What is Charge Capture?
It seems you’ve made your way to pMD's blog and want to know more about what charge capture really is. This blog is your guide. You've heard the buzzword all over health care, so let's begin by answering the question, “What is charge capture?”
SO WHAT EXACTLY IS CHARGE CAPTURE?
Charge capture is a process used by doctors and other health care providers to get paid for their services. In its simplest form, charge capture is the process whereby doctors record information on their services, which is then sent out to different payers and insurance companies for reimbursement. For example, let’s say a doctor sees you in the hospital, and after 30 minutes of care, the doctor diagnoses you with hypertension. Both the hypertension diagnosis and the 30 minutes of care translate into separate codes which are eventually submitted for reimbursement.
HOW ARE CHARGES CAPTURED?
One of the big variables in charge capture among medical practices is the way in which doctors record and transfer this information back to their offices and billing staff.
Pop Quiz: What are doctors using to capture their charges?
A) Smartphones
B) Post-it notes
C) Spreadsheets
D) Cafeteria napkins
E) All of the above
The correct answer? E. There are numerous ways to capture charges, and as you may have guessed, some methods are certainly more effective than others.
WHY USE MOBILE CHARGE CAPTURE?
As an alternative to paper-based systems like index cards, hospital print-outs, or cafeteria napkins, electronic charge capture ensures faster reporting and greater billing accuracy. When doctors submit charges electronically, it also reduces data entry errors along the way and eliminates the need to decipher enigmatic handwriting. And when you’re busy caring for patients, who really has time to memorize thousands of diagnosis and charge codes? Plus, paper can't keep up with ever-changing government regulations such as MIPS, but electronic charge capture can incorporate many solutions right into the software to make things as easy as possible.
The best and most efficient form of charge capture involves using mobile devices, such as smartphones or tablets. Doctors can record their charges using a charge capture application on their phones, allowing them to enter charges on the go. With advanced code search functionality, it’s unbelievably fast and easy, giving providers a convenient way to select customized diagnosis codes during the charge capture process. And because they can submit these electronically, doctors no longer have to shuttle paper charges back and forth from the hospital to their office. In essence, it extends the practice to the hospital and the hospital back to the practice, so providers can stay on top of everything in real-time.
WHAT ABOUT SECURITY?
Mobile charge capture is also the most secure method because all of the data is encrypted, both on the device and in transit. This way, doctors don’t have to worry about misplacing a paper charge and putting confidential patient information at risk.
CHARGES ARE SUBMITTED, WHAT’S NEXT?
Capturing charges is one thing, but what comes next? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered here as well! The next step is billing and collections, or to put it simply, getting paid. Another big benefit of capturing charges in pMD, is the ability to then bill for those charges without needing to use another software vendor and/or service. pMD streamlines the entire practice from point-of-care through reimbursement. With customizable prompts and easy, accurate code selection on the front-end, combined with claim scrubbing, transparency and reporting on the back-end; providers can take care of their patients, while our team of revenue cycle experts will take care of the medical billing and collections. It can be that easy!
pMD provides intuitive, elegant mobile charge capture software that improves patient care and makes doctors happy. Learn more about pMD charge capture.
To find out more about pMD's suite of products, which includes our charge capture and MIPS registry, secure messaging, clinical communication, and care navigation software and services, please contact pMD.
