New Practices for United Healthcare

I, like you, receive bulletins from the insurance companies in which our clients' participate. Two things recently came to my attention regarding United Healthcare. First they are automatically enrolling providers in Electronic Payments and Statements.

When you have received paper checks from United Healthcare, you have endorsed the check, and deposited it in your bank. Very simply done. Well if you follow the check further, it gets endorsed by your bank and then returned to United Healthcare.

United Healthcare has announced they are taking your bank endorsement information off the back of the endorsed check and using that to enroll providers in Electronic Funds Transfer. So if you stop receiving paper checks and you notice strange deposits in your bank account that may be the reason.

You can opt out of Automatic Electronic Funds Transfer if you fall under certain criteria, one of which is the size of your monthly filing to UHC. Twenty five claims or less will allow you to claim an exemption. But may not keep you from being automatically enrolled. It will just give you a basis to opt out should you find yourself enrolled.

The next change is a bit more helpful. UHC is adding to their website, and therefore, only available to in-network providers, Electronic Claim Reconsideration With Attachments option. You'll find this on the Optum Cloud Dashboard. (Optum is the new name for United Healthcare Products, the website and the name you have been seeing on the reimbursement checks.)

You may have noticed the 'Claim Adjustment' button on the claim details page. You are currently allowed to pick a reason and add narrative. What their adding here is an option to upload a document to back up your request.

This will be helpful to file proof of timely filing or an authorization letter for a claim that has been denied. It will be quicker than a phone call. You'll receive a tracking number to use when making a web inquiry on the status of your reconsideration request. You can always follow up with a phone call.

This probably means they will have fewer operators available for customer service inquiries. But that does not come as a surprise. What surprised me is the automatic enrollment in Electronic Payments. Keep a watch out so you are not surprised!!

Have a great 4th of July!! Be safe, Be happy!!

You Have To Be Able To Do What You Love

Follow your bliss, do what you love, love what you do. Sound familiar? No matter what your bliss, you have to be able to keep the cash flow coming in or you won't be able to continue to do what you love. You have to be intentional with the business so you can flow with the part that brought you to the table in the first place.

There are many ways to overlook the small things. We all have our blind spots. Have courage and identify yours. Then bring someone on to your team that loves to handle what you don't want to handle.

There are people out there who specialize in watching over just what you perfer to overlook!!

I am happy that I have found a niche of my own! I I like to solve claim problems and get claims paid. I like to help therapists and counselors, psychiatrists and psychologists, social workers and community health centers put and keep in place smooth systems so claims get paid. And paid fast.

Are You Having Billing Nightmares?

Long after I stopped waiting tables, whenever I was particularly stressed, I would have dreams about a night at the restaurant gone wrong. How the customer's demands would multiply and the hall to the kitchen elongate as I was trying to retrieve the finished orders that were spilling out of the kitchen on to the floor.

Are you losing sleep at night because a portion of your claims hit the ceiling bouncing back to you?

Whether you are a psychologist, psychiatrist, social worker or mental health professional, don't let your insurance claims slow you down. You need to concentrate on your clients and the overall balance of your practice. Leave the nitty gritty to us.

In 2013, we have a claims denial rate of 2.3% which is much lower than the 10% which is industry standard right now. We credit that to the close relationship we have with the practices we work for. Having a great team in place, both in your office and in ours, keeps the details working in your favor.

You too can have a claims denial rate that is practically nil.

Here's to a great week!
Barbara