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Billing/payment

Posted By: Pj on 2006-08-29
In Reply to: For people who have their own clients.... - Anon

On my larger accounts I close out on the 25th to 28th, since I keep daily line counts in an Excel program, I print that out, do my bill in Quick Books, get the bill to clients by 28th to 29th, I give a 1% discount on my larger accounts if they pay within 48 hours and they do so I have my checks always by the 1st.   I have two smaller accounts that I bill on the 15th so I have cash flow throughout the month.  I have never been stiffed, they have never been late, they never question my line counts and always write thank you on the invoice.   This works for me.  I know everyone says don't give away 1% as a discount but it works for me so I do it. 


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When I turn my bill in I now have to list each and every patient, whether it was a chart note, the number of lines and the amount charged. Let me tell you that is one long list. Does anyone else have to do that? This was just started in an office I have worked for for ten years! Thx for any input.
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2. If you have a contract -
Use it legally.
3. Stop all transcriptions at once until they have paid.
4. Report to the AAMT the incident with the contract, work loads, time and date.
That is my mortgage payment alone - sm
Our expenses for the month are about 5-6K per month.
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It is a scam. I got one that says I never sent payment and they
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Non or late payment
Gosh! We work hard enough for peanuts as it is!
with what you are getting in terms of payment...

 


Then outsources like us are getting ripped off...


I barely make $5 for 8 hours.. you think that's fair. .. cause I sure *&%# don't.


 


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Well, if that's how she's billing the client SM
then that's how you should be billing her (just characters and spaces).  I'm sorry you're going to be losing money.  I'd be unhappy too.  Maybe you can work on your shortcuts/macros more so that you are typing less for the same amount.  No real words of wisdom for you...sorry.
re billing - am I being a total *ash*?

I have plenty of clients, no shortage of work. Recently I started picking up some extra legal transcription from a company who is swamped & always begging for help. It's not something I've had much opportunity to do and it's fun to do something different. But they're totally out of the technological loop. I bill all my clients by an Excel spreadsheet attached to an email, and I have a master spreadsheet set up that keeps track of all my invoices for me. They are the only ones who can't open it. I know they can because someone who used to work there could, but now they have a new person and no one there can open it. Of course they can probably right click and "open with" some kind of viewer, but why is it my problem to teach them that? (here's where the "am I being a total a$$ question comes in!)  I'm tired of their clueless clerk emailing me five times every time I send her an invoice asking me to resend it and having to respond "If you can't open it, it's not going to help to resend it."  Sure I can mail it, but why should I when I have plenty of other clients?  Do you think I'd be an a$$ for unceremoniously dumping them? would you do it in a quieter way and leave the door open for further work? 


They are so technologically out of the loop, it's not even funny. I asked them for an electronic copy of one of their style guides for easy searching, and they said they don't do that and they "don't keep" things.  They just have one hard copy they are xeroxing over and over.  I knew it was somewhere, it had obviously been typed it on a computer. It's a .pdf file on the web! Someone had downloaded it directly from the court's web site. They are supposed to provide me with the names of judges and attorneys on the tapes but they don't and I have to struggle to hear names and spell them phonetically or designate unidentified voices somehow so I can tell them apart and then go back and globally replace them when I hear the name or I'm sure of the spelling. This adds countless time to transcribing their cases AND THEY HAVE THAT INFORMATION. I've asked them for lists or links for judge's/attorney names so I can at least search when they don't give them to me.  No dice. I have since found good links on the web, of course.


I'm worried about getting in deeper with them, I'm not overly familiar with legal work and I'm just going to keep coming up against their not being able to provide me with the tools I need. Every time I have to find something for myself it's costing me money, obviously, being paid on production.  They annoy me and I seem to have a very low threshold for that.  But it's valuable experience and they are desperate, the owner won't be happy.  But she's as clueless as her staff.


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Hi, I am currently a transcriber.  (leaving the field because as you all know this field is getting too ridiculous).  I am planning to attend a billing and coding school locally.  I was wondering if the hours vary for coding/billing or are the working hours typical 9-5 or 8-4, etc.    TIA


WHAT is "verifiable billing" ... (sm)

... and what are "ambiguous line counts" (mentioned by someone who has a web site related to verifiable billing which I cannot for the life of me figure out).


I charge X amount for a 65-character line.  I take characters w/spaces, divide by 65 and voila, there's my line count.  How much more "verifiable" can that get?


