How Much Does Medical Billing Software Cost in 2023?

What is Medical Billing Software and How Much Does it Cost?

In 2023 medical billing software can cost from $39 – $97/month (hosted) – $8,100 (on-site equipment). The total cost depends on enterprise size and whether or not you want on-site servers. Web-based or “cloud” software runs on off-site servers and can cost as little as $26 to $112 per month. Many vendors also charge a percentage of claims processed using their software. Other factors include the number of physicians using software and how many patients seen per day.

Top Medical Billing Service Providers and Their Pricing

You now understand the full range of services medical billing software can provide, as well as a general idea of how much they cost. Here is a breakdown of the top major billing providers.

Kareo

Kareo With plans starting at under $200 per month, and anywhere from 4%-9% of collections, Kareo is the total package for integration. Kareo plans include medical records billing for physicians and non-physician providers alike.

In addition to billing, Kareo provides electronic medical records and marketing integrations, patient analytics, and telehealth services.

Independent practices are the best place for building relationships with patients and providing meaningful care. Independent health care professionals understand that they must build strong connections to be able to survive in today’s competitive environment, where firms can fight back against Big Pharma any time of day.

Athena Health

With services comparable to Kare, Athena Health offers multiple services that a small medical office would benefit from. A one-stop-shop, the Athena Collector plan includes claims management, appointment scheduling, patient check-in, and a revenue cycle dashboard.

PrognoCIS

Starting at $250 per month, plans with the cloud-based PrognoCIS can include everything from practice management to billing to EMR services. Also, their 24-hour tech support ensures you can get started with medical billing software even if you don’t have extensive experience with this type of system.

PrognoCIS is an EHR software platform that offers many features to help healthcare providers service their patients better. The product has been created by a company with headquarters in California since 2001, and it’s fully certified through CMS so you know your records are safe from any bugs or vulnerabilities on the system.

MediSoft

An in-house software solution, MediSoft, starts at just $1,300 for a single user software platform. If you want a set-up for a large or mid-sized office, you can add an unlimited number of users to the medical billing software for just under $12,000.

These few examples provide a good snapshot of the medical billing software domain. For most billing systems, prices increase with plans – with most companies offering a slew of additional services and metrics – as well as the number of users.

NueMD

NueMD Prices start at around $200 per month for a basic package for this highly customizable and easy-to-use platform. As with many cloud-based billing companies, you can bundle essential services like medical charting, analytics, and scheduling.

Nue MD is known for its customizable templates, and they even have an app you can maintain constant HIPAA-compliant access to your patient’s data.

With NueMD you can finally get your time back by cutting out the tedious, manual paperwork of billing patients and managing records. The team will make this a breeze for you – they’ve got everything under control so that all work is done while they’re seeing their next patient.

If you’re looking for a way to cut down on time-consuming tasks, enhance client service and save money with medical billing software that is dependable then look no further than NueMD’s certified partner platform.

Total MD

Total MD is one of the best choices for both cloud-based and on-premise billing software. The introductory cloud-based option can give you the essential billing features to get started at just $99 per month.

More extensive in-house software plans can run as high as $500. Some of the features that make Total MD stand out are office organization tools like ledgers and task lists.

A medical procedure can exist under various codes, known as CPT (current procedure terminology) codes. One feature of Total MD is that, for each code you enter, the program will list additional CPT codes to choose from so you can make your charting and billing more complete.

EZ Claim

EZ Claim may be the best affordable billing software for smaller clinics. A single user plan starts at just $139 per month, with more advanced plans going as high as $400. Optional add-on services are available, like paper claims services for $49, and an appointment scheduler for $30 per month.

EZClaim strives to be the customer’s first and foremost contact. They believe that they’re not just providing software, but also a support group for their customers by guiding them through every step of using it; making sure you don’t get lost or end up doing something incorrectly. Ezclaim is an innovative company focused on improving how people complete tasks with ease while ensuring power-user features like analytics are easily accessible at all times so business owners can make better decisions about future product development.

