Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How much does Great Lakes Medical Billing charge?
A. We charge a percentage of total revenue collected. Rates differ for each practice depending on the services needed, specialty and size. We will analyze your practice’s needs and provide you with a quote. We do not charge additional fees for postage, patient statements or claim submissions.
Q. Can I afford to hire an outsourcing service?
A. There are financial costs to handling billing in-house. These include employee wages, vacation/sick leave, benefits. Also includes employee hiring, training (and retraining if your biller leaves). You will need to purchase software, upgrades, billing fees (clearinghouse, patient statements…)
In addition to financial costs but no less important are the personal costs. With outsourced billing you can focus on your practice and won’t have to worry about your billing. You will know follow-up is being done on all insurance claims and patient statements are accurate.
Q. How will I get paid?
A. You will retain control over all payments. Your office will simply provide Great Lakes with copies of any patient payments and EOB’s so that our office can update your patient accounts.
Q. Is Great Lakes HIPAA compliant?
A. Yes, Great Lakes is fully compliant with all HIPAA privacy and security regulations. Your patient information is strongly protected. Great Lakes has implemented a system that goes beyond standard HIPAA security guidelines.
Q. Where will patients call with billing questions?
A. Patients can call our toll-free number with any questions they have regarding their claims or statements. Our staff is friendly, professional and knowledgeable. Ensuring your patients are satisfied with the billing process is extremely important to Great Lakes.
Q. How do I get started?
A. We start with a consultation to identify your billing needs. Together we will determine the process that will work best for your practice and then lay out an implementation timeline.
Q. How long does it take to get started with Great Lakes?
A. Once we have all the information for your account we can begin billing immediately.
Q. What information will you regularly require from our office?
A. To efficiently and accurately bill for your office, we require copies of all charges, patient registration, insurance cards, patient/insurance payments, and EOB’s.
Q. How will we get this information to you?
A. The best methods include: Fax or Great Lakes’ secure client website. We can work together to determine the solution that works best for you. We do suggest you assign someone from your office to act as a liaison between your office and Great Lakes. This will help ensure information is exchanged in a timely manner and your cash flow remains strong.
Q. How often will we send information to you?
A. For consistent cash flow we suggest information be sent to us on a regular basis.
Q. How often will Great Lakes process our claims?
A. Usually within 24 hours of receipt.
Q. How are insurance payments received and applied?
A. All payments will be sent by the insurance carrier to your office or directly deposited into your bank account. We will receive electronic remittances for most insurance payments. You will simply provide us with a copy of any EOB or checks received in the office so that we can accurately update your patient’s account.
Q. How are patient payments processed?
A. Simply provide Great Lakes with a copy of the check, money order, cash receipt, or credit card receipt for any outstanding balance, and we will apply the payment to the appropriate patients’ account. We can also provide you with a payment log for easy summarization of all payments received at the front desk.
Q. How does Great Lakes handle denials?
A. Upon receipt of the remittance we will promptly investigate any denied or rejected claim. If a denied claim requires more information we will contact your office and then resubmit the claim.
Q. How does Great Lakes handle patient account balances?
A. After all insurance payments and adjustments are applied to the patient’s account, Great Lakes will bill the patient for any outstanding balance.
Q. What reports does Great Lakes provide?
A. Great Lakes can provide a variety of monthly reports regarding your account including, but not limited to; practice analysis, activity reports, and aging reports, patient and insurance refunds. Custom reports to suit your needs can be designed upon request.
Q. Will I need to purchase any hardware or software in order to do business with Great Lakes?
A. Not likely. The basic hardware required is a copier and a fax machine. If you want access to our secure client website you will need a computer with internet access.
Q. Does Great Lakes code claims?
A. No. All coding should be done by a certified coder or by the provider. Any uncoded claims will be returned to the provider for completion.