How quickly are you being paid for Medical-Legal evaluations? If it takes more than two weeks, it’s time for a change.

Many physician evaluators use Medical-Legal management companies to schedule evaluations, provide office space, and handle billing. While this is convenient, physician evaluators often sacrifice up to 50% of their reimbursements to these companies.

In exchange for such a hefty chunk of revenue, physicians should be able to expect speedy payment.

For a sense of how quickly Medical-Legal bills should be paid, see our 2023 data below. Don’t accept 60 days to payment as the “norm”— the data show that over 107,000 Medical-Legal bills sent with daisyBill were paid in just 9.9 working days on average.

daisyBIll is hosting a free webinar on April 9: Medical-Legal Fee Schedule Explained.

Sign up and submit your questions below.

REGISTER & SUBMIT QUESTIONS

MDs, Don’t Wait for Med-Legal Payment

When considering a Medical-Legal management company, a physician should always ask for verifiable data about the time required to receive reimbursement. If the contract indicates a 60-day wait for payment, it’s wise to reconsider.

In 2023, our physician evaluator clients were paid in just under 10 business days on average. The data reflect all insurers, self-insured employers, and Third-Party Administrators (TPAs) in our system.

Of course, some claims administrators were faster than others. The table below shows the average days to payment for the ten claims administrators to which daisyBill Medical-Legal evaluators submitted the most bills.

Of our top ten claims administrators by bill volume, Gallagher Bassett paid the fastest, in just 5.5 days. Yes, if you send Gallagher Bassett a Medical-Legal bill, you’ll likely have your money within a week.

Berkshire Hathaway was the slowest to pay, but still respectable at just over 11 days. Because California regulations give claims administrators 60 days to remit payment for Medical-Legal services, all the claims administrators above are beyond prompt.

e-Billing for Med-Legal

These payment speeds are possible for one reason: electronic billing.

While California does not technically mandate e-bill acceptance for Medical-Legal services, the state’s mandatory e-bill acceptance for medical bills means claims administrators can accept e-bills, period, for any service. All California claims administrators except Los Angeles County accept Medical-Legal bills electronically.

For physician evaluators, the above statistics represent what should be considered the standard for prompt Medical-Legal payment.

If you’re waiting weeks or months for reimbursement (and sacrificing half your revenue), it’s time to change your management company or start submitting your own bills (with the right software, of course).

Moreover, e-billing doesn’t only speed up payment. It automatically checks received amounts against the Medical-Legal Fee Schedule (MLFS). It also allows quick and easy appeals for incorrect denials and adjustments, and keeps airtight records of every step of the bill’s journey.

Sign up for our upcoming live MLFS webinar to learn about Medical-Legal billing. Don’t forget to submit your questions!

Learn how to bill accurately for Med-Legal evaluations, supplemental reports, record review, and more. Sign up for our free live webinar below!

SIGN UP: MLFS WEBINAR