Posts Tagged ‘Medical billing services’

What Financial Issue Do You Tackle First? Credit Or Mortgage?

Monday, February 8th, 2010

What do you do if your income diminishes? You have less money, but the amount of debt you owe remains the same. What’s the best way to prioritize payments? If you have credit cards chances are you might also have personal loans and a mortgage.

Throughout the past few years, more consumers in a bind due to decreasing income have decided that credit cards should be higher than their mortgage payments on the prioritization list. As 2009 ended it was determined that twice as many consumers were delinquent with their mortgage payments while paying credit card payments than the other way around.

Even though some of this might be a result of the credit crunch and lower balances on cards generally, this might be due to the general tendency for people to lose faith in the value of their homes as they see the real estate market erode. A lot of homeowners are giving up and simply walking away from their homes with mortgages that they cannot afford. They figure that if the only punishment is a bad credit score, there isn’t much incentive for them to keep paying money if they are not building equity.

For families suffering from financial trouble, the basic necessities are still needed: food, water and shelter. Credit cards are the usual financing tactic in times of need. There is an understandable set of reasoning for prioritizing these bills. If a credit card is taken away, someone will lose the chance to pay for the bare necessities.

However, a mortgage should be higher on the priority list than credit cards because the mortgage is secured debt. The bank that holds your mortgage can take your house away if you don’t pay because your house is collateral. While some people have no problem leaving a house whose value has diminshed, it’s not considered a very wise choice. There is a good chance real estate value eventually will come around, so sitting tight might pay off.

Mallory McGuinness is employed by a debt collection agency. Also, she composes pieces on the credit industry, business and finance, and debt collection Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

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Wait. How Long Is This Going To Be On My Credit Report? Part 1

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

Your credit history. It could be your best friend, or your worst enemy. Most of the time it’s like a nosy mother in law coming to visit. You know that she’s coming, and that’s always bad news, but you are too afraid to ask or even consider how long she will be staying. Even though that was the worst analogy ever, read on to see how long negative marks stay on your credit history!

In my personal opinion, there are two records that really count in this life. Your criminal record and your financial record. Unlike your criminal record which will hover over your head for a very long time, thankfully, your credit report and scores are not permanent. But how long can these negative records exist on file?

First, errors in your credit report will be removed immediately. It you find a mistake, or a negative account that doesn’t belong to you, contact the credit reporting agency and the creditor. You should be able to have the negative account removed within 180 days.

Anytime your credit report is pulled at your request, an inquiry is put on your report. An occasional inquiry once in a while couldn’t hurt, but if you have placed a large number of inquiries within a short time period, this generally lets prospective creditors know that you need the dough and you need it fast. The bottom line is that the more inquiries that show up on your report, the lower your score will drop. These will usually last only up to two years.

But here’s the 411 about inquiries. Not all inquires will be bad for your credit score. Soft inquiries, like when you get your credit score, or when companies check your credit for purposes of making unsolicited credit offers do not hurt it. When you apply for a credit card, the creditor pulls your credit report that will result in what is a hard inquiry. This might potentially lower your score.

Mallory Megan works for a debt collection company. She also does pieceson consumer spending, business and finance, and debt collection. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

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Improve Performance With Medical Billing Company Services

Sunday, September 6th, 2009

A survey recently conducted by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) has unearthed information that many have been expecting for a while — medical practices that rely on the services of a medical billing company enjoy several advantages over in-house billing solutions.

The study found the following advantages in employing the services of a medical billing company.

- Almost three in four practices that use medical billing companies reduce their AR;

- The same ratio of medical practices experienced higher collection rates;

- 59 percent experienced fewer lost or denied claims;

- Three in every five also reported better practice performance insights; and

- 46 percent achieved higher staff productivity.

These and other findings offer factual evidence that the majority of medical professionals and practices that utilize well-chosen medical billing companies experience broad improvements in performance and productivity.

Some of the more obvious benefits of using a medical billing company include the following:

1. Medical billing companies are more likely to be able to buy and utilize industry technology, helping practices submit claims, negotiate with insurance companies, and collect personal balances more effectively.

2. A medical billing company can attract a higher caliber of billing specialists and retain these individuals.

3. Billing services keep a deep employee roster, giving medical practices the security that an in-house billing system can’t. For instance, practices using a medical billing company won’t face the risk of losing a key employee in the billing department.

4. Billing companies are better positioned to properly utilize the technology they have.

5. Medical billing companies have a broader view of the medical industry as a whole because they deal with many different medical professionals at the same time. This knowledge helps them deliver better services to their clients.

The survey and its findings can be viewed at the MGMA website.

Copyright 2009 by Carl Mays II

Before making your decision regarding a medical billing service be sure to review ClaimCare’s Website. It provides in depth information about outsourcing medical billing. Carl Mays is a national renowned expert on medical billing operations and revenue cycle management.

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MGMA Study Finds Medical Billing Companies A Boon To Practices

Saturday, September 5th, 2009

A survey recently conducted by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) has unearthed information that many have been expecting for a while — medical practices that rely on the services of a medical billing company enjoy several advantages over in-house billing solutions.

The survey found that for practices switching from in-house billing to a medical billing company:

- 73 percent saw a reduction in their AR;

- 73 percent also received higher collection rates;

- 59 percent decreased the volume of lost/denied claims;

- 59 percent enjoyed significantly better reporting and practice performance insights; and

- 46 percent achieved higher staff productivity.

The MGMA study found that more than three out of every four practices that employ the services of a good medical billing company enjoy impressive improvements in productivity and performance. This confirms the long-held notion that utilizing a medical billing company improves a medical practice’s performance.

Some of the more obvious benefits of using a medical billing company include the following:

1. Medical billing companies are often better-armed to buy and use technology to submit claims properly, deal with insurance companies, and collect on personal balances.

2. Medical billing companies also attract better and more efficient billing specialists, and keep such professionals on the roster more easily.

3. Billing services have a deeper bench of employees and this provides a layer of protection for your practice by decoupling you from the risk associated with losing a key (if not the key) billing employee.

4. Medical billing companies tend to stay on top of developing industry technology better than in-house billing departments.

5. Medical billing companies deal with different medical practices and professionals, which gives them a much broader view of the industry than any single in-house billing department. This lets medical billing companies see trends in the industry that can help develop even better services in the long run.

The survey and its findings can be viewed at the MGMA website.

Copyright 2009 by Carl Mays II

Before deciding upon a medical billing service be sure to visit ClaimCare’s Website. It provides in depth information about outsourcing medical billing. Carl Mays is a national renowned expert on medical billing operations and revenue cycle management.

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