Large companies allocate millions of dollars each month for employee healthcare. Self-funded plans can greatly benefit from medical claim audits to enhance their performance. While a basic audit might identify errors and irregularities, many of which can be recovered, a more detailed claim review scrutinizes each payment against the plan's provisions, customary and reasonable fees, and various other factors. These comprehensive audits often recommend how plans can enhance their services while managing costs effectively. A multitude of variables can influence monthly expenses.
Conducting a thorough claim audit requires advanced systems and an understanding of medical and pharmacy billing—both intricate fields. The extent to which an auditing firm can comprehend your plan's specifics and measure them against the claims paid is vital. Consequently, the audit setup directly impacts the value of the reported data. There are no shortcuts to achieving an accurate audit; having a team focused on precision and detail is essential. When every claim undergoes scrutiny, it becomes feasible to uncover all errors, allowing you, as the plan sponsor, to recover them if possible.
The high-quality data generated by electronic audits has significantly decreased the time required to deliver precise final results. This efficiency allows for more time to analyze and assess systems. Numerous opportunities for improvement could enhance processing and yield significant savings over time. Additionally, when claims are accurately paid, members are treated more fairly, and your plan's fiduciary responsibilities are better fulfilled. Having the same firm review your payments over different periods is advantageous, as this leads to a clearer understanding of performance.
With claim payments now mostly outsourced, effective oversight has become essential. To ensure ongoing savings from audits, they must become increasingly sophisticated. As administrators continue to reduce error rates annually, the remaining mistakes are often minimal and harder to detect. Only auditors equipped with advanced systems and extensive experience can dive deeper. Their state-of-the-art systems are well-suited for the task, and those who work in the field possess invaluable insights. Moreover, healthcare billing is continuously evolving, necessitating constant adaptation and learning.