Can someone explain to me what this means in case the person who mentions this doesn't ever reply to my question? 


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I'm posting here because hardly anyone visits the billers & coders board.  Could someone tell me the difference between medical billing and medical coding?  I have the impression that the biller just inputs data already coded, etc. for insurance and the coder actually assigns the codes thus needs more indepth knowledge. Would being a medical biller help in becoming a medical coder?  Has anyone done either or both?  What is the pay range for each?  Thanks. 
Thank you!! I did request a stop payment and a nm
wire transfer or overnight but have had no response yet but it hasn't been that long either. Waiting for a response. I did email someone else who also works for them but no response from that yet either. My point is exactly as you said, being a week late, i am in deep trouble and it has costed me a lot as i go from check to check so like me and my kiddos are starving waiting on this check, lol. on the other hand, i make good money with this acct and don't want to tick them off as i love this acct but i am in a bind needing my money.
Payment to Santa's House
Here is the transaction number that Paypal gave me ...
December 2, 2005, $10.00 to MT Stars for Santa's House
# 1AF41998N6331691A.

Thank you
pagett4584@comcast.net
I agree but ask for full payment
good luck
...maybe incentive pay like OT or payment for bonus
s
Should I make the car payment, pay the electricity, or
buy a few small Christmas presents for the kids? Of course, the electric company won't wait one more week to get their money.
The Jan. 15 payment is for last quarter in 2007.
x
I ask for partial payment upfront if they were

Any advice on switching to med billing from being an MT?

I just can't seem to make any money working at home with the kids talking to me constantly with transcipriton so I am thinking about switching to something I don't have to listen to.  Maybe medical billing.  Any advice anyone? 


Thanks


MTs switched to billing/coding?

Curious whether there are any MTs out there, or anyone who knows info, on going into billing and coding...


I'm considering training for that in my spare time now, so that I have the opportunity later, if I decide to pursue that.  Are there a fair amount of work-at-home positions in billing and coding?  After my newbie days, I've never had trouble finding MT work with good companies, so I wondered if billing was as widespread, at home.  I haven't found nearly as much info out there on at-home billing, other than get-rich-quick scheming.  Anyone know if the pay is on a similar scale?  Opportunity for PT and FT, like MT?  Similarities and differences (not on the actual job, but work issues like benefits, flexibility, etc.)


Thanks for any help!


There's medical coding and billing.
nn
I didn't find anything about billing, just
header info, when job was dictated and when it was transcribed, who typed it, stuff like that, but nothing about billing or discrepancy in line counts....
I used to do billing for ophthamologist about 10 years ago though; sm
we charged $1800 per eye with a $500 facility fee. That included anesthesiologist fees, outpatient procedure, free standing surgical center in tx. You can always deal a bargain when paying cash up front so call and ask them their cash discount up front fee. everyone has one.
Billing questions for MTSOs..SM

I've had this account for about four months now.  They are very slow payers.  I originally was going to bill them once a month, but then decided to do bi-monthly.  I still haven't gotten payment from the 11/30 invoice, so I inqured today and the office manager said they are changing their billing process and I need to submit a monthly invoice.  I also wonder how long she would have went without paying the 11/30 invoice if I hadn't of called. 


I figured they want a monthly invoice to make things a little easier on their end like they want to pay all their bills once a month.  I called her to verify what day she would like to be billed on/by and she said it doesn't matter.  I just need to put a due date on the bill, as she is making a folder with all their bills and paying the bills by their due dates.  I told her my bill is due upon receipt and she said that is fine just put the due date as the next day, which makes no sense to me because they have never paid sooner than three weeks.


Does this make sense?  It sounds to me like maybe the office is having money troubles and didn't want to pay my last invoice.  I remember an MTSO here saying that she gives her clients a percentage break if they pay within so many days.  Does this work?  All I want is my money and fast.  I have bills to pay too.


I appreciate any ideas or thoughts regarding this subject.  Thanks!


PS - I personally know the MT who had this account before me and they never paid late.  She always received the check within a couple days after receipt of her bill.  I just don't get it.


letter billing, plse sm
I was wondering how some of you bill for letters and envelopes. I charge by the gross line for chart notes but wanted some ideas about letters. They are relatively short letters on the whole, like a paragraph or so. Do you charge gross line, charge for the blank lines, do a flat fee, charge for envelopes? Thanks for any input.
Why would billing/coding not be offshored?
x
Transcription versus Billing
Before doing MT at home, I worked in an office for over 10 years, many doing fulll-time billing.

