I want to start home based medical billing business. I have my license and I’m contracted with a clearinghouse and Practice mate software. I have a degree in Health information Technology and worked for an OB-GYN a long time ago and in the insurance industry for 22 years.
Question, should I start out with a small practice to get clients?
Should I offer billing only or full service?
Exactly what steps should I take to get a foot in the door and get clients?
Thank you for your help
Response
When I started out I was just happy to get any client because it can be so tough to land that first client.
I think one of the biggest challenges for someone starting a business is experience and actually knowing what to do – A big plus for you is that have good experience.
I tried to capture some creative ideas on our Home Medical Billing Jobs page.
Recently I think another good opportunity is new practices. Many times they are desperate for experienced help and can be overwhelmed by the process of getting the practice off the ground. While it may take a while to get profitable, it does allow you to ramp up with the practice and start with a clean slate.
A good example is recently we started serving a new pain management clinic. We actually got connected with them through word of mouth. We’re using Kareo practice management software which I’ve been wanting to give a try for a while. It’s given us the opportunity to learn a new powerful software while the practice ramps up and it has tremendous potential. So I would recommend being on the lookout for new practices in your area and contact them soon to see if they need any billing help.
Another tactic some new billing services are using is offering to clean up accounts receivables. Many practices have a significant amount of money sitting out there that needs to be “worked” to resubmit claims. It may not pay a whole lot but it does open the door. That’s how we got one of our larger clients.
I would also emphasize your experience (22 years) in marketing myself.
As far as whether to offer only billing or full service I would just offer whatever the client needs and just say you can offer the full service billing or just claim submission.
I would caution also that while PracticMate is a good solution for a small practice, for a larger or busier practice you may want to consider a medical claim software that has more features and is easier to use. Something that doesn’t require a lot of keystrokes or menus to enter claims and post payments. Most all of the large names are efficient from a data entry standpoint – Lytec, AdvancedMD, CollaborateMD, Kareo, ….etc.
Another way is by being an expert on current “hot” topics in billing and coding which you can use in marketing yourself. For example ICD-10 transition and what it will take to implement. Or any recent or proposed changes in Medicare. Credentialing is another service many people offer to get a foot in the door.
Again thanks for visiting the site and I hope you are able to realize your dreams of starting a home based billing business.
Gina