Practice Management Alert

Plus: Why you should try a 'working interview'

Hiring a biller can be a frustrating process - especially when you aren't sure what to look for in a prospective employee. While you're searching for the perfect biller to join your office, make sure you don't overlook more subtle characteristics that could indicate the applicant isn't right for the job.

Check out these tips from our experts to steer clear of bad hires:

1. Don't hire a "hermit crab." Personality ranked high on experts' lists of what they scrutinize the most when assessing prospective billers. During your interview with the applicant, pay attention to how well she communicates, because this will become an important part of her role in your office.

"Look for a 'people person,' " says Crystal Reeves, a consultant with The Coker Group, a national healthcare consulting firm headquartered in Atlanta. Your biller must be able to communicate and interact with all staff members, including your receptionists, nurses and physicians, she says.

What to avoid: A significant red flag is someone with a personality that you know won't mesh well with other staff members. Make sure the applicant can work with everyone in the office, says Manny Oliverez, a practice administrator for Farrell Pediatrics in South Riding, Va.

Best bet: Conduct a "working interview" for your second interview with the prospective biller, Oliverez says. Having the applicant work in the office for a few hours can reveal how she interacts with the staff as well as how the staff reacts to her. This is a surefire way to learn whether the applicant fits into your office's culture, he says. A working interview can also give you a more accurate idea of the prospective biller's experience, he adds.

2. Pay attention to long or brief work histories. A rsum filled with numerous jobs within a short time period is always a bad sign, but someone who has stayed with one employer for a long time could also signal potential problems.

You don't want someone who bounces around from job to job every year, but look for a person who switched jobs every three to five years, Oliverez says. This kind of person will be more well-rounded and accustomed to working with different people than someone who has worked for the same practice for the past 15 years, he says.

Remember: An applicant's employment history can give you a peek into the future. Make sure you can envision the prospective biller staying with your office for at least three or four years, Reeves says. You want someone who sees the position as a career, not just a job, and honestly loves being a biller, she says.

3. Avoid inexperienced and overqualified applicants. Weighing a prospective biller's experience and education can be tricky.

Think twice about hiring an applicant who has only taken a few medical billing courses, Oliverez says. A biller worth considering must have at least one year of solid medical billing education. On the other hand, you don't want to hire someone who is overqualified, because she probably won't be happy with the job and won't stick around for a long time, he says.

Be picky: Don't hire someone who has experience in hospital billing rather than medical office billing - or experience in a very different specialty. Search for someone who has a background in billing for the same or a similar specialty as your practice, Reeves says. And target billers who have CPC (certified professional coder) qualifications.

4. Steer clear of a rusty biller. Be sure to note how long ago the applicant last worked in medical billing, Oliverez says.
 
Medical billing is a rapidly changing field that requires constant updating, so someone who hasn't worked as a biller for a few years isn't familiar with current billing practices, Oliverez says. "You want a biller who is functioning in 2005," Reeves says.

5. Nix the biller with the "let's write it off" attitude. Try to find a biller who has a problem-solving thought process, Reeves says. An applicant who will automatically write off a denied claim isn't a good choice.

Try this: Create a test for prospective billers with relatively simple questions, including what they did when Medicare denied a particular claim, Reeves says. A line of basic billing questions could give you some insights into the applicant's actual billing experience - and how motivated she is to appeal denied claims, she says.

For example: You can ask the applicant to explain the difference between an HMO and a PPO insurance plan, says Elizabeth Woodcock, MBA, FACMPE, CPC, a principal for Woodcock & Associates in Atlanta. You can also ask the prospective biller to tell you what a modifier is and what "out of network" means, she says.

The bottom line: Make sure you keep an eye out for these red flags during your interview - because ignoring them could land you with a less-than-desirable employee.