Three Skills to Look for When Hiring a Biller
“Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out.” – Robert Collier
The financial stability of your facility or practice depends on hiring and retaining highly efficient billing staff. Claims matter, and anyone with experience in the process knows that filing and managing them can be tedious. A medical biller with the knowledge to help improve your billing practices will reduce claim denials and save you time and money. The rules for claim processing are constantly evolving, requiring continual dedicated focus, including research, and developing claim edits to maintain an accurate collection of edits.
Here are three key qualities that you should look for in your hiring process:
Communication Skills
Every aspect of a medical biller’s job centers around communication with multiple entities. Medical billers must frequently contact Insurance payers and patients to obtain more detailed information. This necessity requires a certain degree of professionalism, along with excellent customer service. Not only do medical billers have to communicate with payers and patients, but they must also be able to communicate with other departments/staff within your facility to discuss and explain issues with claims. Medical billers must communicate effectively to ensure they can process claims correctly and in a timely manner.
Problem-Solving Skills
The problem-solving skill is another essential skill necessary for a Medical Biller. Reviewing, reworking, and resubmitting a denied claim requires problem-solving skills. The medical biller must approach each issue to find a solution and investigate to determine the exact reason for them. This task may entail evaluating multiple revenue cycle stages to identify process-related errors. Understanding how each step, beginning in admissions, all the way up to payment posting, relates to one another is crucial, as a denial can arise from any point along the way.
Multi-Tasking Skills
Medical billers must be able to focus on a specific task and be aware that others may pop up at any time. Billers must prioritize tasks independently and have the ability to recognize and react to urgent problems. They will receive multiple interruptions throughout their day with calls from patients and payers, and they will need to be able to find solutions for each one of those situations. Medical billers must be flexible yet remain focused on ensuring they link each call to the correct claim.
I have mentioned communication skills, problem-solving skills, and multi-tasking skills. While many qualities can make an excellent medical biller, these three qualities are essential when hiring a medical biller.
Written By: Melanie McGivney, CHFP, CRCR, RH-CBS, CAH-CBS
LinkedIn: Melanie McGivney
