The Logik Team has three strategies to decrease claim denials for your facility significantly. In this article, we’ll examine the second: staff training. (You can find the first article on human error here.)
Step Two: Train Staff
When you hired your staff, you likely made sure that they had a solid understanding of code updates and procedures for your office. Over time, however, those codes and procedures may change substantially.
Hold or Require Annual Training & Updates
Ensuring your staff receives training each year is the best way to keep behavioral health codes and your office policies fresh in their minds. When employees see that information regularly, they’ll be more likely to retain those details, including information about tasks they don’t deal with as part of their daily responsibilities. Annual training is also a great time to go over new office policies or changes in healthcare coding and billing regulations. This refresher training may include elements like:
- How to handle reports
- Collections
- How to properly schedule appointments
- How to properly code requests
- How your electronic systems work
Update All Staff Members When Instituting Software or Policy Change
Don’t just update the top members of your staff and assume that it will trickle down. If you’re instituting new policies or using new software, make sure every team member is properly trained to use it. Training can also help answer critical questions about changes before your staff actively deals with those responsibilities.
Check-in Before There’s a Problem
You don’t want to wait until you’re bogged down with insurance claim denials, leaving your practice with substantial cash flow problems before you check in with your employees. While you certainly want to talk to employees any time an obvious problem arises, you should also institute regular check-ins that will allow you to keep up with how your employees are handling those challenges, answer any questions they may have, and provide them with a reminder of any office policies.
Do You Need to Improve Staff Training?
If you’ve fallen behind on your staff training, there are several symptoms you may notice. If you note any of these in your practice, you may need to update your training policies or procedures.
- You see a lot more insurance claim denials than usual, potentially for no apparent reason.
- There’s one specific person in your office that everyone goes to with questions-and that person barely has time to complete their work due to the frequent influx of questions.
- There’s been a recent coding update.
- You’ve recently instituted new policies for coding or patient interactions.
- You have recently chosen new billing software.
- You haven’t held a training in quite some time.
- Staff members have increasing questions about specific policies or procedures, or you’ve noticed that staff members are confused about an element of your software or policies.
Want to learn more—or have some handy staff training checklists to hand out? Download the entire guide below!
Learn More: Download the Guide
Logik Solutions
Optimizing billing is key to helping patients get the care they need, growing as an organization, and worrying less about your bottom line. To learn more about Logik’s billing solutions schedule a demo
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