4 Distinctive Traits That Set ASC Billing Companies Apart

As surgery centers have increasingly embraced outsourcing their revenue cycle management, the number of ASC billing companies they can choose from has grown. But not all vendors are created equal, and a few characteristics have emerged over the past few years as significant differentiators between companies. These traits have taken on increased importance, helping centers remain competitive and achieve substantial improvements in their financial and operational performance.

Here are four of the distinguishing qualities to expect from an ASC billing partner.

1. Team expertise and structure. An ASC billing company is as effective as its team. Prioritize choosing a company with a skilled, knowledgeable staff — one that's managed by ASC industry veterans and in a way designed to maximize accuracy, productivity, and output (i.e., results for clients). Combining this expertise and structure puts the company in a better position to provide a service experience that meets or more likely exceeds your expectations.

2. Ongoing commitment to a true partnership. From the moment you engage with the ASC billing company, it should be apparent that the company is working and committed to building a strong relationship with your center and its team. This will be apparent from the exceptional support the company provides that comes on top of delivering services that strengthen your revenue cycle and its performance. It shouldn't be long before the vendor starts to feel like a partner that has integrated with your business office and functions as a seamless extension of your ASC's own team.

3. Next-generation analytics. There was a time when "analytics" was the big buzzword in healthcare. Analytics remain essential to success, but now ASCs will want to ensure they have access to next-generation analytics. This technology enables an ASC billing company and its clients to take deeper dives into revenue cycle performance and key metrics, empowering faster identification of trends and warning signs as well as insights and opportunities for improvements that would either be more time-consuming or unattainable through legacy platforms.

4. Best-in-class security. ASCs need a billing company partner that treats security as a top priority and takes aggressive steps to protect clients' data. This is an imperative given the significant cyber threats facing ASCs and the healthcare industry. Look for a company that has achieved SOC 2 Type II compliance, makes ongoing investments in security and training, and treats security and compliance as complementary functions. A discussion about security should be a conversation any good ASC billing company will welcome.

Get Your ASC the Partner It Deserves

By looking for companies with these characteristics, you will put your center in a better position to make the right choice of an ASC billing partner — one that will provide concierge-level services and always make you feel like your ASC is as important as it was on the day you entered into the partnership.