Electronic remittance

This service closes the loop on the electronic claims process, providing an electronic receipt (or remittance) for all electronic claims you submit. It works like this: After your batch of electronic claims has been sent and processed (typically through a claims clearinghouse), participating payers provide an electronic file of the relevant EOBs through the clearinghouse. Those EOBs can then be downloaded directly into your practice management system. Electronic remittance can significantly reduce the time your staff spends posting payments. With this capability, your billing staff will be primarily reviewing rather than entering data.

Like the other online services described in this article, electronic remittance is a function of payers (not all provide it) and your own practice management system (while most new systems offer it, older ones may not). If you are using a clearinghouse, you will want to confirm that it provides the service and ask if a price tag is attached (which is usually the case with electronic remittance).

Bruce Kleaveland is president of Kleaveland Consulting, a management consulting firm focused on healthcare IT. Prior to forming Kleaveland Consulting, he was chief operating officer at a leading EHR company. He can be reached at 206 527 6633, bkleaveland@msn.com, or via editor@physicianspractice.com.

This article originally appeared in the November/December 2006 issue of Physicians Practice.