For the most part, chiropractic billing is pretty straightforward, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any myths about the service. These myths grow when you consider you are likely to have Medicare patients. A chiropractic billing company is there to make sure your billing and payment process is much less stressful so you can focus on other areas of your practice.
You shouldn’t have to worry about a patient coming in with Medicare, as your goal is to just provide them with a service that is going to help them. If you are unsure if a billing company is right for you, then see if you think some of the following myths are true.
Myth #1: Chiropractors can’t charge for providing therapy services to Medicare Patients
Sadly, many chiropractors fall into the belief that this myth is very true when it is actually false. If you are going to provide therapy to a Medicare patient you need to charge for it. This means even if the policy they have doesn’t cover the therapy, you have to charge for it. Just because someone has Medicare doesn’t mean they get special treatment. You need to keep uniform charging practices in place for all patients.
Myth #2: As a chiropractor, you can give low-income patients a hardship balance write-off
This one is tricky, as it is a myth in some situations but not others. You have to verify the patient’s income and then choose to provide a hardship balance write-off. If you don’t have a policy in place for this then you can’t write off a hardship balance. Your chiropractic billing company is familiar with this regulation and can ensure that you are only doing this in qualifying situations.
Myth #3: You can refuse to accept Medicare and directly charge your patients
There are still chiropractors who believe this myth when it simply isn’t true. You cannot opt-out of accepting medicare. If you cannot treat a Medicare patient due to the lack of a Non-PAR or PAR Medicare contract then you must refer them to someone who does have a contract. This means you have to have other references for people who have this coverage if you do not.
Myth #4: You need an advanced beneficiary notice on all your Medicare patients
You do not need an ABN on all your Medicare patients. You would only need it when the services that are provided do not meet the coverage guidelines of Medicare. Many chiropractors don’t know this and that is where a billing company can make sure you have the right coverage for them.
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