Customized Solutions to Streamline Billing

CollaborateMD Gives Suffern Podiatry Integrated, Customized Solutions to Streamline Billing

Running a busy podiatry practice in Suffern, New York, Howard Friedman, DPM, wears many hats. His practice, Suffern Podiatry, flourishes, thanks to his depth of experience and because he has set up his office for success. CollaborateMD is an integral part of that.

Overview

Dr. Friedman, one of Suffern Podiatry’s three practicing partners, says that choosing CollaborateMD’s cloudbased billing software was an easy decision. Seeing it in action was all the proof he needed. “I received a demo where I saw the functionality of it and that it gives you everything you need in day-to-day practice, especially when you’re chronically shorthanded. It allows us to easily verify insurance and notifies us if a bill we’re about to send is incomplete. We electronically integrated remittances from insurance companies, so I don’t have to deal with lots of paper records,” says Dr. Friedman.

The customizable flexibility was important to Dr. Friedman and his staff, but so was CollaborateMD’s commitment to customer support.

Solutions

• Smart integration, dedicated support

  CollaborateMD’s onboarding process for Suffern Podiatry began with a dedicated trainer. “Having access to that support was incredibly helpful,” says Dr. Friedman, acknowledging that switching to new billing software is a major commitment. “If there’s a billing problem, it could be devastating and take months to undo. I could see that CollaborateMD understood what was involved—and that they were going to support the switch-over process.”

  During a new software transition, CollaborateMD does everything possible to allow its clients to focus on their practice. CollaborateMD simplifies a complicated process by offering a human touch. “We had a fantastic support person to help with the onboarding process,” says Dr. Friedman. “Our support was excellent. Medical billing can be very complicated, but learning the software wasn’t.”

• A great dashboard can help you see the big picture

  Suffern Podiatry benefits from the smart interface features that CollaborateMD software designers have developed and refined over time. “They have some really good dashboard charts and graphics that help you easily see how you’re doing and what you need to quickly address, like rejections or errors,” says Dr. Friedman.

  A well-organized dashboard leads to ultimate efficiency. Seeing the most important billing elements all at once gives you control and speed. “You’re not spending hours chasing things down,” says Dr. Friedman, “so it saves me time that would otherwise be wasted.

• Making the switch

  “As we grew,” says Fowler, “CollaborateMD grew, too. It is truly a ‘biller’ software. There’s a ton of ideas that we (MCR) put out there, and CollaborateMD ended up implementing them.”

  Billing issues can be a headache for providers who just want to dedicate themselves to patients’ current and future medical needs. The wrong billing setup can feel like an unnecessarily large time commitment. “Before, we were using a different software that wasn’t cloud-based, so we had to maintain it ourselves,” says Dr. Friedman. “It was getting difficult to constantly update computers and servers to meet new hardware requirements. I had to worry about backups, and if I wanted to do any billing work, I had to be at the office because I couldn’t do it from home. Plus, our electronic health records were on a system that couldn’t work with some of our billing partners.” That lack of integration led to a process that was unsustainable for Suffern Podiatry.

  Before choosing CollaborateMD, Dr. Friedman spoke to several billing companies. “They were far more expensive, asking for 6 or 7% of our revenue based on what they collect.” CollaborateMD was much more cost-effective. “It’s a little like a hybrid. The platform has a lot of the features of a billing company, but it allowed us to keep it in-house. CollaborateMD offers the most comprehensive services at the best price.”

  With fully configurable software options, CollaborateMD has the flexibility to suit any sized practice or group. However, Dr. Friedman draws attention to the fact that it’s a great choice even for small practices trying to stay competitive in a challenging healthcare environment. “CollaborateMD allows you to optimize the resources that you have and function like a much bigger practice. And this gives us more time to spend with our patients.”

“I recommend CollaborateMD for a cloud-based, comprehensive billing software that’s easy to use and has unparalleled customer support.”

-Howard Friedman, DPM, Suffern Podiatry