Medical Billing Companies & Consultants in New Hartford, NY

Located in New Hartford, New York, Access Medical Solutions, Inc. (AMS) provides outsourced medical billing and practice administration to a range of healthcare clients, among them physicians, mid-level practitioners, physical therapy groups and ambulatory surgery centers. Its typical client is a practice that prefers to hand off coding, claim filing and revenue cycle tasks to a dedicated outside team without losing a direct line to the staff responsible for its account.

Claims and reimbursement support

At the core of the business is end-to-end handling of the reimbursement process, starting with code assignment and ending with the collection of balances. The services AMS lists include:

• Coding for both inpatient and outpatient facility encounters
• Charge capture and insurance claim filing completed on the day the information arrives
• Confirmation of each patient's insurance eligibility and plan benefits
• Handling of no-fault and compensation-related claims
• Pursuit of unpaid accounts receivable
• Posting of payments every day, paired with management of denied claims
• Patient statements and collection activity tailored to how each practice wants them handled
• Dashboards that report on financial results and operational performance

Because charges are keyed in and claims are transmitted daily, clients can expect money to arrive on a more predictable schedule. When an insurer refuses payment, the AMS team appeals rather than writing the balance off, aiming to lift income and reduce the amount of money tied up in receivables. According to the company, practices that transferred their billing to AMS experienced roughly an 8 percent increase in overall reimbursement.

Administrative and credentialing assistance

AMS also supports providers and practices that are just launching. That work spans obtaining National Provider Identifier and tax identification numbers, installing electronic medical record and practice management systems, evaluating fee schedules, and advising on the use of CPT and ICD-10 codes. Insurance credentialing is part of the package as well. On the personnel side, the firm assists with payroll, benefit programs, employee handbooks and the procedures used to bring new staff aboard. Data management and help meeting MIPS/MACRA obligations round out the offering.

A distinguishing feature is the company's on-site consulting. AMS representatives travel to client locations, study the practice's workflows and recommend improvements suited to that particular office. This assistance remains available throughout the entire client relationship. Billing staff hold AAPC coding certification, which required them to pass examinations covering all code sets, evaluation and management guidelines, and documentation standards.

Ownership and management

Kathleen (Kathy) Williams, the owner, launched AMS after spending over twenty years overseeing the financial side of a sizable medical group. As an undergraduate at McDaniel College, she concentrated on economics alongside accounting. She later earned her J.D. at the University of Richmond. Her professional path has included clerking for a state's highest court, serving as an in-house attorney for a corporation, and running a medical practice. Within AMS, she directs governance, strategic planning and business operations.

Melissa Gifford, the company's president, brings over twenty years of background in healthcare administration. She oversees day-to-day activity at AMS, including accounts receivable, regulatory compliance, internal policies, client relationships and data analysis, and she leads the staff responsible for coding, billing and credentialing. Gifford holds AAPC coding certification, previously served as an officer in a local AAPC chapter, and completed a bachelor's program in health services management through the State University of New York. In addition, she manages a large medical practice. Her technical experience includes platforms such as Medent, Practice Fusion, Kareo, Practice Manager and WebPT, and she has guided providers through Meaningful Use and MIPS/MACRA compliance.