What’s New in Medical Billing? The Latest Trends and Innovations for 2024

Medical billing can be challenging, mainly due to frequent changes in regulations and requirements. 

However, what if you could anticipate the trends of the upcoming year? This would make running your non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) business smoother.  

This article explores a handful of the latest trends to look for in medical billing for 2024, including: 

• The role of artificial intelligence (AI) 
• Implementing blockchain technology 
• Adopting value-based care models 
• Patient-centric billing practices 
• Outsourcing medical billing to specialized providers 

1. Rise of AI in Medical Billing 

AI is a technology that enables machines to perform tasks that usually require human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, and decision-making.  

AI can transform medical billing processes by increasing efficiency, accuracy, and quality.  

It can optimize billing strategies, reduce errors, and enhance revenue by analyzing large datasets to identify patterns, trends, and anomalies that predict the likelihood of claim denials, reimbursements, and audits. AI also automates repetitive and time-consuming tasks like data entry, coding, verification, and follow-up, freeing human resources for more complex and value-added activities such as customer service, quality assurance, and compliance.  

AI also provides insights and recommendations to help billing professionals make quicker, better decisions, including selecting the most appropriate codes and resolving billing issues and disputes. 

2. Blockchain Technology for Enhanced Security and Transparency 

Blockchain technology is a distributed ledger system that records and verifies transactions without relying on a central authority.  

It offers numerous advantages for medical billing, including secure transactions, fraud prevention, and streamlined processes. Blockchain enhances billing process security, reduces the risk of unauthorized access, tampering, and fraud, and bolsters trust, reducing the likelihood of data breaches and cyberattacks. 

Blockchain also creates a transparent and unchangeable record of billing events, such as claims submission, adjudication, and payment, helping identify and prevent fraudulent activities like duplicate billing, overbilling, and underbilling.  

It enables faster and smoother transactions and communication among parties involved in billing, such as providers, payers, and patients. This reduces administrative burdens, errors, and delays and improves overall billing process efficiency and quality. 

3. Value-Based Care Models and Billing Adaptations 

Value-based care represents a healthcare delivery model centered around the quality and effectiveness of care rather than its quantity and volume.  

The primary objective of value-based care is to enhance patient health and well-being while simultaneously reducing healthcare system costs and minimizing wasteful spending. This approach to healthcare is gaining traction and popularity as it aligns with the goals and expectations of providers, payers, and patients alike. 

Value-based care profoundly impacts medical billing, necessitating a transition from the traditional fee-for-service model to value-based payment systems. Under value-based payment, providers are rewarded based on the value and outcomes of the care they provide rather than the number and type of services rendered.  

This reimbursement method can manifest in various forms, including pay-for-performance, bundled payment, shared savings, and capitation. 

Billing professionals must grasp the nuances of these diverse value-based payment models and understand their implications for billing processes, including coding, documentation, and reporting. 

4. Patient-Centric Billing Practices 

The healthcare industry has recently been shifting its focus toward patient-centric billing practices. This shift aims to provide patients with more transparent, understandable, and user-friendly billing experiences.  
 
Patients often find medical bills confusing and frustrating, leading to dissatisfaction with the healthcare system. 
 
Technology can significantly enhance the patient billing experience by automating processes, providing easy-to-understand statements, and offering convenient payment options. 

5. Outsourcing Medical Billing and Coding to Specialized Providers 

Outsourcing refers to delegating a business function or process to a third-party provider.  

In the healthcare industry, outsourcing medical billing and coding has emerged as a significant trend among healthcare providers due to its numerous advantages. These advantages include cost efficiency, compliance, and improved revenue cycle management. 

Outsourcing medical billing and coding reduces healthcare providers’ operational costs and overheads, including staff salaries, benefits, training, equipment, and software expenses. It also helps mitigate the costs associated with errors, claim denials, and delays while enhancing cash flow and profitability.  

Outsourcing ensures compliance with the healthcare industry’s rules and regulations, including coding standards, billing guidelines, and privacy laws. This reduces the risk of audits, penalties, and lawsuits, ultimately safeguarding healthcare providers’ reputations and credibility.  

Outsourcing can also enhance the revenue cycle management process, which involves managing healthcare services’ claims, payments, and collections. Outsourcing increases reimbursement rates and collection efficiency by improving the billing and coding processes’ accuracy, efficiency, and quality. 

Tobi’s billing and claims management platform is a cutting-edge solution that streamlines billing processes and enhances service delivery by generating detailed invoices for NEMT services and streamlining the claims process by compiling and validating details. 
 
Are you curious to see how Tobi can help you run your NEMT operations more efficiently? Request a demo for a free 30-day trial and experience how Tobi makes your business better at every turn.