My Client Plus

This cloud-based medical billing service may be the best budget option around. Many medical practices aren’t rolling in dough. Many practices are a one-person show. Whether you are a cash-strapped small clinic or going it solo, you won’t get as much bang for your buck as with MyClientPlus.com

With the standard plan starting at just $25 per month, you can add services, like electronic remittance or insurance billing, as needed. Transparent pricing for services makes it easy to get started.

Mental health providers are always looking for ways to provide the best care possible. Created in 2006, thousands have trusted My Clients Plus with their information and streamlined practices thanks to their easy-to slopes EHRs that help mental health professionals do more than just see patients; they enable them to start improving lives by identifying issues before it becomes an emergency situation or puts a strain on existing resources like overtaxed staff members.

Practice Suite

What better way to end the list than with a free option? Yes, you heard that right. You can access free medical billing software, at least initially.

In the billing software realm, freemium versions don’t exist, which is why Practice Suite stands out. You can try out all of the essential features, like billing management and financial reporting, for thirty days for free.

Practice Suite is a company that was founded in the heart of Silicon Valley and now has grown to over 57000+ users. They specialize in providing an affordable cloud-based practice management platform as well as specializing in revenue cycle managing services for healthcare professionals who wish they could bill more profitably by understanding their costs better than anyone else out there.

Non-MD Providers

It’s worth noting that not all electronic medical records software is made for medical doctors. Practitioners like chiropractors or physical therapists may have slightly different billing needs.

For example, these types of physical medicine practitioners do not need certain procedure codes, like surgical procedures or the prescribing of drugs.

Some software platforms have emerged to answer the needs of this particular sector of providers. Most physical rehab practitioners will opt for EMR software to fit their needs. Billing software usually comes with the program.

Before and after a patient receives treatment, healthcare providers must submit and follow up on insurance claims with the patient’s health insurance company. Medical billing software, a growing part of the healthcare industry’s automated connectivity, digitizes this process and reduces the cost and time associated with handling phone- and paper-based claims.

Medical billing can be a resource suck for many clinics. From the extra staff to inaccuracies to privacy concerns, billing can prove tedious, and it’s the one task you need to outsource, stat!

With the right software, a medical clinic can save serious money in overheads by outsourcing its billing. Some programs even help you run an entire office, from the medical records to scheduling.

But before you go off and spend thousands on a sophisticated system, you may want to take some time to explore your options.

Medical Billing Software Explained

If you don’t think you can save money by outsourcing your entire billing department to a piece of software, take a look at some numbers.

Based on the median salary for two in-house medical billers, a clinic can save tens of thousands in staffing overheads by using medical billing software instead. The amount of time it takes to handle billing via software can be as low as five hours per week, compared to two forty-hour-per-week employees.

But what is it about billing that’s so involved that a software program can do the job more cheaply and efficiently than a human? Billing and its associated tasks can add up to quite a bit of time and energy. Here are the main tasks a software program can take on.

Claim Processing

As it turns out when it comes to billing, you’re essentially thinking in terms of the time and energy it takes to deal with insurance companies. An unfun task by any measure, wrestling with health insurance may be best left to an emotion-less computer program.

Mistakes as simple as incorrect codes can translate to a colossal headache. A medical billing system can validate claim codes before they’re sent out, as well as expedite the process of resubmitting claims.

Eligibility Verification

Sometimes a patient might not realize they lost their insurance. Also, there may be uncertainty whether a patient is eligible for services at a particular medical clinic. Medical billing software can verify the eligibility of a patient before they come for their visit.

Not only can pre-screening for eligibility prevent a humiliating, uncomfortable scenario for the patient, but it can also save a practice time by ensuring fewer lost appointments.

Superbill

The best medical billing software can create customized, detailed superbills for each patient. If a practice involves several physicians, they can each create online bills for the services they provided. Juggling multiple providers for a single patient also becomes more manageable.

Electronic Remittance

With billing software, you can track payment information and process updates about payments that have already been posted. This helps you keep track of outstanding claims so that you can get a better grip on your clinic’s finances.

Missed Payment Reminders

If a patient owes you money, you can use a software system to send them gentle reminders of their overdue account. You can schedule reminders to go out automatically via email, avoiding the need to draft and send paper notifications.

