Code from Home: Launch Your Home-Based Medical Billing Service

By Sandra L. Kocsis

Imagine being your own boss. Imagine working from home in your sweatpants. Imagine setting your own schedule. Imagine supporting yourself and your family purely by your own effort. In Code from Home, author Sandra L. Kocsis discusses the ins and outs of starting your own home-based medical billing service.

Based on her personal experience establishing her own at-home business, Kocsis shares detailed information including how to:

Know if you are interested in this career Sell your skills Write letters and proposals Handle an interview Understand coding including diagnosis and procedure coding Determine insurance coverage eligibility Manage your business Schedule yourself Prepare the charts Submit the charges Bill your fee

Providing examples of proposal, patient, insurance, and collection letters, Code from Home helps you understand the world of medical billing and collection and how to manage your at-home business to be profitable and successful.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Oct 15, 2014
• ISBN: 9781491746912

Sandra L. Kocsis

Sandra L. Kocsis earned a bachelor’s degree in health sciences. She currently works part-time and is attending college to become a registered nurse. Kocsis has spent nearly all of her life working in the medical field and started a home-based medical billing service. She has three daughters.

Book preview

Code from Home

Launch Your Home-Based Medical Billing Service

Copyright © 2014 Sandra L. Kocsis.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

The information contained in this book came from Sandra L. Kocsis and is believed to be accurate and up-to-date. However, neither the publisher nor the author guarantee the sources and reliability.

Neither the publisher nor the author shall be responsible for any exclusions, errors, or reparations stemming from the use of this information. The production is published with the understanding that the publisher and the author are supplying knowledge but are not attempting to provide business consulting or other trained services. If such services are required, the assistance of the appropriate professional should be sought.

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ISBN: 978-1-4917-4688-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-4691-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014916695

iUniverse rev. date: 10/06/2014

Table of Contents

Dedication

Introduction

Part One: Marketing Yourself

Chapter 1   Are You Interested?

Chapter 2   Communications

Chapter 3   Selling Your Skills

Chapter 4   Letter Writing

Chapter 5   Proposing

Chapter 6   Interviewing

Chapter 7   Ethics

Chapter 8   Cultural Competence

Part Two:The Business of Coding

Chapter 9   Coding

Chapter 10 Diagnosis Coding

Chapter 11 Procedure Coding

Chapter 12 Insurance Coverage Eligibility

Chapter 13 Important Items from the Provider

Part Three: Managing Your Business

Chapter 14 Office Equipment and Supplies List

Chapter 15 Scheduling Yourself

Chapter 16 Preparing the Charts

Chapter 17 Submitting the Charges

Chapter 18 Month-End Duties

Chapter 19 Billing Follow-Up

Chapter 20 Collections

Chapter 21 Billing Your Fee

Conclusion

Additional Resources

About the Author

Dedication

Along the way, I have gained insight from many professionals, colleagues, family, and friends. Some of the names that I would like to mention are my daughters, Ashley, Danielle, and Amy for showing their support and giving me unconditional love. I would like to thank Sid L. for always pushing me toward success and being supportive, even during the tough times. I would like to thank my mom, Pam L., for believing in me when no one else did and for helping me buy my first computer. I would like to mention my brother Ron R. and sister Katherine R. for keeping me on my toes. I would like to mention Ralf L. for having the courage and patience to hire, train, and encourage me to achieve successes that seemed unreachable, and for correcting errors in my proposal and billing letters. I would like to thank Carolyn F. and Sue C. for always being there and encouraging me to be my best self, as well as laughing and crying with me when life threw me curve balls. I would like to thank Dr. Stephen C. for being so patient with me while I learned medical terminology and the orthopedic process. I would like to thank American River College, California State University of Sacramento, Folsom Lake College, and Excelsior College for allowing me to persevere. Without all of you and the experiences I have gained I may have ended on a different path.

Introduction

Think of working for yourself and avoiding the hustle and bustle of traffic. What about avoiding the pressure and the time it takes to get to an employer in order to punch in on time? Consider dodging the boss, who wants everything done his or her way and never considers the ideas of others. Take into account the constant compromising with coworkers. Imagine never dealing with the rules and regulations that must be followed while working for someone