The answer is simple - self service.  The practice's office staff is responsible for entering and updating all patient and insurance information, posting all charges and co-pays, maintaining the various support files, and even submitting the electronic claim files to the clearinghouse.  Claims rejected during the submission process must also be corrected and resubmitted by the office staff in many cases.

 

For those practices fortunate enough to have experienced billing personnel on staff with the time available to perform these tasks, this can be a viable option.  However, most practices utilizing a billing service either don't have these resources available internally or don't find it cost-effective to split the billing function in this manner.  Practices that choose to outsource their billing often prefer to redirect their "front desk" staff resources to patient care and other administrative tasks best handled inside the office (auths, referrals, etc.).

 

When evaluating the pricing offered by different billing services, be sure you're performing an "apples to apples" comparison in order to avoid any unpleasant surprises.  Verify that you have the resources available internally to perform the required tasks, and that the cost of these resources is factored in to the total cost of any billing proposal under consideration.  Also, consider other factors like employee turnover, vacations and extended absences, ongoing training, skills and experience when making this important decision.