Defensive Management Strategies for Dermatology Billing and Coding

The military strategies of Sun Tzu have been used by many world armies as well as several Fortune 500 corporations. He used a defensive philosophy; instead of directly attacking his enemies, he concentrated on improving the weaknesses in his own defenses. Time and time again, Sun Tzu proved that even the largest opponents cannot penetrate a strong defense. There are many ways for you, as a dermatologist, to strengthen your dermatology practice’s defenses against big “opponents” such as Medicare and other insurance companies, which in turn will provide protection against the scrutiny of an audit. Strong defenses also will assure that you have proper documentation to support and appeal your charges if an insurance company denies your claims. When you begin to evaluate your management processes, you will be able to improve your revenue cycles by developing a greater understanding of the appropriate methods of communicating your charges to insurance companies while ensuring their payments for services are timely and appropriate. This article will discuss 4 defensive management strategies for dermatology billers and coders to use to help you identify any billing, coding, or documentation weaknesses in your practice before your opponents.