The receptionist or other clerical worker will either call, or receive a call from a “patient” or other authorized individual. During this communication, the associate must be careful to observe HIPAA rules related to “protected health information.” when “schedule, canceling, or rescheduling” encounters. When gathering benefit “information,” the representative must be diligent to accurately enter data into the “patient’s” file. Discerning insurance cards, policies, and all applicable guidelines of each plan are applicable to the “front and back” office. Abiding by the payer’s regulations, and the coordination of benefits,” associates will input this data into the patient management program (PMP). During these procedures, insurance specialists will be cautious to correlate the correct information with the correct patient. The “front or back office” will then confirm coverage with designated plans, along with all essentials, such as if a “referral or preauthorization” is a requisite. Prior to consulting with the physician, patients will need to be alerted about their rights, in coordination with HIPAA privacy standards, as well as those of the provider. During that time, if the patient owes any monies for coinsurance, or copayments, this will be submitted to the “front office.” While checking out patients, insurance specialists will transfer the descriptions of “diagnoses and procedures” from the “physician’s report” into appropriate “codes” for ‘claim” generation. This facet is most crucial, because of the HIPAA specifications regarding the transfer of PHI “by covered entities” (Valerius et al., p.…
