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     When it comes to Medical Claims Billing Software, you will find there is a wide variety.  There are hundreds to choose from and they vary in price from a hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. It is important to pick a billing software that is right for your needs.  Some software is server based and some is web based.  Read about the "10 Amazing Advantages of Web Based Medical Billing Software".

     You can purchase something as simple as a "fill and print" software for $115 which simply prints or submits electronically your claims information to a very complicated practice management system which almost runs your office.

     Ask yourself the following questions before purchasing a medical claims billing software:

• Are you a medical office or billing service? This makes a difference in the capabilities you will need in a software.

• Are you a specialty practice? Some softwares are for a specific specialty.  Xena web based software offers many specialty practice versions that are ideal.  If you can find a software that is for your specialty, it may be just the right answer for you.

• Do you need a multi-user software or is a single user ok? Some medical claims billing software has a limit on the number of users that can be using the software at one time.  It is important that you know the limit and that you consider your needs, not only right now, but in the future. If you purchase a software with a limit on the number of users, you may want to find out if you can upgrade to more users down the road.

• What are the aging report capabilities? For billing services this is a HUGE deal. Unfortunately for many medical offices, aging reports are never run, which is an area where they lose a lot of money. Whatever your situation, you will want to know what the aging report capabilities are.  (One of the offices we bill for has a very expensive program.  However, in the aging reports, it doesn't show the date of service, it shows the last date the account was adjusted.  Also, the report does not separate charges by the number of days old.  It only runs a report showing everything that is outstanding.  This report makes it almost impossible to follow up on the oldest charges.)

• What is the cost of the software? Prices vary widely in medical claims billing software and features of the software are changing rapidly. In the last few years web based software has developed many more features and benefits than server based software.  Unfortunately until very recently web based software was very expensive.  Xena now offers a web based software with unbelievable features that will save much time and money over server based software.  Instead of a large upfront set up fee, Xena offers an advanced state of the art software at a monthly fee of $99 per doctor per computer and $149 for a billing service.  You can call us for more information on Xena at 1-800-490-4299. 

• What are the report writing capabilities?  Sometimes it is necessary to create your own report.  For example, you may have a form that is required but it is not a standard insurance form.  If you have to fill out a number of them a month, it may be worth having a report in your medical claims billing software that does it for you.  With Xena software you can write any custom reports you can think of.

• Is the software user friendly?  Most softwares today are user friendly, but you should do a demo of the program before buying.  You may also want to find out if hands on training is available.  It may be beneficial to you to hire someone to train your staff.  A lot of times, offices don't use even a fraction of the billing software’s capabilities, because they were never trained properly.  Some companies offer video tutorials which are great for learning at your own speed.

• Does your software allow for more than one practice? If you are a billing service, you will need to be able to bill for multiple practices from the same software and be able to keep them separate.  Or maybe you are a medical office with more than one location, and you want to keep them separate.  In any case, make sure the software you are buying has the capability.  Many web based software companies charge by the number of practices you are billing for so make sure you ask about the cost for more than one practice.  Xena does not charge for extra practices.

• Do you need an appointment scheduler? For billing services this feature is usually not required. Most softwares come with it built in, but some are much more elaborate and easy to use.  If you have a busy medical office, this feature will be important to look at.