by Tammy Dahlberg
(Missoula Montana)
Hi. I am researching to begin an at home Medical Billing business. I recently graduated from Allied Medical School. And I also became certified through Medical Association of Billers. I purchased a step by step manual for setting up a home medical billing business but I have a few questions. The biggest question I have is how to go about approaching providers to try to get them as clients. And is that best done only locally or is there ways to do it online to possibly find providers that are from other areas?
The other question that comes to mind right now is the best medical software. I am considering Medisoft because I was trained for that software in school and found it very user friendly and they do have a clearinghouse that they work with. I would greatly appreciate any tips that you may be able to provide. I am just trying to learn about everything possible so as not to go into it blind.
Thank you,
Tammy Dahlberg
Response:
Tammy,
Getting clients is probably one of the biggest challenges in starting a medical billing business. I think I’ve tried everything – mailing flyer’s, drop in visits, emails, faxes, cold calls – you name it. I think marketing your services is best done locally. Most providers – especially smaller ones – seem to prefer having someone local to deal with. That’s not to say you can’t advertise your business online – Google and Yahoo both have the ability to list your business for free (or cheap). This is helpful when some searches locally for a medical billing service.
Anything you can do to network or get around doctors or their staff is very helpful. I’ve heard of people having success by marketing other services that a physicians staff may not want to do such as getting credentialed with the insurance companies. It can give you a good opportunity to present your billing services. There’s also other services such as working their past due accounts or unpaid claims – but you probably want to charge by the hour for something like that unless you want to offer a discount with the hope of getting a shot at their billing.
I also got my largest client by going around to small practices in my area and giving them free baked goods – like cookies or bread from a local reputable bakery. I got a conversation started with the office manager and she was looking for billing help from someone familiar with Lytec – with which I had some experience.
Alice & Michele of Solutions Medical Billing have written some good ebooks about -“Signing Your First Doctor” & “12 Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Medical Billing Business” – that you may find helpful also. There’s links to them on our Medical Billing Books page if you want to check them out.
As far as software I think Medisoft is a good choice – especially if you are already familiar with it and comfortable with it. I also try to keep a list of affordable software options on our Cheap Medical Billing Software page.
I’d also recommend getting any experience you can before starting a business – it sure helped me a lot to get about a year under my belt before starting.
Thanks again for visiting the site – hope we answered you questions. Good Luck – Gina