Starting a Medical Billing Business > Starting Your Own Medical Billing Business

Vacation and Time Off

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LoveBilling:
For those who are running their billing business alone without a partner, how do you handle vacations and emergencies where you can't be available to the providers if needed during normal business hours? TIA

Michele:
That is a tough one.  If you are the only one at your business you've got an issue.  Either your clients have to be understanding, or you have to make yourself available.  One of the things we say when we are meeting with a potential client is that they don't have to worry about an employee calling in sick, going on vacation, or being out for surgery.  But we have people available to cover each other.

When we first started out and it was just Alice and I, we made ourselves available even when away.  Since we are mother and daughter it was not uncommon for us to go away together.  We just carried our cell phones with us and had a lap top so that we could connect to our system.  We would answer the call and just tell them we had to look it up and get back to them.

The only other option I can think of is to have someone cover you, if you have anyone that could do that. 

Unfortunately there is no magic answer.  Hopefully you will have understanding clients. 

LoveBilling:
Thank you Michele. That's what I was thinking as well, make myself available by having phone and laptop to connect to what I need. Was curious how others handle these situations since it seems like there are a lot of solo billing company owners out there. Question came up to me as I begin writing my compliance and P&P.

I do have someone that will be available to help when I get started, I'll keep in mind and train eventually to cover for me when it gets to that point.

Thanks,

PMRNC:
Just a note that you want to include your process for these time frames in your compliance plan. If I go on vacation my business line is forwarded to my cell phone. I can access most of my clients PM systems from anywhere since I use their systems. My compliance plan has a process for emergencies where the provider will be notified appropriately and a process to which extended leave time is needed.

This is extremely important that it be covered in your compliance plan.

My daughter works with me now and she is my backup if i need more time off, I forward the business line to her. Since she is also now doing billing she covers for me in that regard as well. Prior to that about a year ago, I had another biller I could work with if I needed them.

williamportor:
JMHO - I found it very helpful to state my leave time in my service agreement. i.e. **** Medical Billing Co. will be closed from Dec 15th until Dec 31st for vacation. I send out an email a week before vacation stating all claims must be received before noon on Dec 14th to be processed and submitted before the 1st of the following year. I've received very little push back on this, since several of my provider clients take off at this time as well.   
I got this idea from the Boeing Company in Seattle, they shut down every year at the same time for maintenance on their assembly lines and vacations for their exec's.  :)

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