Patient Scheduling Software: Ways to Effectively Schedule Patients

Patient scheduling is a hectic and critical task for every healthcare practice. In such confusing scenarios, patient scheduling software helps the practice to streamline the administrative tasks, increase the revenue, and improve patient satisfaction.  

Creating day-to-day appointments, sending reminders and scheduling follow-ups becomes very easy with patient scheduling software. These tasks come up as a huge hurdle if done manually without the use of software.  

Improving patient scheduling is a consistent goal of every healthcare practice. According to data, 52% of healthcare professionals spend around 10 hours weekly to confirm online patient scheduling appointments and returning to patient calls and emails. This is a huge time for a healthcare provider to invest in something other than their practice.  

The best solution is to optimize the productivity of healthcare staff by timely scheduling and reducing the wait time of patients. This in turn increases patient satisfaction.  

In this blog we will learn about some of the most efficient ways to enhance your organization’s patient scheduling process.  

How to Effectively Schedule Patients? 

The healthcare industry invests heavily in patient communication technologies which reduces the time taken for preparing the patients to be scheduled and registered. Notifying the patients through reminders regarding personal information updates, completion of lab work and making co-payments can help your practice by reducing the administrative work time for healthcare professionals.  

This helps providers devote more time towards administrative tasks and improve the quality of patient care. Below mentioned are some ways to effectively improve patient scheduling.  

Integrate a Patient Scheduling Software 

It is very important for practices to allow their patients to schedule their appointments via user-friendly healthcare apps and portals. Streamlining the scheduling process improves patient satisfaction and saves time for healthcare providers by eliminating the tasks such as rescheduling, reminding and confirming appointments via email or phone.  

An efficient patient scheduling software like Unify Medicraft, helps you integrate patient self-scheduling software which allows patients to schedule their health appointments at any given moment in time.  

An online patient scheduling portal offers an easy way to book appointments for routine checkups to repeat appointment services like X-Rays, physical therapies etc.  

Patient self-scheduling software integrates patient provider communication and automatically suggests alternatives for open schedules to patients for rescheduling their appointments.  

Create a Scheduling Patient Appointment System 

Having an efficient and streamlined appointment system reduces the number of no-shows through automated scheduling systems.  This system allows providers to notify the patients about their appointments and confirm the date and time with them.  

Patient scheduling software optimizes the medical scheduling system ensuring less workflow interruptions of healthcare practices.  

Setting up an appointment scheduling reminder helps the patients reschedule or cancel their appointments with an approximate time frame via direct responses to the automated reminder.  

Implement a Patient Wait-List 

Cancellations are inevitable in the healthcare industry. A lot of times patients book appointments but do not show up. However, the negative impact of cancellations and no-shows can be decreased by implementing a waitlist for someone who might need an early appointment.  

This step helps you fill any available slots and improves patient satisfaction. Create a broadcast text message for the patients and notify them about the available slots. This will allow the patients to confirm their appointment smoothly.  

Another service which can be implemented is a third-party service to manage patient appointments.  

Data Collection  

Collecting and analyzing data can be helpful in identifying opportunities for your patient scheduling software and understanding patient flow-concerns. This helps organizations discover and explore the gaps in healthcare access and the blocks in workflow.  

Using an efficient patient scheduling software with robust functionalities provides a clear perspective on what needs improvement. There are a variety of patient appointment scheduling software in the market like Unify Medicraft that makes a list of cancellations and no-shows.  

It also provides great insights into the revenue cycle management of your organization. This helps organizations keep track of opportunities and trends which can be used as a base to deduce necessary changes in the process.  

Leverage Appointment Systems 

Healthcare facilities are flooded with referrals which brings various challenges for healthcare staff. This affects staff productivity, decreasing the healthcare provider’s outcome.  

This can be rectified by using patient scheduling software which is automated for sending messages to the patients for confirmation of their appointments. This saves a lot of time for your staff. All they need to do is ensure routine follow-up with patients who complete the referral appointment.  

Practices can simplify the process by using electronic solutions like patient appointment scheduling software to set up reminders for referred patients and no-show bookings. This enhances referral communication and providers can focus more on patient care.  

Set Priority with Patient Appointment Scheduling Software 

Patient scheduling is an important aspect in medica billing. A lot of factors are considered such as the level of care required, patient’s medical history, time taken to complete the treatment and more.  

Using a patient appointment scheduling software system enables pre-determined form for patients. These forms consider the patient’s conditions, medical history, and information for booking appointments.   

This gives providers a basic idea of the appointment requirements. Patient scheduling software makes sure that the patients are getting appointments according to the highest level of care and treatment required.  

Final Thoughts 

Enhancing a patient appointment scheduling process is important for a seamless functioning of your healthcare practice. A patient appointment scheduling software can help your practice streamline the patient intake process and keep track of their treatment in progress.  

The software has the capability to optimize the scheduling process. It also enables private practices, vendors and enterprise health systems to communicate with patients across a variety of channels.  

