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Home security important in medical billing business Mary Paramore
TV ads tout medical billing as a growing field perfect for people eager to work from home. True, but when the income of a medical practice or physician is at stake, providers tend to work with billers they know and trust. Enter Yvonne Clark, owner of In Good Health Medical Billing, LLC. She started her home-based company in 2005, bringing with her more than 20 years of medical billing experience gained through work with an affiliate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore and a nine-month course to ensure she knew what she needed to know about her chosen field. It took three long years, a very supportive husband, temp work and Clark asking God Himself whether she had heard Him correctly when she said He urged her to step boldly into the business world, for her to get her first client. Now, thanks to growing provider trust and a dedication to community involvement, she has four clients, a part-time employee and is considering securing commercial space to permit further growth. One of Clark’s four clients is from Baltimore County, but look for In Good Health Medical Billing LLC to concentrate on Harford County for expanding business. “I think it’s important to stay involved in Harford County. By expanding here, I get more opportunity to be involved in the community,” she said, crediting mentors Theresa and Bruce Lewis, owners of Total Urgent Care in Edgewood, with her understanding of the importance of community involvement. “They are helping me develop relationships, not just for gaining new business, but to help the county grow and prosper and provide a service the county may need,” Clark said. Clark got her first client, Natural Life Chiropractic LLC owner and chiropractor Lisa Brown, after meeting her at a Chesapeake Professional Women's Network Inc. meeting. With her first happy client, Clark soon signed with Total Urgent Care, Bel Air chiropractor Ryan Cappelletti, P.A. and John Richardson, a vascular surgeon affiliated with the Greater Baltimore Medical Center. Clark’s services include charge entry, payment posting, accounts receivable management, electronic claims submission, verification of insurance eligibility, provider credentialing, reporting and front desk staff training. She will train staff to perform medical billing duties if a practice prefers to keep billing in-house. Because of her extensive experience, Clark was hired as adjunct faculty for Community Colleges of Baltimore County and was asked to join Harford County’s Independent Medical Billers Alliance, a group of medical billers who meet bi-monthly to discuss changes that will impact their clients. She is also active in the Maryland Medical Group Management Association, co-chairing its reimbursement meeting. “As co-chair, I bring in representatives of health insurance providers to give members updates. Every health insurance carrier is different. You must submit claims based on their policies,” Clark said. She said she is watching health care reform closely to make sure she can advise her clients regarding billing issues when changes occur. In Good Health Medical Billing LLC is built on two foundations. The first is spiritual. “This business is based on Third John Verse 2, which says, “Beloved I pray that you may prosper and be in health just as your soul prospers,” Clark said. The second is a dedication to client service. She said, “I believe as a billing office you are an extension of a provider’s office and patient care is just as important to us, we just look at it differently. Since I don’t like repeating work, it is very important to me that claims are sent in correctly the first time and that doctors receive the highest level of reimbursement based on the services provided.” Clark notes that people considering offering medical billing should realize the restrictions placed on home-based businesses by HIPAA – the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. “You have to conduct business in a secured space with no immediate access to the area because you are dealing with confidential patient records. That’s another reason I need commercial space. My employee does all her work here because I know my space is secure,” she said. Clark also encourages people starting in the field to plan to obtain the Certified Billing and Coding Specialist credential offered by the National Health Career Association. She will sit for the exam this summer. Clark’s home-based business is based in Abingdon, where she lives with her husband, Vincent, a management and program analyst with the Justice Department in Washington, D.C, and their daughter Kaylyn.
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