Radiology Medical Billing - Benefits and challenges

The field of radiology is fascinating and complicated, since it involves complex procedures, diagnosis, treatment plans, and much more. More often than not, a radiologist issues a series of complex instructions, and diagnosis to the recommended physicians to follow. Since the radiology department of a hospital or a radiology clinic faces innumerable cases every day, and also offer a variety of treatment procedures and diagnosis, the billing is complicated and a complex process. What with the new coding systems and also the technological development in medical coding, things have improved a lot. However, there are still certain challenges that one might face in radiology medical billing.

Challenges:

• Complexity of operation:

The International Classification of Diseases states that each diagnosis, procedure and so on, needs to be coded separately, and the billing should include these codes to ensure smooth transactions. Since a radiology clinic has a higher influx of patients, with an assortment of diagnosis or procedures, it becomes complex for the billing clerk to put everything in one place, and also the right codes to go with it. The in-house billing, with trained coding employees, and also the borrowed or purchased billing systems can also get cumbersome if not managed carefully.

• Time Consuming:

The whole procedure of putting an appropriate coding system in place, hiring efficient employees, and also systems to guide through the billing, everything can work out to be costly and time consuming. Although the in-house billing can give a higher control over the billing system, for a smaller clinic, it might become difficult in the long run, or when the business grows.

• Compliances and audits:

There are always some new coding rules, and compliance to be met, and a sudden inclusion of a new code can all lead to further costs and new recruitments to worry about. With complex coding systems, not only the personnel things in billing are involved, but the radiologists and other integral members of the medical community become entangled in the challenges of the new-age billing system.

Benefits:

The new coding system offers efficient and accurate coding for each chapter, and every illness or diagnosis that is provided by the radiologists. Since the coding system itself consists of 3-7 characters, and can be expanded when required, it provides a comprehensive, and precise billing. The radiology medical billing has actually become simpler and easier to comprehend, and manage, with the ICD- 10 coding systems.

However, since the ICD-10 involves various codes (nearly 63,000 against only 19,000 in its earlier version), one might require a very efficient person or a team to handle it. Outsourcing it to a Radiology medical coding partner can help in reducing the stress involved in the billing processes and also in incorporating the constant updates in the billing system.

E-care India is one of the pioneering offshore medical billing companies based in India that promises to avoid the risks involved with missed Charges.