Medical Billing Companies & Consultants in Killingworth, CT

Shared Response Health Systems, LLC is a third-party medical billing firm based in Killingworth, Connecticut. It works mainly with healthcare providers in its home state, and emergency medical services are its main focus. Its clients include ambulance and paramedic operations as well as volunteer and municipal EMS agencies. Sandra Castlevetro started the business in 1991 under the name Shared Response Services. It took its current name in 1997, when its headquarters moved to Killingworth.

Core Billing and Revenue Cycle Work

The company takes over most of the revenue cycle for its clients. It enters claim data, assigns codes, submits claims to insurers and follows up on unpaid or denied claims. Claims go out every day.

Staff check that each claim has the right documentation before it is sent, and they keep up with the different rules set by Medicare, Medicaid and commercial payers. The firm says its target for each new client is to raise cash flow by at least a quarter compared with the client's previous billing setup.

It also says its collection rate stays above 90 percent.

How Clients Work With the Firm

Clients can send billing data by email or fax. EMS clients can also send it straight from a range of electronic patient care reporting (ePCR) programs. A full-time customer service team based in Connecticut takes patient phone calls, and staff contact the provider if a claim needs more information.

Payments can be handled by Shared Response, or clients can keep receiving payments at their own office and send remittance copies to the firm so they can be posted correctly. The fee is a percentage of the payments actually collected, so the firm only earns money when its clients do.

Reporting

Clients receive regular financial reports, including:

• Accounts receivable aging by patient and by insurance carrier, in 30-day ranges
• Monthly productivity and insurance receipts reports
• Monthly and year-to-date summaries of charges, receipts and adjustments
• Monthly ALS/BLS split reports to track Medicare bundled billing for ambulance services

Credentialing, Consulting and Training

Besides billing, the firm completes third-party payer paperwork so providers can get the right provider numbers and handle re-credentialing, including Medicare and Medicaid enrollment. Its consulting work covers coding, reimbursement, compliance and general business decisions. This can include:

• On-site training for staff on billing, compliance and documentation requirements
• Reviewing billing software and updating its settings
• Analyzing a practice's accounts receivable
• Filling out state and federal forms, including rate-setting filings
• Writing internal policies, plans and procedures

For buyers comparing billing vendors, Shared Response offers more than three decades in business and a strong focus on Connecticut EMS billing. It also says it follows the Office of Inspector General's compliance guidance for third-party billing companies. New clients are asked for their specialty, weekly patient volume or monthly transport count, and number of office locations so the firm can prepare a proposal.