Finding the best billing software for your substance abuse treatment facility can seem like a daunting task; however, it doesn’t have to be. With a structured approach and the key details to look for, your team can quickly assess the right fit for your treatment business. Let’s take a look at how to choose the best billing software for substance abuse treatment providers.
What is the Best Billing Software?
Ultimately, the best billing software is usually specifically built for substance abuse treatment and addresses the unique needs right out of the box. Top-tier providers will have all of the following key features and functions described below, so we suggest you start with those.
7 Key Details to Look for in the Best Billing Software for Treatment Providers
There are a few key details to look for when deciding upon a billing software for treatment facility operations. By focusing on these core areas, your team will be successful in finding the right solution for your operations.
1. Purpose-Built Solution
Billing solutions can vary widely in features and functionality. By selecting a software that was purpose-built for substance abuse, most of the features and functionality you require as an addiction treatment provider will be available out-of-the-box. This can save the incredible amount of time that it would typically take to build workarounds in a generic tool. Once you’ve narrowed down your options of platforms that support addiction treatment, you’ll want to assess their ability to be customized to meet your facility’s unique processes.
2. Validation Engine
The billing software you select should have a validation engine that checks your claims and ensures they are clean before submission. Having this process can save countless hours in claim denials and resubmissions.
3. Billing Rule Customization
Software for SUD treatment billing should allow for customized billing rules that cater to the specifics of your business and contracts with insurance providers. For example, you may want to set rules to use specific forms for particular services when billing to certain insurance companies. By having these specific rules, you can ensure that claims are auto-generated and your billing team is more efficient.
4. Prior Authorization
When working with insurance companies, substance abuse treatment billing can be tricky – which makes prior authorizations an integral part of managing operations. If there isn’t prior authorization and services are performed, there is a good chance that the claim will be denied. Because of this, your software should have tools to manage and report on prior authorizations.
5. Auto Billing Features
Because of billing rules and prior authorization management, enterprise billing software can often implement a level of auto-billing, which makes your team much more efficient and productive. Auto billing can also reduce the number of clerical errors and claim denials. Ultimately, this feature will help return more payments faster.
6. EMR Connectivity
Your business is a cohesive environment, and your software should be as well. Working with disparate systems can risk data integrity and consistency, cause unnecessary confusion, create gaps in information, and require more for your IT team to manage and support. But further than that, having your billing software fully integrated with your EMR and other operational tools – or better yet, one comprehensive platform with everything in one – offers you access to a 360° view with full context.
7. Comprehensive Reporting
Reporting is critical to uncovering insights for your business and areas of opportunity. With a comprehensive platform, you’re able to not only report on potential revenue, but also key metrics such as revenue by referral source. With comprehensive reporting, you’ll have the tools you need to make data-driven decisions that are more effective at propelling your business performance forward.
As you’re looking for a new billing solution for your substance abuse treatment business, start with filtering down software providers by the key details above. Once you have that shortlist, start to assess the best fit for your business by considering the details like support availability, customization possibilities, reliability, security, and compliance. If you’re interested in exploring Sunwave’s comprehensive behavioral health treatment provider software platform, schedule a demo with one of our platform experts who can walk you through the powerful RCM capabilities.
