Medical Billing Companies & Consultants in Roselle, IL

Overview

American Medical Billing, Inc., commonly called AMB, is a medical billing firm headquartered in Roselle, Illinois. The business was incorporated in 1994 and describes itself as both locally operated and veteran owned. It supports healthcare providers throughout the Chicago region, its surrounding suburbs and northern Illinois, working with individual practitioners as well as groups that have several providers.

Testimonials the company shares come from a professional counselor, a clinical psychologist, an anesthesia practice and a rehabilitation practice, and one of those clients reports that the relationship dates back to 1998.

Core Services

AMB takes on the revenue cycle for its clients, beginning with claim preparation and continuing through collection. It sends both electronic and paper claims to primary, secondary and tertiary payers, and it applies a clean-claim editing step so errors are caught before submission. The payer types it follows up on include commercial insurers, Medicare, Medicaid, workers' compensation, personal injury and motor vehicle accident cases. When an electronic claim is rejected, the client is notified within 48 hours.

• Claim submission, editing and management
• Direct handling of denials, complaints and insurance appeals
• Patient billing for deductibles, co-pays and co-insurance
• Soft collections, with access to an external receivables collection agency
• Full accounts receivable oversight, supported by regular monthly, yearly and practice-level analysis
• Insurance benefit verification and credentialing
• Fee schedule recommendations and a review of usual and customary amounts

How the Arrangement Works

Compensation is based on a contingency fee, and AMB builds a fee schedule around the needs of each practice. The company states that there are no setup fees and that patient records are entered at no charge.

It says every client is handled as if it were the only account, and that it stays in frequent contact so providers always know where their receivables stand. Secure online access lets practices look at their billing data on their own schedule.

One counselor explains that AMB assembled a tailored package of benefit verification, billing and collections, so she did not need to add staff for work outside her expertise.

Speed and Performance Claims

The company points to a number of concrete benefits of billing electronically. According to AMB, electronic claims are usually reimbursed in 14 to 21 days, while paper claims can take 45 to 90 days.

It cites an initial rejection rate of about 1 percent, compared with an industry average it puts at 20 percent or more, and it promises claim status updates within 24 hours.

For Blue Cross Blue Shield, it says claims can be adjudicated in a day and paid within 14 days or sooner, which may matter to practices with many patients on that plan. AMB also says that practices outsourcing to it can see revenue rise by 10 to 25 percent. These figures are the company's own assertions.

Compliance and Differentiators

AMB has a registered medical coder certified by AHIMA, and it regards accurate coding as one of the strongest ways to prevent denials. A comprehensive HIPAA compliance program is in place, employees are bound by strict confidentiality rules, and safeguards cover both documents and computer data. The staff says it follows current Medicare guidance and understands Illinois payer and Medicaid rules.

Unlike large national billing vendors, AMB emphasizes its local roots and personal attention. Its revenue recovery work addresses underpaid commercial claims, contested workers' compensation cases, attorney representation and liens, and account reviews for referral to outside collections. An anesthesia client credits AMB's coding and its appeals of insurer U&C rates with improved reimbursement on anesthesia and supply charges, and another client reports that overdue receivables fell significantly after bringing in the firm.