Having efficient patient scheduling software like Unify Medicraft can simplify your medical billing process and take care of all the administrative tasks. It ensures that all the billing and coding is done precisely eliminating any scope of error.  

Unify Medicraft has the power to handle all the paperwork and documentation for you so that you have all the time to provide great patient care.  

Understanding Behavioral Health Software

With the healthcare industry's shifting its focus on mental health over the years, the need for behavioral health software has also increased.  

Medical billing for behavioral health can be a very overwhelming and exhausting task for a psychiatrist which is why helping them streamline their billing processes with behavioral health billing software is not an option but a must. 

Also, insurance companies have specific timings. Psychiatrists must bill for each treatment, making the process more complicated for healthcare providers. For this reason, using health behavioral health billing software is great to streamline their billing process. 

Choosing the right billing software for mental health professionals greatly affects how they function from receiving payments to the time they spend with their patients. 

In this blog, we’ll focus on simplifying behavioral health software and why every psychiatrist needs it to function well in their practice. Let us dive into it without wasting any time. 

What is Behavioral Health Software 

Behavioral health software is a tool designed to help psychologists process their medical billing and other administrative tasks. Behavioral mental health practices are more detailed when compared to other medical fields. 

These challenges make behavioral health software a solution that ensures healthcare providers deliver the highest quality of care to their patients. It also helps healthcare providers track and monitor their clients’ progress.   

Features to Look for in a Behavioral Health Software   

Behavioral health billing software is designed to make practices easy for healthcare providers. Therefore, it must have features that make all their billing processes smooth and accurate. Let us talk about some of the common features you must look for in behavioral health software.   

Electronic Health Records Integration   

A good behavioral health software must be able to integrate with Electronic Health Records without a problem. With this, healthcare providers can easily store, check, and retrieve their patient health information. This information includes the following: 

1. Clinical diagnosis 
2. Patient assessments 
3. Treatment plans 
4. Medical history 
5. Medications and test results 

This process eliminates the loss of patient information and monitors patient progress over time.   

Security and Compliance  

When patients experience a condition that affects their mental, emotional, or behavioral functioning, they provide sensitive information that needs to be protected. Making sure patient information is protected and psychiatrist compliance with regulations is mandatory in the healthcare industry. The best behavioral health software must have features that ensure healthcare providers stay in compliance.  

Medical Billing and Revenue Cycle Management   

One of the features a good behavioral health billing software must have is the ability to streamline medical billing and revenue cycle management for mental health providers. This ensures there is no error in the medical billing, increases the rate of reimbursement and grows the revenue.    

Telehealth Integration   

Telehealth is now the new way psychiatrists provide mental healthcare services for their patients remotely. Behavioral health billing software must-have features that can integrate seamlessly with telehealth. These include secure video conferencing, virtual waiting rooms, and electronic prescribing capabilities that allow the patient to access and communicate with their healthcare provider.   

The Impact of Behavioral Health Billing Software  

Accurate Medical Billing  

Behavioral health billing software is known to help psychiatrists with their medical billing process. It ensures the code, and every other important detail, are accurate without wasting so much time going through irrelevant information. Having the right documents and a well-organized process, healthcare providers get to submit claims faster and receive payments promptly.  

Eligibility Verification  

Insurance eligibility verification and pre-authorization are important to ensure treatments align with insurance coverage. The best behavioral health billing software verifies patient insurance eligibility and offers specialty-specific coding. This ensures proper billing procedures while minimizing claim rejection and providing seamless payment.  

Medical Claims Tracking  

Behavioral health billing software keeps healthcare providers updated on their medical claims by tracking the process of each claim. It also ensures mental health providers submit claims on time and resubmit claims that are denied. 

Improve Cashflow 

Properly submitted claims result in faster reimbursements, which helps maintain a stable cash flow. When mental health providers receive their payments on time, they are able to cover their operational costs without unnecessary delays or financial strain. 

Administrative Task Management  

Behavioral health software reduces the manual workload put on the administrative staff of mental health providers. This leads to fewer human errors when documenting patient information and severe exhaustion. Also, the automated appointment scheduling and invoicing features in billing software ensure a smooth operational flow.  

How to Improve Your Behavioral Health Billing 

Accurate Patient Information 

Looking over your patient information more than one time does not hurt anyone, especially in medical billing. It is always important to ensure your patient information stays correct with no errors. Double-checking your patient's information in the billing process removes any inaccuracies that can make claims rejected.  

Submit Claim On Time 

While ensuring your claim is accurate with no human error, it is also important to not forget many insurance companies have a timeframe for medical billing. Therefore, submitting your claim at the appropriate times ensures you get paid for the services rendered, which in turn increases cashflow. 

Use the Right Code 

Every medical claim has a specific code assigned for billing and using the wrong code can result in a significant impact on the reimbursement process. Therefore, it is important to make sure that no mistake is made with your medical coding 

The Bottom Line   

Getting paid for the services you provide as a psychiatrist should never be a stressful process. Using behavioral health software is a wise option to ease your process and get your reimbursements without any claim denials.    