Office Management

Some of the pricier medical billing software systems offer office management solutions as well. Bells and whistles can include patient scheduling software, workflow management, and patient data storage.

Electronic Medical Records

Many of the top medical billing companies offer a host of other services as well. One of the most popular integrations is electronic medical records (EMR). EMR as an optional integration is one of the most natural fits for electronic medical billing and can dramatically streamline the collections process.

HIPAA Compliant

As a “covered entity,” you will definitely need to be mindful of HIPAA regarding every aspect of your patient’s information. While most of the concern comes from the electronic health records, don’t think that medical billing software is exempt.

Medical billing information can contain just as much sensitive data as the actual health records, so you’ll want to be mindful of HIPAA compliance as you shop around. The best software programs will consider this and take measures to protect your patients’ privacy.

The Types and Pricing of Medical Billing Systems

So, just how much is medical billing software? Well, it depends on the type. There are two main camps when it comes to medical billing systems: self-hosted and cloud-based. As you can imagine, there are advantages and drawbacks to each type we are going to explore.

Understanding how the features measure up and how much each system generally runs will help you make a better decision when it comes time to invest in medical billing software.

Self-Hosted Medical Records

Self-hosted systems tend to be the more expensive option. The reason? Considerably higher up-front costs that you wouldn’t have with an online system. The benefit? More functionality and more power to customize the system to your clinic’s needs.

From servers to licenses, here is a breakdown of what kinds of expenses to expect from an on-site medical billing software system:

Computer Server

On-site Server

Ethernet Equipment

Licenses (Monthly Fee)

Setup and Training Support

Maintenance and IT Support

All-in-all, hosting your own medical billing software can cost up to $10,000. It is important to also take into consideration ancillary costs. For example, you will likely need a dedicated room to house the server, and you will also be responsible for all of the updates.

Self-hosted billing software systems are most appropriate for larger clinics or hospitals that need to store large amounts of data.

Many clinics opt for an in-house system because they want to include their medical records system electronic medical records (EMR) system with their billing. Since your client’s data will be on your servers, you will bear more responsibility for its privacy.

There are far fewer parties to share that liability, so be sure you are taking good measures to protect patient data stored on an on-site server.

Cloud-Based Medical Records

The less expensive and more popular avenue for medical billing software is to go with online services. Cloud-based billing carries many advantages, the biggest of which is the affordable price.

Prices for online medical billing programs can range from “freemium” versions to $100 to upwards of $500 per month per user. Limiting usage only to those who will be in charge of billing can save your practice money by narrowing the cost based on who will actually use the software.

On-site services don’t offer this level of agility, so if you are a small clinic, a solo practice, or otherwise starting, the more practical route is definitely the online membership option for medical billing.

One important cost to note is a “cost per claim.” Many cloud-based billing services will add a fee (usually around $3) for each successful claim in addition to the monthly fee.

It’s a fee that many companies will lower – or often waive – the higher the package tier you purchase. It can add significantly to a billing service’s cost, so keep it in mind when you’re shopping around.

Expert Advice

When it comes to medical billing software, there are dozens of options out there. It can get mindboggling. We offer buying advice for medical billing, as well as many other types of business services. You can spend less time in the trenches and focus on what matters.

If you’re not sure whether to invest in a cloud program or a self-hosted billing program, we can help you navigate your options.

Web-based/ASP Medical Billing Software Pricing

As the name states, this is cloud-based medical billing software, a/k/a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), or application service provider (ASP). This is by far the cheapest solution. On average, prices can range from about $32 to $96 per month. In addition to the monthly base rate, be prepared to pay for electronic claim fees as well. While not common, there may also be a small charge for setup fees.

Medical Insurance Billing Software (On-Premise) Costs

The server resides at your place of business and your in-house IT department provides all the service, maintenance, and technical support. The downside is this cost considerably more, however, the advantages of a client-server configuration are it allows multiple employees (thousands if needed) to share the same database. The cost can be as little as $3,000 but usually averages around $8,000.