Free medical billing software exists, but it might not contain everything you need. The first question that you need to look at is not price, but if it can satisfy your needs.Free medical billing software exists, but it might not contain everything you need. The first question that you need to look at is not price, but if it can satisfy your needs. Just because software is free doesn't mean that is sufficient. Also, you must look at the HIPAA issue. If a company has to come on your site to install a server, then they will have to install a firewall with a VPN to have any sort of communication. A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a device that will allow secure communications between servers over the Internet. I have not found any electronic medical billing software companies that have a free model that works this way.
So, how can I get free medical billing software? Well, that's the tricky part. Once again you must have security to be compliant. There are a lot of web based medical billing software companies that supply a security certificate. That means that after you sign in to the website you will be directed through a web security certificate or SSL. All you need to look for is that whatever page that you are in on the web page starts with https://. If you have this at the top, you will also have a lock at the bottom of your browser. This lock lets you know that you have a secure tunnel that is encrypted between your computer and the server. Please consult your medical billing software provider for more specifics on HIPAA compliance.
Second, you have to look and see if you can file your claims electronically. Electronic medical billing software is a must. This means that you can file a claim and then it is sent to the carrier through some sort of EDI (Electronic Data Interface). Here is where the free falls out of free medical billing software. Many companies will charge you a fee for this. It does save time and will speed up your collection time; however, it is better if you do not have to pay this expense. Medicare does not allow a printed HCFA anymore, so if your practice depends on this you will be disappointed. Also, is the software up to date and how much will I be charged for updates? There are companies out there that do not charge for updates and it is best to go with those companies.
Third, how do I follow up on my claims after they are filed and do I get electronic messages back from the carrier? This is important. If you get an electronic message back through the software, then you don't have to spend any overhead on your employees calling the carrier to see status. Also, most medical billing software has scrubbing features to notify you of claims that are not clean. This will save you valuable time not waiting for an EOB to be able to send an appeal. It is much easier, if a claim is rejected first before submission and allows you to fix and resend.
In conclusion, I have realized that there is nothing that is truly free in this world. If a site says they are totally free, I haven't found it. But I have found a couple that got pretty close.
With the economy the way it is, I think these 2 have a viable software and niche. One is http://www.FreeMedicalBilling.Net This software gives you the software for free. There is a maintenance cost for support and data backup among other features of $12.50 per month per provider. Other fees are minor for third party vendor applications and patient statements. The second is Synamed. This software has a free version with a fee for support. Electronic submissions are available for a fee and many other options are fee based. Based on my research, I do not think you can get electronic medical billing software totally for free as there will always be a catch until Google buys one of them; however, until that time these are two good options.
Author:Shannon riles
Source:http://www.synarticles.com