The office job I had certainly paid more (and it was guaranteed despite productivity).

I am now employed at home dut to family situations.

I guess my answer would be that you have to determine what is most improtant to you. If it is flexibility you desire, go for MT. There are very few billing/coding jobs based at home.

Should you choose to pursue billing, immediately get certified. Many places are now laying off employees who are not certified, depsite years of experienc.

I have done both. If you have any questions, feel free to email. I will let you know what books etc required and the CPC sites.

Many have helped and encouraged me on this site. I would be happy to return the favor.

Billing once a month is not a biggie BUT
do it on a Net 10 or Net 15. Never a Net 30. You could end up doing 2 months work for free eventually. No account is worth that.
MT vs Coding/billing At Home?
I am trying to decide between medical transcription and billing/coding.  I am a SAHM and cannot work outside the house, I have small children at home and they won't be in school for another several years.  So I must have an at home job.  I haven't taken any courses yet, so I am trying to decide which road would be best.  I know with MT that MTec and Andrews are really good schools and you can work from home after their program.  Not sure of good schools for billing or coding, maybe Career Institute (I think that is the name).  Are there other good schools??  Can you find an at home job with either job route??  Any help would be wonderful!!  Thanks!
Make a tax payment every pay period online.
I use the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System because I also am incapable of saving money. When I deposit my paycheck, I immediately go online and transfer a percentage of my check to the IRS. You can do it weekly, biweekly, quarterly--anytime you choose. It requires setting up an account with your SS# or tax ID#. Then you designate a bank account to be debited. They snail mail you a password and PIN about a week later. As soon as you receive your PIN, you're set to go. When you make a payment, you're given a confirmation number. The system records each payment and the date it was processed so you have a record of all your payments and the date the payment was made when you organize your tax info at the end of the year.
My mortgage payment is nearly that much. Ten year loan.
 
You have no obligation to assist in college payment.
I don't understand why so many parents these days insist on handing their kids an education while going into debt over it. My nephew had to work and find scholarships to go to college. My Dad worked the railroad to pay for his college. I'm still paying for my own college, and I've got a kid ready to start college in two years. I told him I'm not paying for it. He needs to get his grades up, find some scholarships, and work. You don't appreciate something you don't earn.

Your son will get a reality check when his bills are due.
Dud you send a demand payment letter? sm
You can find a sample one by Googling.

If you do win in small claims court, the judgement will give you legal ways to collect. For example, having the sheriff put liens on bank accounts, using a collection agency, etc.

Good luck to you. I have been in your shoes and, fortunately, the demand payment letter worked for me.
Mortgage late payment question. sm
I have 18 months left on my 30 year mortgage, roughly 4K left.  If I don't pay my February 1st payment until March 2nd, is it likely they will demand the whole 4K immediately?  Just broke right now.   
Beg, borrow, or steal not to have that payment be late!!!
It does not matter how little you have left on it.  Late is late in my opinion.
agree - haven't had a car payment in years
paid $6000 cash for a 93 Volvo wagon back in 2002.  Too many people think they need a new (or pricey) vehicle and really have better things to do with their $400-600 per mo. Every time I look into getting something new or simply newer, I decide that I neither want to take that much money out of savings,  nor do I want to have such an outrageous car payment.  I would totally prefer a brand new car, but it seems like such a waste of money. 
Try calling back about a payment agreement.

deal with compared to my state department of revenue!  I owed taxes over $10,000 in taxes two years in a row to the IRS, so over $20,000, and they let me make payments on it and I got it paid off.  I also got the INTENT TO LEVY notices, but when I called and set up a payment agreement they stopped with the threats.


Right now I owe the IRS about $5000 and when I called to set up payments I asked them if I could make payments of $150 a month and they accepted that without question.  I was a little afraid to suggest such a small amount, but they took it.


Now my state department of revenue is much meaner than the IRS.  They told me to pay what I owe them in six months or else.  They put a lien on my house.  They will only accept payments if I take the total and divide by 6 and pay that amount each month (impossible for me to pay that much) so I am just in a holding pattern seeing if they are bluffing or if they really are going to do something.


I'd say if you really have nothing of value the IRS can get, then it is to their advantage to work with you.  I think you just got a bad agent.  Call back and try to get another one that will work with you.