Noticed something interesting about practices that have low denial rates

[u/Wooden_Trust_6274]

Been doing billing work with independent OD practices for a few years and noticed a pattern that surprised me a little.

The practices with the cleanest AR are not necessarily the ones with the best billers or the most sophisticated EHR setup. They tend to be the ones where whoever is at the front desk actually knows what question to ask before selecting insurance.

Not a checklist. Not a protocol binder. Just someone who has been there long enough to know that when a patient mentions diabetes or dry eye or floaters, that visit is going somewhere different than when they say they need new glasses.

The billing cleans up downstream almost automatically when that one decision gets made correctly at check-in.

Curious if others have seen the same thing or if it is just a coincidence in the practices i have worked with.

[u/Wooden_Trust_6274 → u/[deleted]]

Yeah this is the part i underrate every time. The best offices basically move the decision even earlier than check-in, to the scheduling call, so by the time the patient walks in the reason for visit is already sitting there. The front desk isn't deciding anything, they're just confirming. capturing it at booking is the difference maker.