The Coronavirus pandemic has given new-found significance to telemedicine. For quite a number of years now, telemedicine is finding new meaning with citizens battling COVID-19.
A growing trend in the US, telemedicine delivers healthcare services via video conferencing and other online methods. The number of telehealth visits saw a significant increase since the Coronavirus pandemic hit the globe in 2019.
Not only does telemedicine make it possible for patients to avail medical advice from the safety of their homes, it also saves them time and money incurred due to traveling to and from an urgent care clinic to seek medical attention. But unfortunately, even though telemedicine is such a boon in COVID times, urgent care clinics have been unsuccessful in taking full advantage of this facility.
Challenges such as training medical staff to appropriately bill telemedicine services availed or even putting adequate systems in place to provide hassle-free services to patients online are still major obstructions in many urgent care centers. Let’s try and understand 3 of the big challenges that are posing a hindrance in optimizing use of telemedicine at urgent care facilities.
1. Lack Of Face-To-Face Interaction
Because in the case of telemedicine there is no possibility of a face-to-face interaction before a checkup or consultation, there is a large number of claim denials that take place.
Inconsistencies such as patients no longer being covered by policy, pre-authorization information missing, an incorrect detail like the name or date of birth, or even a provider being out of network, can all lead to claim denials.
While these can easily be prevented at a regular urgent care facility because of the presence of a front office staff, in the case of telemedicine this becomes a big challenge. Even if patients are made to submit their information via a web portal, the likelihood of information not matching is quite high.
2. Lack Of A Front Office
At the time of availing the facility of telemedicine, there is no front office to take care of the initial formalities that happen before a consultation. This missing component, due to the remote nature of telemedicine, can increase the presence of errors in medical records and even reduce the number of patients availing the facility because of lack of the personal touch.
Not having someone to interact or make a quick check results in a lack of relationship between patients and the urgent care center. Inconsistencies in patient records are not immediately found which later result in claim denials.
3. ck Of Proper Training
Since telemedicine is relatively new as compared to traditional methods of checkup and consultation, a large portion of urgent care staff still have to receive relevant and adequate training in managing patients via telemedicine, and getting their problems resolved. The staff also need to keep their billing skills up to date to prevent inconsistencies from finding their way into records and claims.
Sometimes due to the absence of proper training, confusion arises as to what is covered in the policy and who exactly covers the medical costs of treatment. This can become a pain for patients because commercial insurance plans do not cover telemedicine visits.
Make GMB Your Trusted Partner
The sooner the urgent care centers iron out the above challenges, the faster patients will be able to depend and carry on availing the benefits of urgent care centers via telemedicine.
If your urgent care facility too is facing similar or almost identical issues, let GMB hold your hand, so we can move together as trusted partners.
At GMB we understand each of these challenges and so work toward decreasing claim denials as much as possible. Claims denials mean low revenue which then translates to poor facilities. Let GMB help you out.
To speak to GMB’s Orlando urgent care billing services you can call us today at 786-725-2120; 655-469-1422 or visit https://www.gablesmedicalbilling.com/medical-billing-orlando/
