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The Better Billing Newsletter – March Issue (Ontario)

The Dr. Bill Team
Mar. 26, 2019
6-minute read
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Can you believe it’s almost the end of March, where does the time go?! In this issue of Dr. Bill’s Better Billing Newsletter, we’re talking about submission errors, premiums and the new dashboard.

Scroll through and click on what interests you the most. If you’ve got any questions, just click reply and ask away.

Happy Billing!

 

Billing Tips: How to Prevent Submission Errors

Submission errors are going to happen, especially if you’re billing in high volumes, because let’s face it; everyone makes mistakes. Although getting an error is not the end of the world, it will delay your pay. Here are some common scenarios to watch out for:

  • Incorrect use of SLI Code
  • There’s a fee code conflict – so assessment is required
  • Invalid use of Premiums
  • No Referring Physician
  • Patient doesn’t have insurance


Extra Reminder: 
In our experience, most submission errors are a direct result of either not adding a referring physician OR not double checking that your patient has insurance. So, make sure you always check these two things before submitting a claim. 

SLI Codes

The Service Location Indicator (SLI) is a mandatory field that must be filled out on any claim submitted to OHIP. All it does is let OHIP know where the patient is being seen. Recently, our OHIP billing experts have noticed that a lot of submission errors are caused from the incorrect use of an SLI code. There are 8 SLI options, so check out this list to make sure you’re using SLI codes correctly.

Last Newsletter we touched on the importance of using special visit premiums with “A” prefix consult and visit fees, not “C” prefix codes. This time around, we want to re-enforce this by outlining the different fee codes, prices, and scenarios based on each speciality department. Click on the link below for exact details.

OHIP Special Visit Premiums By Department 


OHIP Special Visit Premiums PDF
.

Tutorials

1. How to properly bill for E078 (chronic disease premium)

E078 is only payable on certain out-patient assessments and is a percentage-based premium. This means you need to add it to another code in order for it to work. It will then apply 50% to the assessment code you’ve added it to.

Click on the button below to find out how you can bill E078 on the phone app.

2. The New Payment Report Dashboard

If you haven’t already noticed, we’ve changed the dashboard! Now you can follow up on claims and see exactly which claims were paid, held or rejected for any payment period.

Active Claims Status and Remittance Payment Reports

Keep Learning

Suggested Learning for Accreditation:

Podcasts

Here’s this month’s suggestions:

  Fate minus Spending equals Happiness: Financial Tips with Dr. Healey

Geoff (Physiatrist) talks with Dr. Paul Healey (ER Staff), one of the two co-founders of the Physician Financial Independence Facebook group. Paul’s group has rapidly become one of the biggest sources of unbiased financial information for Canadian physicians.

Liar, liar, pants on fire – or at least a little bit of smoke

Mike and James talk about a couple of recent survey publications. One, which examined patient satisfaction around patient requests and denials of those requests. The other examined how often and why patients are not always honest about disclosing medically relevant information.

News Around the Nation …


Want to maximize your earnings? New to Ontario Billing?

Check out our Ultimate OHIP Billing Guide that takes you through every step for billing successfully in Ontario.


This article offers general information only and is not intended as legal, financial or other professional advice. A professional advisor should be consulted regarding your specific situation. While information presented is believed to be factual and current, its accuracy is not guaranteed and it should not be regarded as a complete analysis of the subjects discussed. All expressions of opinion reflect the judgment of the author(s) as of the date of publication and are subject to change. No endorsement of any third parties or their advice, opinions, information, products or services is expressly given or implied by RBC Ventures Inc. or its affiliates.


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When it comes to medical billing expertise, the team at Dr.Bill is up to date, on your side and eager to share. Whether reporting on time saving billing tips or ways to increase your earnings, they’ll keep you connected and in the know.

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