Goodrich – With health care drastically changing, Z-Med Professional Billing Service is teaming up with physicians to keep claims generating income.
In the past decade, insurance changes and economic factors have hit both patients and doctors.
‘The economy has affected everybody, not just the Big Three automakers,? says Melody Zimmerman, co-owner of the Goodrich business, along with her husband Ken Zimmerman.
It’s not unusual for employers or employees to switch health insurance providers repeatedly, in a quest for lower premiums.
Doctors struggling to keep up with the paper chase lose out on payments from insurance companies and patients. To compensate, they’re forced to set more appointments to keep up with financial obligations, meaning patients get less of the doctor’s time and attention.
‘We want a doctor to be a doctor, that’s what they went to school for,? said Melody. ‘They deal with medical care and we’ll deal with everything else.?
Z-Med billers are continually educated about changes to the health care and insurance industries. With 1,600 statements mailed out the first of each month, they’re qualified to help patients understand the complicated world of medical billing, especially senior citizens.
‘We try to help Medicare patients,? said Melody. ?(Insurance companies) make it too difficult to understand unless you deal with it on a daily basis.?
Z-Med is based on AltaPoint billing software, which the corporation supplies free of charge to educational programs, like the one at Baker College of Flint. The company also trains Baker externs.
The software ‘catches problems with claims before they’re sent out,? says Ken, who is the exclusive certified reseller of AltaPoint for the state of Michigan. Of the 6,000 claims sent in by Z-Med each month, less than 2 percent are rejected; compared to an average of 30 percent of paper claims rejected.
Melody has more than 20 years of medical billing experience, and has trained the other office billers well. She began working at hospitals and labs prior to starting Z-Med in 2001 out of the Zimmermans? Goodrich home.
In 2003, Z-Med moved to the Village Dental Center. Last year they moved into larger office space in the lower level of the Gass-Becker building at M-15 and East Hegel Road in Goodrich.
Ken, whose background is in business management and medical retail, runs Z-Med Software and Business Solutions. In addition to billing software, the company offers automatic appointment reminder systems and electronic statements.
Both the software and billing companies are subsidiaries of ZMEDPRO Corp.
Z-Med billing handles accounts for more than 20 health care offices, including the Genesys occupational medicine center on Dort Hwy. in Flint.
Since Z-Med gets only a percentage of claim payments, they’re persistent about claim follow-ups, eliminating the problem of doctors finding drawers full of unpaid ‘difficult? claims.
One of the biggest complaints Z-Med has heard about turning accounts over to other billing services is not receiving follow-up reports.
With accounts constantly updated through a secure, confidential Web site, Z-Med doesn’t hide account information from their health care provider clients.
‘We’re able to give a service and still allow the ability to retain control,? said Ken. ‘It’s the best of both worlds.?
‘Our motto is, ‘We’re large enough to serve you, small enough to know you.?’said Melody.
Z-Med Professional Billing Service, Z-Med Software and Business Solutions, and ZMEDPRO Corp. are located at 7523 S. State Road in Goodrich.
Call (810) 636-7343.