Why Substance Abuse Billing is Important

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Substance addiction is very common throughout the world. But it is not something that should be taken lightly. When people regularly consume “substances” in excessive quantities, they’re called addicts. But substance abuse and addiction are two different things. 

Substance abuse refers to the use of alcohol or any other drug, be it legal or illegal, in large quantities. Substance abuse can be cured with proper rehab facilities. On the other hand, addiction is harder to get rid of. 

Rehab centers and other healthcare facilities help individuals with substance abuse and addiction problems. But these rehab centers also need an income to run properly. To get stable revenue, they need to make proper billing. Even the slightest bit of mistake in billing can cost rehab centers a lot of money. Hiring a substance abuse billing consultant can help. 

Rehab Centers vs. Insurance Companies

There is always an ongoing battle between rehab centers and insurance companies. Generally, rehab centers are paid via insurance money for the patients. A patient rarely pays out of their own pocket. 

But getting the money from insurance companies is no less than a headache. Reimbursement is often very difficult for rehab centers and other similar healthcare services. Moreover, some insurance companies send the reimbursement directly to the patients rather than to the healthcare facility. 

Even when they send the money to the healthcare company, there are many hurdles along the way of receiving money. To start with, insurance companies delay payments without specifying a reason. Furthermore, the billing process is complex. Mistakes in billing can cost rehab centers a lot more than they can earn. Some rehab facilities even ran out of business because of this particular reason. But if you hire a third party for billing, you can get the payments in time. 

Rather than opting for in-house or incompetent third-party billing companies, rehab centers must hire a reliable billing company with in-depth knowledge about billing procedures. Simply knowing the codes isn’t enough to create bills. 

Reasons for Rejected Claims and Delayed Reimbursement

Here are some of the main reasons why insurance companies reject claims or delay reimbursement to rehab facilities: 

False Claims and Caution Against Fraudulent Acts

Many healthcare facilities made false claims to get insurance money in the past. That’s why a lot of insurance providers are cautious of fraudulent claims. This is one of the biggest reasons insurance claims are either rejected, or the reimbursement is delayed. 

But effective billing can help get detox centers and rehab facilities their rightful money in time. 

Lack of In-Depth Knowledge

Another reason for delayed reimbursement is that billers don’t have enough knowledge. This can happen more commonly with in-house billing systems. It’s important to address the receivables of the last 90 days if you want to get your money quickly. 

Lack of knowledge on how to get past money can make it lost forever. But if your third-party billing company knows how to tackle lost money, they might be able to get you your money very easily. 

Reevaluation of Service Providers

Another reason rehab facilities and detox centers fail to get their money is that they don’t bother reevaluating their service providers. Reevaluation will help you understand whether or not a service provider is beneficial to your business. If it’s not, you should seek a new service provider. This is important for regaining your money. But this is one of the most overlooked factors. 

Payments Made to Patients

Many healthcare workers fail to realize that the money would be paid to the client directly. Before you take on a client, it’s important to understand how and who the insurance company will pay the reimbursement. When a rehab facility finds out, there is no way to get the lost money back. Often, many rehab facilities are left with millions of unclaimed dollars. For one reason, these unclaimed dollars remain lost, and rehab facilities fail to recoup the lost money. 

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is to have in-depth knowledge about substance abuse billing. A competent substance abuse billing consultant can guide you and even save your rehab facility from shutting down permanently. 

Some laws have mandated sending the payments to healthcare facilities rather than paying the patients in some states. If you’re not aware of all the codes, regulations, and tactics for getting the payment yourself, you should forget about in-house billing. Instead, you should hire a third-party substance abuse billing company that can do the job for you. 

Get in touch with Integrity Billing by calling (800) 683-5640 or visit Congress Professional II 1630 South Congress Ave., Suite 102, Palm Springs, FL 33461 for further details. 

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What Is a Substance Abuse Billing Consultant?

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Substance abuse is often called drug abuse. It’s a pattern of drug use that disables people from meeting their schedules. It can lead to significant problems such as driving under the influence and addiction. Substance abuse has significant effects on the social, mental, and financial health of individuals involved. Substance abuse can be of any type. The most common substance abuse is that of alcohol. Other addictive substances include meth, cocaine, and heroin. 

The exact cause of substance abuse is unknown. However, most often, two reasons are cited. One is a genetic predisposition that occurs from being around people constantly abusing drugs. The other is a habit that can transform from addiction into a profoundly debilitating disease.

Substance abuse also requires access to a substance, which you generally get in exchange for money. It’s no surprise then, many people with substance abuse issues also have a debilitating bank account. Here’s where substance abuse billing consultants come in. 

What Is a Substance Abuse Billing Consultant? 

Substance Abuse Billing consultants are people who help you manage your money while you’re in a rehabilitation center. It goes without saying that if someone is an avid drug user. At some point, they will decide to get clean. Once they make that decision, they must check into a rehabilitation clinic for at least 14 days. However, rehabilitation centers are not cheap, leading people to hire a substance abuse billing consultant. 

These people help you manage your finances in rehab and outside of it. They care for conditions set by your health care provider so you can get insurance for your substance abuse instead of paying it out of your pocket. 

Substance abuse billing is a complicated process, and any mistake can be costly. Substance abuse billing triggers rehabilitation centers for drug and alcohol addiction to battle insurance companies for reimbursements. The presence of a substance abuse billing consultant and third-party billing companies leads to maximizing results and getting payments quickly. 

It’s also important to note that any health insurance claim by these rehabilitation centers is often not responded, in time. Thus, the health insurance claims can get overwhelming for the rehabilitation centers.  There’s also a lot of mismanagement by insurance companies, who sometimes send the insurance directly to the patient instead of the rehabilitation center. 

Why Do You Need a Substance Abuse Billing Consultant? 

Rehabilitation centers also hire substance abuse billing consultants to ensure they get the money they need on time. It’s essential to overcome the system’s difficulty and ensure that rehabilitation centers are not overwhelmed due to a lack of management. 

The administration department in rehabilitation centers already has a lot of problems to deal with involving the health of their patients. Hunting down insurance companies shouldn’t be another item on their list. 

It’s important to note that many problems are fixable if you have the correct billing consultant to turn to. You need substance abuse billing consultants who have deep knowledge of the insurance companies they’re up against. If substance abuse billing is done incorrectly, it can cause several financial problems for the person and especially for rehab facilities. Similarly, hiring the right substance abuse billing consultant can get you the receivables on time and without much hassle.

You require a substance abuse consultant because they have training on how to talk to insurance companies. They know the ins and outs of legislature around health insurance, and it’s their job to understand the insurance company’s policy. Getting the insurance money becomes their job, and this delegation of responsibility eases matters on your end as an individual or even a rehabilitation center. 

A good substance abuse consultant will take time to create relations with the insurance companies that their clients are dealing with. This camaraderie leads to insurance companies paying up on time and without difficulty. 

Final Thoughts

Substance abuse billing consultants are necessary for people handling matters related to substance abuse. These consultants work for their clients, including individuals and rehabilitation centers for drugs and alcohol. They play a significant role in the fabric of society because, without such consultants, rehabilitation centers run the risk of going bankrupt. 

A facility or individual may not have the expertise to get their receivables from their health insurance company. However, a substance abuse billing consultant makes this responsibility their own and helps. They’re better equipped to do this, thus can do so efficiently. 

Integrity Billing offers a wide variety of services to those in behavioral health, medicine, surgery, and chiropractic services, including billing services. They have the expertise and experience to help facilities receive their reimbursements so they can focus on patient care. For more information on substance abuse billing consultants, visit www.integritybillingco.com or call (561) 355-5640.