Sports medicine practice economics part 3: billing, collecting, appeals, and related tasks.

Abstract

Knowledge about proper coding in sports medicine will not benefit a physician or his or her practice if bills submitted to insurance companies are not regularly monitored and analyzed for trends. Physicians can help ensure successful collections by understanding the dynamics of reimbursement, enlisting the efforts of office colleagues, and facilitating patient involvement when appropriate. This is the third article in a three-part series about economics issues encountered in a sports medicine practice. The authors are not certified coding experts, and the articles are not meant to serve as a definitive guide to billing and coding in sports medicine, but rather to provide insight into this poorly understood and complex area of medicine that can make or break a practice. The first article, on coding basics, appeared in May, and the second, on advanced sports medicine coding, appeared in June.