No medical practice likes a high denial rate. Not only does it negatively impact your practice’s revenue cycle, but it makes things more difficult and frustrating for your patients, too.

So what are some tips for minimizing denials? This post goes over some of the most common causes for denied claims and can help you get back on the right track.

What Causes Claims to get Denied?

Interestingly enough, many practices don’t even dispute their denials. Research shows that only 35 percent of denials get follow up. This, in turn, means that your medical practice suffers the financial consequences (and it’s money that’s just falling through the cracks.)

By tracking the causes for claims denials, you’ll start to see the patterns. Here are some of the more common reasons behind denials:

Poor Handwriting

A few medical practices and payers still prefer handwritten claims, but these can be a major source of errors. One of your staff may write something incorrectly, and if their writing is messy, it can be hard to read patient info or claims codes. In 2015, it’s time to switch over to complete digital filing to reduce these errors even further.

Missing Data

If your claim has missing or inaccurate patient data or isn’t good with documentation, your might encounter more denials. Complete data is the responsibility of both the medical and billing staff. Medical staff need to give the billing staff as much data as possible, including information about a patient’s ongoing conditions, test results, and exact details of a medical issue.

Incorrect Coding

Solid documentation =  correct coding. If your medical billing staff doesn’t submit the correct code or a code that is not specific enough, the claim may not go through. It sounds simple, but is a stumbling block for minimizing denials more often than you’d think.

Late Submission

If your claims come in after the payer’s time frame (even if the claims are correct), they can be denied. Double check due dates and be sure to submit claims on time. Missed due dates are a result of sloppy or overworked billing departments.

Minimizing Denials Can Be Simple

Working with an experienced partner, you can give your denial management a 360 degree turnaround that brings your revenue cycle back to life. Don’t wait another minute–get your denials under control today.