Cracking the Code: The Ultimate Guide to Medical Billing for Urgent Care Facilities

Urgent care facilities are continuing to surge in popularity now that we’ve entered the post-pandemic era of healthcare. There are now more than 10,000 urgent care clinics located throughout the United States, and they account for more than 90 million patient visits every year – nearly 250,000 visits every day!

Many people rely on urgent care facilities to help overcome minor injuries and illnesses – those that aren’t considered an emergency, yet still require medical care within a 24-hour period. Since urgent care centers accept walk-ins and generally have low wait times, they give patients quick access to quality healthcare. 

So, how does medical billing play into all of this? 

Urgent care facilities are in the business of helping others overcome illness, but let’s not forget that it is a business – and it costs money to run a business. Without a strong accounting and billing department, physicians and doctors wouldn’t be able to keep up with the ongoing demands of running their clinics. 

In fact, many physicians and doctors often run into similar challenges with their medical billing efforts: 

• Medical claims getting rejected or denied due to false information or wrong codes
• Medical claims taking too long to process or get approved
• Medical billing takes up too much of your time, energy, and effort
• Failure to record a patient’s information correctly
• Patients without insurance failing to pay on time or in a reasonable timeframe
• Improper use of the S9083 and S9088 codes (exclusive to urgent care facilities)
• Failure to record time units properly
• Failure to obtain pre-authorization or referrals when necessary
• Not bundling services when necessary or applicable

Look, we get it – physicians need to focus their time, energy, and effort on their patients. They don’t have time to be sitting in their office filling out paperwork, writing medical codes, and submitting medical claims. At the same time, it’s a crucial aspect of running an urgent care practice. Don’t worry – help is available!  

The Great Debate: In-House vs. Outsourced Medical Billing

If you feel like your billing and accounting efforts aren’t translating to profits and gains, then it’s time to find some assistance. While you have plenty of options, most physicians either choose to create their own, in-house team of medical billing experts or outsource their billing needs to a third-party company. 

• An in-house medical billing team gives you greater control over your medical billing efforts, but ends up costing you a lot more time, energy, effort, and money in the long run.

Hiring your own, in-house medical billing team isn’t easy. Finding qualified medical billers and/or coders is one thing, but keeping them trained and ensuring they stay up-to-date on all the latest changes is a totally different story. You’ll end up spending just as much time managing them, as you would doing it yourself. 

• An outsourced medical billing company can either be integrated into your existing department or take over the department completely – saving you time, energy, effort, and money.

Hiring a quality medical billing company is often the best solution for urgent care centers – no matter what city or state you operate in. They not only chase after every penny possible, but they’re experts in the field and can reduce the amount of time it takes for a clinic to see reimbursement – which is the ultimate goal!

How to Find a Medical Billing Company That Speaks Your Code

At Millenium Medical Billing, we treat medical coding like a first language – we never stop studying it, and we never stop evolving with it. Our medical billing experts are proficient, well-versed, and highly trained to understand the differences between ICD-10, CPT, and HCPCS codes – as well as those pesky modifiers. 

From the typical CPT codes that most physicians use for services rendered (for example, 99202-99205 and 99211-99215) to those exclusive ‘S’ codes that only urgent care facilities are allowed to use (S9083 and S9088), our goal is to stay educated on the codes that matter most, that way we can avoid errors! 

Not only that, but we make sure all of our medical billing experts are dedicated and committed to staying up-to-date on all the latest principles, standards, rules, guidelines, and other regulations set forth by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the American Medical Association (AMA). 

Billing Blues? Here’s How Millenium Medical Billing Can Help!

There’s a lot that goes into the medical billing process, but there’s only one thing a physician cares about – is my urgent care facility making money? At Millenium, we’re set up in a way where we only get paid when you get paid – meaning we’re just as motivated to get those claims sent and approved as you are!

Here’s a quick look at all the different services we provide, and what they can do for your clinic: 

• Medical billing and coding – we deal with insurance providers, so you don’t have to!
• Patient billing – we ensure you get paid, even if the patient doesn’t have insurance!
• Posting – we accurately record and reconcile any and all relevant financial transactions!
• AR management – we track, process, and optimize outstanding payments that you’re owed!
• Reporting – we generate, analyze, and interpret financial and operational data for your clinic!
• Collections – we recover all those unpaid or underpaid medical claims and/or patient balances!
• EHR – we optimize, correct, and secure electronic health records related to your patients!
• Credentialing – we verify and confirm the credentials and qualifications of each healthcare provider!
• Consulting & Training – we work side-by-side with your current staff to ensure success!

As part of our award-winning service, we give our clients access to a state-of-the-art software program that houses everything they need to see their clinic’s progress. By streamlining the process, we can help your clinic work more efficiently and accurately. All you need to do is say the word, and we’ll be there!

Contact Us Today to Learn More!

Do you feel like your urgent care facility isn’t fulfilling its truest and fullest potential? Is your clinic losing money every month or struggling to keep the lights on? Is your medical billing team underperforming or taking up too much of your precious time? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of those questions, contact us!

Millenium is your one-stop shop for all your medical billing needs. Our experts know the industry better than anyone else – they eat, sleep, and breathe the medical billing process, that way, you don’t have to! Contact our office today to learn more about how we can transform your urgent care facility for the best!