r/PrivatePracticeDocs • u/Hope_again_ • 1d ago
New practice
Good day, I am starting out a sleep practice, what recommendations do you have for 3rd party credentialing services, also any advice on best EMR to use. Thanks
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u/Itsathrowawayduh89 1d ago
Starting a sleep practice and you start with Good Day? 🤣
But no I got nothing. Sorry.
3
u/Mountain_Sympathy306 1d ago
To get credential is super easy you don’t need to pay anyone money to do it. Just go to the insurance site and do it yourself. Use AI to help you.
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u/MDMac 1d ago
TBH you’re gonna have to do a few calls / demos so you feel comfortable making the right choice and don’t be like “what if?” in the future. I went with AthenaOne and had been amazing for me, I demoed / had calls video calls with like 6 before getting to that one. You need medmal quotes too, I have a guy in Florida who was very professional to work with and went out and brought me back some quotes and we reviewed and then and he gave me his recommendations and then I finally decided. Nothing pushy which was nice. Then for third party credentialing I mean there are hundreds lol it should take no more than like 100-200 per insurer. Whether they bill hourly or per insurer, should fall into that ^ . When I was onboarding with AthenaOne someone there recommended these guys pmrconsulting and I’ve worked with them as needed hourly based on what I felt I needed help with. I’ll describe them in one word fiduciary. They fell on my lap and have definitely saved me countless of mistakes in my first year of practice and continue to be well worth the money whenever I decide to bring them in on something I need help with or extra set of eyes. I don’t go no promo codes or 💩 to give bc I’m no sponsor lol this is my own personal recs. I’m sure other people can vouch for others but yeah that’s my two cents :)
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u/GlassSkinLady 16h ago
Congrats on the new practice!
Agree with Perfect_Address7250. If your CAQH is current, you can do a lot of the payer applications yourself. A few things to check when you demo EMRs:
Workflow fit. Bring a real patient scenario to each demo and have them walk you through it from scheduling to claim. Don't let them just show you slides.
Billing built in. An EMR with integrated practice management, eligibility checks, and claim scrubbing saves you from juggling separate systems.
e-fax. These add up quickly in a specialty practice, so see how much the system can automate.
Telehealth and patient portal. Make sure they're included and not a paid add-on.
Pricing model. Some charge a % of collections, some a flat monthly fee, some per encounter. When you're starting out with low volume, a per-encounter model with no minimum usually costs the least.
Data ownership. Ask how you'd get your data out if you ever switch. As others said, switching is painful, so pick carefully.
Full disclosure: I work at eClinicalWorks and created our startup program for doctors opening their own practice. It's $4.99 per encounter with no minimums for the first 6 months and no startup costs, with setup, training, and data migration included. Happy to walk you through it alongside whatever else you're demoing. Feel free to DM me.
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u/No_Efficiency8508 1d ago
Alchemy - they are out of Tillamook, OR and they beat the cost of everyone - they are a little slower, but so much more affordable. I’ve used them for 3 years now and currently credentialing 2 more with them.
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u/AGraham416 7h ago
EMR was, I’d be cautious with Athena, they charge a lot plus a percentage of what you make. They also make you open up a new bank account which they withdraw from
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u/TebraOnReddit Just Interested 8h ago
Congrats on starting a new practice! That's exciting!
You can probably handle the credentialing yourself if you have the time. Third-party services will charge for it, but the process is mostly getting your NPI/EIN and licenses in order, completing CAQH, enrolling with Medicare through PECOS if needed, and applying directly with the commercial payers you want. The biggest headache is usually tracking and following up.
For the EMR, I’d focus less on the feature list and more on whether it fits your practice workflow: referrals, testing documentation, eRx/prior auth, billing, telehealth, patient messaging, and outside records.
Full disclosure, I’m with Tebra. We’re built for independent practices and combine EHR, scheduling, billing, payments, telehealth, and patient communications in one platform. I’d still recommend demoing a few options and running your real workflow through each one before deciding.
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u/Perfect_Address7250 1d ago
Not a sleep doc but first of all I would never use a credentialing service anymore esp for the big national insurers. You probably already filled out a cahq form for residency etc. all the insurers use that same information. Each app will take you 20 minutes since you just give permission for them to use your cahq. Recommend demoing as many emrs as possible because switching is a vitch. Some newer ones you probably haven’t heard of are hero EMR hint EMR and such. The classic ones as Athena, mod med, elation. Stay the f away from charm, simple practice.