productivity

Hospitals and Healthcare institutes are busy places. As such doctors and nurses have a lot on their plate, and are constantly on their toes. Telehealth, by imbuing efficiency into the overall functioning of a hospital helps in boosting the productivity of their staff.

Telehealth helps patients schedule their own appointments, which means this burden is alleviated from the shoulders of the staff. Mobile communication also enables staff to collaborate effectively with each other. With so many mundane tasks taken care of, the staff can focus better on their patients. 

Better training

The science of medicine undergoes perpetual evolution. As such, people who practice medicine need to be constantly educated and informed of the developments in the world of healthcare. However, this can be very expensive. Some training programs charge exorbitantly high registration fees.

Thankfully, video conferencing technology today can help physicians attend training sessions remotely from the comfort of their own abode, without spending a ton of money. Virtual reality training solutions are also becoming very popular nowadays. They allow physicians to observe recorded surgeries from multiple angles and undergo simulation that offer hands-on experience to learn new techniques and procedures.

  DENmaar’s TeleHealth Services

At DENmaar, our telehealth solution offers both patients and providers with a communication technology that allows the access and management of health care services from homes of patients or the practices of doctors.  This tele-conferencing feature allows practitioners to attend to their patients, on their computer screens, where-in they can consult and serve their clients without having to make them wait in their clinics or making them transit long distances. 

All you have to do to access our feature, whether you are a provider or patient, is to sign up to our app and avail our telepsych feature.

The ongoing coronavirus crisis has already galvanized people into self-isolation. The isolation has already resulted in great stress among individuals across the US. Over 16 million Americans are estimated to be suffering from some form of depression; this number is likely to go up as the pandemic wreaks havoc on the streets.

As a result, many workers today are relegating to their employer provided mental health plans, widely encouraged by the employers themselves. They have realized the gravity of the disruption caused on their employee’s normal way of life, and how it can lead to unfathomable stress. There has also been a significant increase in the number of therapy sessions. 

Telehealth in Workplace

Telehealth Mental health platforms like Ginger have noticed a rise in their user base as well. This shows that employees are now turning to telehealth technology to find reprieve from their mental health problems. Glass – a company that deploys their tool to help users find behavioral health practitioners have reported a 25% increase in their client base. Modern health –  a virtual mental health app, on the other hand, has reported a 50 % increase in their user base. 

Headspace, a popular meditation app has also found a substantial increase in their users. They say that meditation on their app has become 13 times more often than any previous month. Headspace’s user base is mostly filled with Google and LinkedIn employees. Taking advantage of this opportunity, they have proceeded to create a free content hub to provide guided meditation and mental health exercises as the global lockdown continues. 

So as you can see, many telehealth apps are experiencing feats of success that they never dreamed of achieving. Addressing mental health has become a priority amongst businesses, who really want their employees to sail through these troubled seas without any problems whatsoever. Employees too, are relying on the available technology and programs in unprecedented numbers. Although mental health program existed before the pandemic hit, it had never been as popular as it is now.

Many Employers are actively encouraging users to take advantage of the EAP resources at the disposal of their employees. It is in times of such anxiety and uncertainty that behavioral health practitioners like counselors and psychiatrists are needed. However, with social distancing in effect, it is impossible to attend therapy sessions. This is precisely why Telehealth has come out as such a champion.  

Employers understand how crucial their staff’s mental health is. In times where conference, meetings and other office practices have halted, mental health care has become a need of the hour for employees to maintain their productivity.

It is estimated that people with mental health issues report 20% drop in their productivity. Companies have no choice but to think about the safety and wellbeing of their employees. Apart from work, the desire for some form of human connection has also lead to such technology gaining momentum, thus helping users connect with their loved ones.

 The Future of Telehealth Mental Health Care

Many epidemiologists have delivered warning signs of a yearlong fight with the novel coronavirus. In other words the virus is here to stay. In such a scenario, the work cannot be halted for an extended period of time. People will need to learn how to live with the crisis, and as a result people will need constant counseling. Thankfully, telehealth has never as advanced as it is today. With telehealth, you can rest assured your bread and butter continues while taking care of your mental health. Yes, the virus is here to stay, but so is the omniscient presence of telehealth.

DENmaar’s TeleHealth Services

At DENmaar, our telehealth solution offers both patients and providers with a communication technology that allows the access and management of health care services from homes of patients or the practices of doctors.  This tele-conferencing feature allows practitioners to attend to their patients, on their computer screens, where-in they can consult and serve their clients without having to make them wait in their clinics or making them transit long distances. 

All you have to do to access our feature, whether you are a provider or patient, is to sign up to our app and avail our telepsych feature.