One of the toughest decisions a practice makes is with respect to retaining billing in-house or choosing to outsource.



Certainly there is no one answer for everyone, spending some time on this issue is well worth the effort.

On-site billing advocates typically mention "control" as a factor for why they favor on-site billing. The downside of this choice is that your employee may have too much control.

That is, they can get to know patients and let overdue accounts slide. They may dislike certain responsibilities (calling attorneys, for example) and decide to ignore them.

Furthermore, if your biller is sick, takes a day off or is doing less than a stellar job, they have negatively influenced your ability to get paid.

In these cases, "control" has its hazards as well.

Other reasons I hear in favor of in-house billing is sensitivity.

Because outsourcing companies are typically paid on what they collect, they may have the potential of being less sensitive to patient concerns

Again, look to the bottom line here before you conclude that you need this sensitivity from your billing department. Generally, these are the exact types of situations that will get you into accounts receivable trouble in the long run and are the downfalls of a biller who needs to be liked. Eventually, these little problems may you big money.

Lastly, with the regulations that surround today's billing processes, it frequently requires the specialized skills of a experienced biller to be successful and compliant. Billing should not be something that someone does to fill in the time between scheduling patients and pulling their charts.

When looking at the big picture, it is important to keep your target goal in mind.

For most, the goal of a chiropractic billing department is collections.

Many chiropractors are working harder than ever before and getting paid less due to additional regulations and dwindling reimbursements. A good question to ask is, "Do I really want the additional burden of managing my billing in-house?"

As you can see, there are many good reasons to outsource your chiropractic billing and, likely, the scales are tipped in favor of outsourcing.

Either way, now you can in your decision!