It wasn’t so long ago when medical practitioners coded healthcare claims using thick reference books. Piles of paperwork were stuffed into oversized envelopes, stamped, and mailed to insurance companies. Often the claims never arrived, or when they did, they required hand.

Expanding Services Impact
the Future of Medical Billing
and Coding

Recently, major paradigm shifts have occurred in the provision of medical care. Practitioners have pivoted to technology such as telehealth, artificial intelligence-based intake, smartphones, texting, and mail-order tests to diagnose and provide care. All of these areas will continue to expand and become more integral to medical services.

“Changes can also be seen in how we bill for medical care and even how those overhead and in-practice support are being streamlined, and the"

use of remote or third-party medical coding and billing services is growing. And that growth is expected to continue as medical front offices find a new equilibrium, embracing trending services and simple tools to help small medical practices redefine their customer’s needs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts that the need for trained medical billing and coding experts will grow by 9% over the next decade. This is partly due to a

With a strong need for medical billers, technological developments take center stage.

Increased Need for Medical Billers

Changes can also be seen in how we bill for medical care and even how those services are reimbursed. Services that previously required significant overhead and in-practice support are being streamlined, and the use of remote or third-party medical coding and billing services is growing. And that growth is expected to continue as medical front offices find a new equilibrium, embracing trending services and simple tools to help small medical practices redefine their customer’s needs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts that the need for trained medical billing and coding experts will grow by 9% over the next decade. This is partly due to a growing United States population and the fact that Americans are living longer. 

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is beginning to change how medical offices provide care, but more importantly, how billing codes are managed and reimbursed. An increasing number of insurance payers are using artificial intelligence to analyze large medical claims data sets for coding errors, anomalies, reimbursement fraud, and abuse.

Conclusion

The rise of the patient-as-a-consumer concept has introduced a more human element to the practice of medical billing. Medical practices must now consider all aspects of consumer needs and expectations, which requires a more personalized approach than billing procedures used in the past.  Another aspect of the trend towards patients as consumers is the continued need to protect patient rights and uphold HIPAA privacy laws. Continually evolving, these laws safeguard personal information. And while fundamentally necessary, ongoing requirements add to the demands placed on already busy administrative office staff in both small and large healthcare facilities.

Let’s face it. It is hard to think about the future of your business and profession when most fast-paced medical offices are just trying to get through the day’s workload while still providing quality care. A recent survey found that over 30% of medical practices, including hospitals, outsource medical billing and coding services. This year the estimated global surpassed roughly $11 billion. 

Full Office Electronic Integration

Within the past two decades, electronic claims processing and medical billing have transformed the healthcare industry. With few exceptions, state and federal laws now require providers to utilize electronic records management and claims transmission systems. 

Medical billing software is integral to any practice. Providers run into problems when their software is not integrated with other parts of their healthcare practice. And administrative staff find it difficult when online records still do not align with electronic prescribing laws. In fact, a lack of technological integration can paralyze a medical office or, at the very least, result in costly errors.