Most likely you’ve been using application service providers (ASP) for years for things like email, website hosting, office productivity, and more recently your electronic health record. But did you know there are advantages to using an ASP for your medical billing, too?
If your practice is plagued by outdated billing software, too many breakdowns, and security or regulatory concerns you don’t know how to address, it may be time to consider using an ASP for your medical billing needs.
Here’s how the model works. Application Service Providers offer software capable of supporting many users who access it through web browsers over secure Internet connections. Through user-based security controls, individual users have access only to the features and files they “rent.” The ASP owns and manages the server the software is installed on, as well as updates and maintains the software itself through upgrades, patch applications, backups, and more.
Did you know CIPROMS offers an ASP model that allows you to take advantage of our years of industry experience while you continue to perform your own medical billing?
With CIPROMS’ ASP model, clients have access to their own database in our practice management system, which they access through a secure, HIPAA-compliant web connection. Because our software is highly customizable, clients have the option of setting up unique payer classes, provider and location codes, fee schedules, and more. They also can take advantage of other benefits and features like our demographic interfaces, appointment scheduling, layered user access and security, user-friendly point-and-click data entry and patient inquiry screens, and our standard report packages and business intelligence options.
Other advantages of using the CIPROMS ASP model for your medical billing include:
- Low start-up costs.
- Abbreviated set-up time.
- IT support of your work on our system.
- Nightly back-ups and inclusion in our fully replicated, off-site disaster recovery system.
- Comprehensive training.
- Electronic claims submission.
- Patient statements and collection notification letters sent according to an automated cycle that you determine.
If you are considering using an ASP for your medical billing or any purpose, really, Marshall Brain, director of the Engineering Entrepreneurs Program at NCSU, recommends asking the following questions:
- What is the cost to use the software?
- How do you access the software?
- How are customer service issues resolved?
- Does the ASP offer training on the software?
- How secure is the data?
- How secure is the connection between you and the ASP?
- How does the ASP handle redundancy?
- How does the ASP handle hardware/software problems?
- How does the ASP handle a disaster?
- Who owns the data?
- How can you get the data out if I choose to select a new ASP two years from now?
Don’t let outdated software or skyrocketing purchase prices keep you from having an updated system with the latest capabilities. Consider how transitioning to an ASP model now can take your medical billing to the next level.
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