How does billing work in Anesthesiology?

[punkedoutriffs]

I've gotten the impression that Anesthesiology is light on paperwork and insurance company haggling. Who pays directly for Anesthesiology services? What does the individual anesthesiologist or the group do for billing/business administration?

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[aneftp]

It works the same as any other medical practice.

Fees are negotiable with certain billing companies. They charge X percentage. They all claim to maximize ur revenue and collect from patients.

Some AMCs have gotten so big that they employ their own billing services with their own in house staff. They cut cost that way plus obviously derive tax advantages from separating the biking from the anesthesia.

I can write a book on the practice of medicine and billing. But once u do ur own billing u will learn the importance of coding and documentation.

 

[punkedoutriffs]

So do Anesthesiologists have to spend as much time doing billing/administration as other specialties?

 

[caligas]

So do Anesthesiologists have to spend as much time doing billing/administration as other specialties?

In short, no. Much less.

 

[Jay K]

In short, no. Much less.

I disagree - It depends upon the practice or group, particularly in private practice where poor documentation results in significant losses. Also, you have to extensively review the collections and write-offs of your billing company (if you use one) to make sure they're doing their job and not losing you collections. In residency billings were handled in house off the OR record. In PP our group must fill out a painstaking billing sheet in addition to complete documentation on the OR record - ever look up CPT or ICD codes in residency?

Administration is a whole other headache; If your PP group values it's contract, standing in the hospital, preserving their right to input in hospital matters, promoting growth, etc - you participate in a lot of administration.

 

[imfrankie]

If you are an independent fee-for-service contractor it's a breeze. My overhead used to be 5%. Fill out a thirty second ticket for each case, enclose a face sheet (patient's info, insurance, etc) and a copy of the anesthesia record. Time start, time end, name of patient, diagnosis, procedure (in simple terms is sufficient), total units (simple to compute). Stuff it all in an envelope for the day and off to your billing agency who takes their 5% and sends you a report every week on the collections. Pretty easy. Real easy.