The introduction several years ago of the ERA (Electronic Remittance Advice) created a quantum leap in the healthcare billing arena by providing an improvement to the traditional, paper-based EOBs. Astonishingly, many providers have not taken advantage of this revolutionary change. It has been estimated that even today only 46 percent of the claims are processed electronically, while the remaining 54% claims are processed in the traditional paper-based method. However, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandated that all healthcare plans adopt and support ERA operating rules before January 1, 2014.
Here are just a few reasons why you should adopt ERAs:
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Significantly Reduce Processing Time: The major benefit of implementing ERAs is that they significantly bring down the medical claims billing processing time. When payment postings are done electronically, cash flow is accelerated. Also, since everything is electronic, the length of time a paper check or EOB spends in the traditional ‘snail mail’ system is avoided.
Reduce Manual Workflows: By adopting ERAs, providers and healthcare billing companies can reduce manual workflows significantly. Also, the number of employees can be reduced who have been assigned to post payments, or these employees can be reassigned to other medical claims billing functions.
Electronic Posting Efficiency: ERAs allow the use of electronic auto posting features, which enable posting of payments on to the system automatically. The error rate of the automated posting method is much less than that of manual postings, and the time spent correcting manual errors is also lessened.
Cost-Effective: Healthcare providers and medical billing companies can save significant dollars by implementing ERAs. The cost involved in recruiting new employees and training current employees is saved. Huge savings in terms of paper costs, printing costs and mailing costs can be realized. Electronic payment posting is not only time efficient, but also cost-effective.
It’s “Green”: The adoption of ERAs has encouraged several healthcare billing companies and providers to “Go Green.” Approximately, 2.5 billion pieces of paper can be saved by using eco-friendly electronic payment processing.
If you want to immediately achieve these benefits, your practice, hospital or billing company can implement a full-service outsourced payment posting solution that will allow you to instantly convert your paper EOBs to ERAs. Your outsourcing partner will use a technology solution that will import 837 claim data and convert your paper EOB’s into ANSI 835/ERAs. The data will easily integrate with your document management system. By outsourcing this work, you can immediately treat every remittance as an ERA.
