Starting a Medical Billing Business > Starting Your Own Medical Billing Business
Medical Billing Career Research
TechieRN:
I would like to find one myself, let me know if you have any luck.
tallmanusa:
Look at the job market for medical billers carefully.
We received over 100 applicants through our website, just during the last 30 days, experienced medical billers looking for a job. These were unsolicited, from our membership on Linkedin.
TechieRN:
I am not sure what you meant by your statement, do you mean the market is way to competitive for a person to get started in this business or what exactly did you mean?
TechieRN:
Hi There
I am aware that there are many EMRs that also have the ability to have scheduling as well as billing the patient built right into them.
My question I have is in reference to my above question, does that force the hand of the physicians and owners of medical practices to hire their own billers meaning does that put people like myself trying to start my own Medical Billing business out of a job or for us to be more creative to learn all the different EMR's out there?
I am just curious what the future looks like to those who have been in the business for quite some time?
Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.
Michael
RichardP:
Michael - read through these links for some perspective:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/26/health/policy/26docs.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/electronic-medical-records/ehrs-push-private-practice-docs-out-of-b/240049877
http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-03-12/national/35448596_1_medicare-cuts-physician-practices-doctors
http://newsroom.accenture.com/news/more-us-doctors-leaving-private-practice-due-to-rising-costs-and-technology-mandates-accenture-report-finds.htm
Economies of scale are driving doctors in private practice to join groups or groups to be purchased by hospitals. Only 36% of doctors are expected to be in private practice at the end of 2013. I was approached this week by an acquaintance, asking if I had any work for their sister-in-law. Sister-in-law has extensive front office management and medical billing experience. But her doctor just joined a doctor's group, with their own folks, and she is no longer needed. Multiply that by thousands of times, and you have the explanation for tallmanusa's comments.
Re. your question about EMRs and PMs: Read through these links for some perspective.
http://www.medicalbillinglive.com/members/index.php?topic=6819.msg21511#msg21511
http://www.medicalbillinglive.com/members/index.php?topic=7034.msg21003#msg21003
http://www.himss.org/ASP/topics_FocusDynamic.asp?faid=665
http://www.hl7standards.com/blog/2010/03/04/hl7-interface-an-overview/
Bottom line - Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) are used by doctors, not billers. Practice Management systems (PMs) are used by billers, not doctors. Data comes from the EMR to the PM via paper or electronic transfer. Data is forwarded from PM system to the clearinghouse for billing. Data is forwarded from (or retrieved from) clearinghouse to PM system for payment documentation (actual payment is sent to doctor).
For billing purposes, you need to know Practice Management systems, not Electronic Medical Records. It will be the rare doctor who does not already have his EMR / PM system up and running (that includes the single doctor with a billing program who submits paper forms). You need to be flexible about the kinds of systems you can work with. That means knowing how to find your way around more than one Practice Management system. This subject has been covered fairly extensively in other threads here.
Questions to help focus your attention: If a doctor already has an EMR / PM system(s), why should he hire you as a biller if you wish to force him to use your system(s)? Even if you don't want him to use your system(s), why should he hire you if you don't know how (or won't learn how quickly) to use his system(s)? As is the case with any hiring situation, you have to give the employer a reason to want to hire you. You have to have something that the employer wants and is willing to pay for.
But how to prove you have something the doctor wants if you've never done any billing before. If you truely are a RN, you know doctors. Doctors have billers. Ask for contact information re. the doctors' billers. Contact the billers where appropriate. Offer to work for free so you can watch and learn what they do / watch and learn their PM software. This doesn't have to be for 40 hours per week. But it should be enough so that you actually learn from them what it is that you need to learn (that is, find out what you need to know that you don't yet know).
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