Why Is Accurate Payment Posting Important In RCM?

Payment posting in medical billing is considered one of the most common challenges faced by the majority of healthcare service providers. It is almost impossible to complete the process of reimbursement without the payment posting by these medical billing agencies.

It is the reason that payment posting is considered the most integral part of revenue cycle management. The process of payment posting can affect many business processes of the healthcare facilities that can have a significant impact on efficiency, patient care, and overall financial growth.

What Is Payment Posting?

Payment posting allows in viewing the payments while providing the snapshot of the practices of the financial picture by making it easy in identifying problems and resolving them fast. After the adjudication of the payer’s claim, it will be either paid or can be denied, and a document called EOB (Explanation of Benefits) will be sent to the healthcare service provider and will be insured.

If the claim is being processed towards the payment from the payer or patient, then a check will be issued or an EFT (Electronic Fund Transfer) can be sent to the provider from the payer with the EOB. If the patient has signed the AOB (Assignment of Benefits) document, then the payment will finally reach the patient.

Types Of Payment Posting

Depending on the level of insurance coverage and the patient’s financial ability, payment posting in medical billing is done in two ways which are as follows:

1. Manual Posting:

Manual posting is the kind of payment posting which is completed by the administrative staff that usually takes a longer time to fill the information. This posting comes with an increased risk of various errors like typos that delays the payment posting.

2. Auto Posting:

Auto payment posting is categorized as more of a software-driven approach that most industries prefer as their digital solutions while speeding up the medical billing process for a consistent revenue stream. However, few solo medical practitioners feel that manual payment posting provides them less control over their revenue-generated system.

RELATED: Top 5 Benefits Of Payment Posting In Medical Billing

Why Is Accurate Payment Posting Important In Revenue Cycle Management?

Payment posting is the most critical part of the medical billing process as it enables the healthcare service provider to monitor its incoming payments. When efficiently streamlined and properly organized payment posting helps in detecting all types of issues and resolving those issues quickly. It includes stuff like daily insurance payments from EOBs, ARAs, insurance checks, and patient payments.

Incorrect payment posting affects the precision of the claim submissions towards the secondary to tertiary payers. When the primary insurance payment is not posted perfectly, the chances are more than the secondary and the tertiary payers get the incorrect bill.

If payment posting is incorrectly done by the team, the balance of the paid account will still reflect in the system. The AR team works closely in the medical billing process and they will spend efforts and time on reimbursing the claims.

To identify non-payment issues, efficient payment posting in medical billing is important while seeking solutions which include stuff like claim rejections, failure to attend prior authorization, and claim denials.

The process of medical billing occurs in multiple steps, each is important for maintaining a constant revenue system. If at any of these steps, the problem has been recognized, then it can interrupt the critical process of incoming revenue while limiting the ability to treat patients and expanding patient care.

When a problem shows up in the process of payment posting, either the problem can be solved as a short-term process, or it can be marked as a red flag while identifying the possible patterns & recurring errors in the policies of medical billing. It can be used as a long-term improvement in your revenue stream.

How To Do Payment Posting In Medical Billing?

Payment posting is an important part of the revenue cycle. It can be done through an in-house billing service or outsourced. Here are some ways to ensure a precise payment posting is done in place:

• Always ensure that data from EOBs and ERAs match the payments
• Check for issues in the case or revenue cycle leaks when collecting deductibles or copayments during insurance remittance processing
• Disclose to the management for denials for medical essentials, non-covered services, and prior authorization to avoid errors.
• Always efficiently follow-up on denials

Summary

When a payment posting is done correctly, the revenue cycle in the medical billing process thrives. With improved cash flow from collections, problems being spotted and solved quicker than ever leads the medical billing process to run smoothly.

Issues in the billing process if addressed quickly, secondary and tertiary payers will be billed accurately and thus patients will receive the statements that increase the efficiency of the medical billing process.