Marketing Medical Billing

Marketing Medical Billing services is essential to success. Use effective marketing strategies to land your first client and increase the income of your Medical Billing Home Business.

When I first started, my husband and I mailed out over 500 flyers and surveys in metro Atlanta. We got no responses. Was it because there wasn’t a demand for medical billing services in metro Atlanta? No. It’s because we didn’t put a lot of thought into marketing medical billing EFFECTIVELY . Our fliers were not very compelling. We were so eager to get started we took the ready-fire-aim approach to marketing.

In marketing medical billing by mail, I’ve found you need a way to compel prospective clients to take action. Probably the most effective way is to offer something free if they respond, or make them aware of upcoming industry changes. A free assessment of their superbills or practice analysis is a good example. HIPAA has also presented good opportunities to inform practices what the issues are, how they effect them, and how you can help.

Marketing is critical to growing your business. Consider it a part of normal operating costs and effort. Just like other service businesses, there is turnover. Doctor’s retire, die, combine with other practices, quit, change services, and decide to bring their billing back in house – you name it. So it’s important to always get your company’s name out there.

Get the Message Out

Probably one of the most ways of marketing medical billing is by word-of-mouth. Get the message out about who you are and what you have to offer. The most effective method is talking to people in the profession, insiders at your target organizations, colleagues, co-workers (and former), and friends.

How often have you bought a service based on the recommendation of someone you trust? Word-of-mouth is still one of the best forms of advertising. You need to get your message out frequently and consistently to as many people as possible.

Target having 20 to 30 conversations with people a week. Mention your qualifications, gather information, and develop contacts. These contacts are important to get information on those who may be looking for a billing service.

Get your message into conversations. You don’t have to be overbearing or annoying with it – just mention it and see where it leads.

Use Google
Marketing medical billing for free! For most people it’s easier to look for a service on Google than thumb through the phone book. Google has a local business center where you can enter information about your business and services. When someone searches for your a medical billing business on Google, it will show all the businesses in the area on a map. If you have a web site you can enter a link here also. Click here for more info on Google’s Local Business Center.

Marketing Medical Billing – Build a Website
This has been a real eye opener for me. I didn’t realize how effective a website could be until creating this one. A good professional looking website makes you look professional. You can also use it as a platform for producing an informative blog or newsletter and marketing to prospective clients.

There are several affordable website builder services available for less than $20 a month – Wix, Squarespace, and Weebly are just a few.

When used on your business cards and marketing, it allows you to give more detailed information on your services, qualifications, and explain why they need your services. You can build a site that markets your services AND generates income through affiliates and Google Adsense – like this website.

Offer something free
When you give people something, especially in a low-key way, it seems to make them a lot more receptive.

One of my approaches to medical billing marketing is to target several practices that look like good candidates to outsource their billing. I get something good from my local bakery like donuts, chocolate chip cookies – something most people like. Those in the front office are much more open when you give them something and it helps get a conversation started. You may be surprised what doors will open. I got my largest client this way.

Other Freebie’s for marketing medical billing to offer:

  • A code review. For small offices who don’t have knowledgeable coders offer to review codes to identify which codes are out of date. Estimate lost revenue due to these outdated or incorrect coding.
  • A Practice Analysis showing the economic benefits of outsourcing billing functions.
  • A review of their Superbill and A/R with suggestions why their claims are getting rejected.
  • A review or consultation of their office practices for HIPAA and OIG compliance. This is where educating yourself on industry changes can really help.

If you are really desperate you can offer your services for a discount for a set period of time to prove the value of your service.

Remember you’re in this for the long run so if you make enough to cover your expenses you are basically getting free medical billing training. This gives you a chance to prove yourself and demonstrate how you can increase practice revenues.

Offer a discount or referral fee to an existing client for a referral that successfully leads to signing another provider. This can be in the form of a discounted percentage for a month or three, or a fixed discount. Signing up another client will more than pay for this.

Become an expert
Subscribe to industry and insurance newsletters. Some of the major insurance companies such as BCBS and Medicare are excellent sources to educate yourself on changes in the industry that could affect your clients. Know what’s going on in the industry and pending or upcoming changes such as HIPAA, Office of Inspector General, ICD-10, etc.

Knowledge is Power! When you get in front of potential clients, that’s your opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of the issues affecting physician reimbursement. Believe me – when it comes to making money, most doctors are all ears. They are frustrated with the way insurance companies operate.

Physician Lists
For marketing medical billing by mail or phone I’ve found a good resource for physician Listings are the Little Yellow Book and the Little Blue Book from WebMD. The Little Yellow Book lists physicians alphabetically with with fax and some email addresses and indicates their specialty. The Little Blue Book lists physicians alphabetically with address, telephone number, specialty, and NPI number. These are printed for each metropolitan area. Available from www.tlbb.com at about $30 each.

Another source is insurance company web sites. For most of the large carriers, you can search for providers by location and specialty.

There are services that sell physician lists but I haven’t found them to be very useful – especially for the cost.

The Medical Billing Business Books page has several some good economical resources for marketing medical billing business.

Our new eBook answers the most popular questions from our visitors about starting a medical billing business 

Remember – You Offer a Valuable Service

As a medical biller it’s important to understand the value you add to a practice’s bottom line in marketing medical billing services. Many doctors have not had proficient billers so they don’t know how much revenue they are missing out on.

When you get in front of a potential client, it’s important to educate them on what you do. How many times has their biller been on the phone with an insurance company or Medicare for 45 minutes finding out why a claim wasn’t paid? How many stacks of old unpaid or returned CMS 1500 forms do they have laying around because of the wrong insurance ID, a typo, wrong birth date, etc.

Find What Works Best for You

Not every medical billing marketing technique will work well for your situation. It depends on your personality – go with what you’re comfortable with. I’ve found that methods that work great for others don’t necessarily work well for me. I’ve had a lot more success in marketing face-to-face verses phone calls and mail outs. Try several methods until you find what works for you.

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