Medical Billing Companies & Consultants in Methuen, MA

Bookkeeping & Business Service, LLC, often called BBS, is a firm in Methuen, Massachusetts that does two kinds of work. It supports the revenue cycle for healthcare providers, and it offers financial services to small companies. Physicians and other practitioners in the Merrimack Valley, including nearby Haverhill, can hand their claims and collections to the firm. That leaves clinicians free to spend their time with patients instead of pursuing payments. The firm says it serves practices across the United States as well as local clients.

Medical billing and practice support

The healthcare side of the firm has three related services. A practice can outsource its claims work, add a practice management package for extra savings, or use an electronic health records platform that BBS hosts on its own central database. Because BBS hosts the database, a practice does not need its own server or internal network. An internet connection is enough. Billing fees are lower for practices that also use the firm's EHR and practice management tools, and the firm says HIPAA compliance is kept throughout.

• Outsourced medical billing and claims submission
• Coding review to reduce denials
• Follow-up on accounts receivable to shrink unpaid balances
• Medical practice management packages
• Hosted EHR software with ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 certification
• Advice on how the Affordable Care Act affects a practice

The billing staff work with a range of existing systems, including eClinicalWorks, Kareo, MD Suites and PCC. This means a practice may not have to change software in order to outsource. The hosted EHR platform has no templates and adapts to each provider's habits over time. Notes can be typed, handwritten, dictated or transcribed. Other features include electronic prescriptions sent straight to pharmacies, checks for drug and allergy interactions, and automatic reminders about pending tests and referrals. The firm also points to the savings of running a paperless office.

Team and background

David J. Brown and Jeanne Brown founded BBS in 1998. David is the president. He has an accountancy degree from Bentley and has worked in accounting since 1976, including a period as controller of a regional waste management company. Jeanne leads medical billing and has more than 15 years in the field. She works directly with practitioners on accurate coding to cut denied claims and improve cash flow. Billing manager Diane Richards supervises staff in Methuen and in a Springfield, Massachusetts office, and serves practitioners nationwide. The wider team includes certified medical billers, accountants and CPAs. One of them is Gregory D. Brown, a CPA licensed in Massachusetts who previously worked in the health industries group at PricewaterhouseCoopers. The firm also mentions a presence in York, Maine.

Accounting and business services

BBS also offers a full range of financial services. This can suit practice owners who want one provider to handle billing, payroll and taxes. Services include small business accounting and QuickBooks setup, training and tune-ups. Payroll is available as a full service, after the fact, or online. The firm also handles tax preparation and planning, back taxes and unfiled returns, part-time CFO work, cash flow management, bank loan proposals, succession planning and new business formation. It says its people have more than 35 years of experience in accounting, bookkeeping and payroll, and it offers new clients a free first consultation.

Pinnacle Billing & Consulting is a Methuen, Massachusetts firm that handles the business side of medical practices so providers can concentrate on patient care. Its website now uses the name Pinnacle Medical Billing Services, Inc. and describes the company as a U.S.-based billing operation. Directory listings describe it as a local medical billing company that covers the full range of billing and practice management work for healthcare providers. For practices in the Merrimack Valley, including nearby Lawrence, it is a small, owner-led option rather than a large national outsourcing center.

Services for healthcare providers

The company's core offering is a set of revenue cycle support services. They cover the administrative steps from before a patient is seen until payment arrives:

• Credentialing and enrollment of providers with insurance payers
• Checking patient insurance eligibility and benefits
• Preparing and submitting medical claims
• Collections and follow-up on unpaid balances
• Managing accounts receivable
• Support with HIPAA privacy and compliance obligations
• General practice management assistance

Pinnacle says its aim is to get clients the full reimbursement they are entitled to while keeping service responsive. The firm presents outsourcing as a way for providers to take back control of their revenue without sacrificing their clinical standards. It also points out that hiring and training in-house billing staff takes time and money that a practice may prefer to spend elsewhere. The company does not advertise any software or hardware products of its own. It is a service provider rather than a technology vendor.

Background and how the firm operates

Public business records show the company started in 2011, which gives it over a decade of work with medical offices. It is led by its founder and CEO, Robin Gosselin, and records list it as a very small, owner-operated business. Buyers can expect direct contact with the person responsible for their account rather than a rotating team. The office is on Ford Street in Methuen and keeps standard weekday business hours. The Better Business Bureau in Eastern Massachusetts has had a file on the company since 2017. It is not BBB-accredited.

When comparing billing partners, independent physicians, small group practices and other outpatient providers who want a local contact should look at Pinnacle. It may suit them especially if they need credentialing and insurance verification along with routine claims work. Larger organizations needing high claim volumes, specialty-specific coding teams or integrated software platforms should ask the firm directly about capacity and the systems it supports. Its website lists no particular medical specialties, so prospective clients should confirm experience in their own field during initial talks.