Article

Increase Revenue and Get Paid Faster with Chiropractic Billing Services and Software

By:
ChiroTouch Team
|
October 25, 2024

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Highlights

  • Chiropractic billing services and automated software can help your practice simplify claims and get paid faster.
  • Automated chiropractic billing software helps you manage the claims revenue cycle for fewer denials and delays in reimbursements.
  • With improved claims reimbursements, see increased revenue and free up more time to spend with your patients.

Chiropractic billing services and software can help you work with insurers, file claims, and get paid faster.

Choosing the right chiropractic billing software streamlines the business side of your practice and can also jumpstart its finances.

An investment in quality chiropractic billing software will pay for itself in no time.

What Is Chiropractic Billing Software and How Is It Different from Billing Services?

Chiropractic billing software is technology that helps chiropractic practices manage insurance verification, claim submission, payment posting, reimbursement tracking, and accounts receivable from within a single system.

Chiropractic billing services are outsourced companies that manage some or all billing activities on behalf of a chiropractic practice, including coding support, claim submission, denial management, and payment follow-up.

The primary difference is control. Chiropractic billing software allows practices to manage billing internally, while billing services outsource billing responsibilities to a third-party company.

Using a calculator to calculate finances

Chiropractic Billing Services

Chiropractic billing is highly specialized. If mistakes are made with coding or documentation, the patient’s insurance company may reject the claim or decide not to pay all or portions of the claim.

The wrong terminology can also mean a claim denial or delay in payment. That’s especially common with Medicare billing, as Medicare’s regulations regarding chiropractic are particularly stringent.

If your practice doesn’t use state-of-the-art chiropractic billing services, your practice is likely losing money.

Pros and Cons of Billing Services

You always have the option of using a chiropractic billing service rather than billing in-house, and for some chiropractors, that’s a better choice. There are, however, pros and cons to outsourcing versus conducting your chiropractic billing in-house.

For example, one advantage of outsourcing your chiropractic billing services is that a chiropractic billing company will always be current with ICD-10 codes. You don’t need to hire a staff person specifically to deal with coding or billing, and you don’t have to worry about a billing backlog if that person is sick or on vacation.

There are plenty of “pros” for in-house chiropractic billing services, and for most practitioners, they will outweigh any cons.

With in-house billing, charges are entered into the system immediately, which means you are paid faster.

Your staff can verify insurance network participation information right away. If there are past-due accounts, it’s a top priority for your staff. Such delinquent accounts are dealt with in their own time when you outsource your billing. Any other information needed, such as insurance payments, is easily accessible.

Chiropractic Billing Software vs Billing Services

Factor Chiropractic Billing Software Chiropractic Billing Services
Billing Control Full in-house control Managed by a third-party company
Visibility Into Claims Real-time access to claim status, denials, and reimbursements Visibility depends on vendor reporting and communication
Cost Structure Typically a fixed software subscription fee Monthly service fees or a percentage of collections
Staff Involvement Requires internal staff oversight and billing management Reduces day-to-day billing responsibilities for staff
Scalability Can scale as the practice grows without increasing collection-based fees Costs often increase as billing volume and collections grow
Claims Tracking Immediate access to claim status and reimbursement updates Tracking information is provided through vendor reports or portals
Revenue Reporting Built-in dashboards and financial reporting tools Reporting is generated and delivered by the billing company
Long-Term Cost Often lower over time for practices with established billing workflows Can become more expensive as collections and patient volume increase
Implementation Time Requires setup, training, and workflow adoption Can often be implemented quickly with vendor onboarding
Best Fit For Practices seeking greater control, visibility, and operational efficiency Practices with limited billing resources or specialized outsourcing needs

Chiropractic Billing Software

The right chiropractic billing software can help decrease issues with your claims from its first use.

What if a patient doesn’t have the insurance coverage he or she believes they do? You need software that can automatically verify eligibility for new and returning patients.

The same holds true for the pre-authorization requirements in place for some plans. A failure in either case means you may not receive payment for the services you provide.

Your chiropractic billing software should also run regular accounts receivable reports so you can pinpoint any outstanding claims.

With the proper reports, you know exactly what claims have been paid and which require follow-up.

chiropractic software billing claims worklist
Claims worklist example in ChiroTouch’s chiropractic software

How Chiropractic Software Handles Billing Errors

Running your practice successfully means staying informed of all billing issues and proactively addressing potentially difficult financial situations.

Good chiropractic billing software sends an immediate alert if a patient’s insurance has reached the maximum number of visits. Once informed their insurance will not cover the visit, the patient has the option to pay for services out of pocket.

Your software should also ensure you don’t miss any filing deadlines for claims.

While these filing deadlines are typically generous, with most payers giving you a year from the date of the claim, you want to stay on top of the dates. Once this date has passed, you won’t receive payment.

Once you start using modern chiropractic billing software, you should see a substantial increase in paid claims. Your staff will spend less time on administrative tasks that can be done by your practice management software.

Cost of Billing Services vs Software

The cost of chiropractic billing software is less expensive over time than the monthly fees of an outsourced chiropractic billing service. So having your own system is more economical in the long run.

Some outsourced chiropractic billing services charge a collection percentage, so it is difficult to budget for the service.

You’ll pay more when you have additional billings, and less during slow periods, but there is little consistency.

You must read the fine print in any contract carefully, because a company may apply various types of fees to your account. If you find you don’t like the service, you may even have to dole out a hefty amount just to cancel your membership.