Unify Medicraft is the best medical billing software that ensures mental healthcare providers get maximum reimbursements and a seamless billing process. They make your filling process precise and save you time so that you can fully concentrate on patient welfare.  

Prior Authorization in Medical Billing

Every healthcare provider always wants to make their patient care a priority. However, the complexities of insurance policies can sometimes create roadblocks. One such guideline that needs to be taken care of is prior authorization.   

Healthcare providers are required by insurance companies to carry out prior authorization for specific medical procedures and failure to do so will result in insurance claim denial. This additional process must be done before healthcare providers give medications and treatments for specific health issues. 

In this blog, we will discuss the importance of prior authorization in medical billing and how it will skyrocket your practice revenue.

What is Pre-Authorization in Medical Billing? 

Prior authorization is the process of getting a medical service(s) authorized by an insurance company. It establishes a legal responsibility that shows the insurance company will pay for the medical service mentioned in the prior authorization form.  

Prior authorization is done for the following: 

- Medications that include specialty drugs 

- Expensive medical procedures such as heart transplants 

- Durable medical equipment such as oxygen equipment, crutches and wheelchairs 

- Diagnostic tests such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging scans 

Once approved, the healthcare provider is given a unique authorization number to seal the approval. 

The Role of Prior Authorization in Medical Billing 

Prior Authorization in Medical BillingPrior authorization may sometimes be confusing for many patients because they feel whether their insurance policy will cover their medical services or don’t. However, that is never the case with insurance policies. 

Insurance companies use prior authorization to control how they pay healthcare providers and also ensure the treatment is necessary and the best option for the patient. With that said, some medical services can be covered if approved through prior authorization.  

Here are some of the roles of prior authorization in medical billing. 

Quality Control 

With pre-authorization, insurance companies are able to verify if the medical procedures and treatments align with guidelines established by the healthcare industry.   

Cost Management 

Insurance companies use pre-authorization as a cost control measure to reduce the payment for expensive procedures that might not be medically necessary. It also allows insurance companies to verify if the plan the patient pays for covers the treatment. 

Minimize Fraud  

Pre-authorization minimizes fraud against healthcare providers that want to use fraudulent practices to extort money from insurance companies and patients. By verifying the legitimacy of the treatment, insurance companies prevent excessive medical billing. 

Patient Safety 

With pre-authorization, medical treatment plans are carefully examined to avoid potential risks or harmful procedures. 

Understanding How Prior Authorization Works

When patients understand how prior authorization works, it helps them navigate their medical procedures and ensure they receive the right treatments without emptying their pockets. 

Here is a step-by-step process of patient prior authorization. 

Evaluation of Patient  

The first step is the evaluation of the patient by the healthcare provider and establishing whether their medical issue requires a specific procedure, test, medication, or medical device.  

Insurance Eligibility Verification 

The patient’s insurance plan is verified to ensure they are eligible for such treatment or procedure with prior authorization. 

Pre-Authorization Submission  

The healthcare provider prepares all the required medical records and documentation that shows the patients need the treatment. It is then sent with a pre-authorization form to the patient’s insurance company. The forms also explain all the medical procedures or treatment and estimated costs.  

Review and Decision by Insurance Company 

After receiving the prior authorization form, the insurance company reviews the patient's medical record, treatments, documentation and coverage eligibility before making a final decision.  

Pre-authorization Approval or Denial  

If the prior authorization is approved, the insurance company will send a unique authorization number to confirm the healthcare provider should go on with the procedure. If it is denied, the provider can appeal the decision or use other treatment options.

Avoid Claim Denials Before and After Pre-Authorization

How to Avoid Claim Denials Before and After Pre-Authorization  

Pre-authorization is one of the most important steps in insurance verification when treating patients with certain expensive procedures. However, submitting a prior authorization form does not mean automatic approval and reimbursement.  

Here are a few tips to take into consideration to avoid claim denial due to authorization. 

Submit Authorization Request Early 

The first step to avoid denial is by submitting your prior authorization at the right time. With a long process that often takes days or weeks, you do not want to keep your patient's health in danger due to submitting their prior authorization form late. 

Include the Authorization Number 

When filling out your medical claim after prior authorization, you must include the authorization number to prevent claims rejection. The authorization number is the confirmation that the insurance company approves the procedure or treatment. So, without the number, you cannot confirm their approval. 

Use Accurate Codes 

Check carefully to ensure your CPT and HCPCS codes are accurate to the treatment you provide. Any error in your coding automatically leads to claim denial by the insurance company. 

The Bottom Line 

Pre-authorization is a very important process but can be extremely long and frustrating. Therefore, prior authorization submissions should be done by professionals with experience in medical billing. 

Unify Medicraft is the best medical billing software for simplifying your prior authorization and other medical billing processes. The software makes your billing process accurate and easy, so you don't have to worry about your revenue.