After years of sending invoices by email, practice manager, Monique Plein, was convinced there had to be a better, more secure way. She explains why she is now an enthusiastic convert to Healthcode’s ePractice biller Plus.
Monique Plein has worked as business manager for London paediatrician Dr Nathan Hasson for ten years as he built a thriving private practice specialising in paediatric rheumatology. Dr Hasson’s young patients are predominantly suffering from conditions such as joint hypermobility syndrome and juvenile arthritis but he also treats a range of autoimmune disorders such as Lupus and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
“Over the last 10 years Dr Hasson’s clinics have become almost entirely based around private patients,” says Monique. “There is a growing level of demand because he is one of only a few paediatric rheumatologists in London and his reputation means he is even consulted by embassy staff, as well as being the general paediatrician for the local community.”
Most of Dr Hasson’s patients are insured and Monique issues around 45 invoices to Private Medical Insurers each week. As she explains, this had previously been quite a frustrating experience: “I was sending out invoices by email which led to situations where the recipient told me they had not received the email when I chased up payment. I knew there had to be a better way so when I heard about Healthcode I didn’t hesitate. Since we started using the system in February 2016, I feel it has helped put me in control because everything I need is in one place.
“Because insurers are signed up to receive e-bills through Healthcode, I have no difficulty finding them on the system. In the past, it could have taken a long time and several phone calls to get the correct information from parents. Now I can easily find the correct insurer from the dropdown menu and once submitted I can be sure the bill has gone to the correct recipient if I need to chase them.”
Monique is also enthusiastic about the membership enquiry service in ePractice which enables her to verify patients policy numbers. “Parents sometimes provide incomplete or incorrect policy information but this feature means I can ensure we have the right details. And of course, once the patients are on the system, the billing process is streamlined so it’s much quicker when they return for further appointments.”
Yet another advantage, according to Monique, is security. “When we emailed bills they weren’t encrypted so it’s good to have that reassurance with Healthcode,” she says. In fact, all data sent through Healthcode’s systems is encrypted to internet banking standards so that users can meet their obligations to protect patient information under the Data Protection Act.
Overall, Monique has no hesitation in recommending Healthcode to other practices. “I have only been using it for a few months but I have already recommended ePractice to a colleague who has been struggling with billing,” she reveals. “She will be in good hands because I have found the customer service to be very good, especially when I started to use the system. Whenever I called, someone answered promptly and they were always really helpful.”