When billing issues arise with an in-house system (unlike outsourced billing), you don’t need constant phone calls, emails, or other communications to resolve the problem. Your staff members can delve into the issue and report back to you.

There’s also the fact that many small business owners, such as chiropractors, don’t want to relinquish control of their billing to an outside company. With an in-house chiropractic billing system, you can keep a close eye on your billing.

Of course, having an in-house billing system, rather than choosing to outsource, only makes sense if you use top-quality chiropractic billing software. Inferior chiropractic billing software can result in problems.

So don’t switch to less than top-notch software just to save a little money upfront. It will eventually cost you, perhaps dearly.

The knowledge that your collections are suffering increases your stress levels. With updated chiropractic billing software and services, you don’t have to obsess over the state of your billing.

Smiling man using a tablet

How the Chiropractic Billing Process Works

  1. Verify patient insurance eligibility.
  2. Confirm authorization requirements and visit limits.
  3. Document patient care accurately using SOAP notes.
  4. Assign diagnosis and procedure codes.
  5. Submit claims electronically.
  6. Monitor claim status and payer responses.
  7. Correct and resubmit denied claims when necessary.
  8. Post insurance payments and patient payments.
  9. Track accounts receivable and unpaid balances.
  10. Analyze reimbursement trends to improve revenue cycle performance.

The chiropractic billing process begins with insurance verification and ends with payment collection and reporting. Accurate documentation, proper coding, and timely claim submission are critical for reducing denials and improving reimbursement speed.

Chiropractic Billing Best Practices

  • Verify insurance eligibility before every visit.
  • Document medical necessity thoroughly.
  • Use accurate ICD-10 diagnosis codes.
  • Submit claims electronically whenever possible.
  • Monitor accounts receivable weekly.
  • Follow up on denied claims promptly.
  • Track payer-specific filing deadlines.
  • Review reimbursement trends regularly.
  • Automate repetitive billing tasks.
  • Use integrated software to reduce manual entry errors.

Consistent billing processes help chiropractic practices improve cash flow, reduce claim denials, and create a more predictable revenue cycle. Practices that automate routine billing tasks often spend less time on administrative work and more time focused on patient care.

Streamline Billing and Insurance with ChiroTouch

ChiroTouch offers a completely integrated chiropractic EHR and practice management system that can help you streamline chiropractic billing and coding. ChiroTouch’s automated insurance features and simplified billing workflow mean better reimbursement rates and improved revenue cycle flow.

The software’s integrated medical billing features include:

  • Automatically posted payments and claims submission
  • Flexible payment options for patients that eliminate the need for multiple vendors or products
  • Separate case type details under one patient account

For practices that use insurance billing, ChiroTouch Advanced offers automated insurance features like:

  • Automated charge codes that link to provider SOAP notes
  • Auto-coded chiropractic billing and diagnosis codes to reduce time-consuming billing tasks
  • Straightforward process for posting insurance payments, including faster reimbursements through automated insurance clearinghouses

To further improve your practice’s revenue cycle management, you can add ChiroTouch’s ancillary payment tool, CT Payments.

CT Payments saves you time and money on end-of-day reconciliation processes and reduces human error regarding your practice’s billing operations.

CT Payments can save your staff up to 30 minutes daily, adding up to multiple hours per week. It also helps you see payments quicker to improve your cash flow and gives patients a hassle-free way to pay their balances.

Benefits of CT Payments for your practice include:

  • Faster, almost immediate payments through patient-friendly applications like by phone, online, or through Apple Pay® and Android Pay™
  • Ability to save a patient’s card for future payments
  • Free payment terminal that allows chip and swipe payments in person at the time of a patient’s appointment
  • Recurring payment setup
  • Automatic posting of payment to the patient’s account

How to Use Chiropractic Billing Services and Software Together

ChiroTouch’s chiropractic billing software integrates all the areas of your practice that you need to run at maximum efficiency. Our software submits claims and posts payments. Not only is your staff freed from manual data entry and the possible errors made in entering information by hand, but you also receive payments much more quickly.

You can instantly check the status of your revenue and always know the state of your cash flow. User-friendly ChiroTouch offers an intuitive system with a smooth learning curve and unlimited live support.

FAQs

What is chiropractic billing software?

Chiropractic billing software helps practices manage insurance claims, payment posting, reimbursement tracking, coding workflows, and accounts receivable within a centralized platform.

Is chiropractic billing software better than outsourcing billing?

The right solution depends on the practice. Billing software provides more control and visibility, while outsourced billing services reduce internal workload. Many growing practices choose software because it often offers lower long-term costs and greater operational transparency.

Why are chiropractic claims denied?

Common reasons include coding errors, missing documentation, incorrect modifiers, expired filing deadlines, and insurance eligibility issues.

How can chiropractors get paid faster?

Practices can improve reimbursement speed by verifying insurance eligibility, submitting clean claims electronically, monitoring denials closely, and using integrated billing software that automates revenue cycle tasks.

What features should chiropractors look for in billing software?

Important features include eligibility verification, electronic claims submission, denial tracking, payment posting automation, accounts receivable reporting, clearinghouse integration, and reimbursement analytics.
References
Billing
EHR
Business Management
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Designed for chiropractic practices

ChiroTouch was intentionally designed specifically for cash and insurance billing practices like yours.