Medical billing for Surgical Assistant (CSFAs, CSAs, SA-Cs and LSA's) is much more difficult than billing for an MD. Legislation varies from state to state. Individual insurance companies vary in how they deal with Surgical Assistants from state to state. For these reasons you will need a company that is experience, knowledgeable, and qualified if you are going to be successful in obtaining reimbursement.
NIFA's Software: Only NIFA has the "Work Q" and "Appeal-It". These two proprietary technologies developed by NIFA give us an advantage over the competition.
1. Following up on your claims is the most important function a billing company should perform to ensure your success. The "Work Q" makes sure every claim you submit is followed up on. It is more efficient than reports that other billing companies use. WHY!
A. Every claim is assigned a due date for a follow-up action. When due date expires, it requires your account manager to work on the claim to get it out of the "Work Q" and reassign another due date if necessary. The most common action is usually a physical telephone call to the insurance company (phone calls are the most time consuming and expensive function a billing company does) NIFA makes the phone calls! The "Work Q" makes sure none of your claims slip through the cracks.
2. The second most important function a billing company should do is to write effective appeal letters and track how successful the are. NIFA;s "Appeal-It" ensures that all appeal-able denied claims are appealed promptly (examples: Medical necessity, Refund requests, out-of-network deductablesi, ERISA volations, etc.). With over 114 years combined billing experience our appeal methodology is superior to other billing companies and enhanced by "Appeal-It" which manages denials and generates reports on what appeals work with what denials, what the percentage of appeals are successful and how much money was recovered by means of our appeals.
3. Billing experience: NIFA's employee combined billing experience in billing exclusively for non-MD first assistants is over 114 years! This experience elevates NIFA to a cut above our competition. How much is all that experience worth? Check out what our clients say under "Testimonials".
4. Additional reasons:
A. NIFA Medical Billing is not a home based billing service. This is important because of HIPAA regulations.
1. Which means patient information must be locked in an office or room away from the view of family and friends.
B. We maintain and operate a professional office with equipment and workstations.
C. All of your claims are backed up and encrypted off sight for maximum protection.
D, We submit claims electronically.
E, Last but most importantly is our employees with over 114 years experienced in the nuances of billing for non-MD's first assistants, regardless of what state you live in. All clients are assigned a friendly account manager that is familiar with legislation and insurances in the state you live in.
5. A word on Fees:
A. Many billing companies that we compete with focus there sales and services on charging less than NIFA Medical Billing. In most cases it's true. For a moment ask yourself why are they charging lower fees? Below are a few possibilities:
1. Many smaller billing companies bill out of their home. This of course saves a huge amount of money. But, are they HIPAA compliant? All of the patient data has to be protected digitally and physically (i.e. in a locked office, file cabinet, password protected etc). Are there unnecessary disruptions; children, personal phone calls, friends visiting, personal errands that can disrupt and slow down the billing process.
2. Other billing companies have been charging less than 10% for over 10 years! How can they afford to do that? Are they cutting back on some of their services such as follow-up calls and working denials etc.
3. Ten years ago NIFA charged only an 8% billing fee, but with rising expenses we could not maintain the high standard of service we aspire to without raising our fees. So, yes NIFA charges a little higher percentage to bill. but it is never at the expense of our service.
a. Example: If you where reimbursed $300 and charged 8.75% fee it would equal $26.25. If NIFA charged you 10% it equals $30.00. A difference of $3.75.
4, We reinvest in cutting edge technology that improves our ability to do a better job and our employees.
6. If you don't get reimbursed then our work is free of charge!
