Reconciliation: it’s a routine admin operation known to virtually every practice.

And it’s a nightmare for those who have to do it. Why? Because it’s done manually and takes hours, when it can be done electronically in just minutes.

Why reconciliation matters
Reconciliation involves cross-checking all the claims listed on the Remittance Advice (RA) received back from the Medical Aid with those on your system, so that you know what portion of a patient’s claim has been paid. The sooner you reconcile, the sooner you can start collecting any money owing to you.

A tedious, error-prone process
In most practices, reconciliation is still done manually, running a finger line-by-line down one column, looking for the corresponding match in your system, and entering in the result. It is long, tedious and prone to error.

Technology rides to the rescue
Some practices have started using a new product we’ve introduced that automates reconcilliations- Recon Relief. It goes straight into the Medical Aid’s systems, retrieves the RAs and (If you’re running Elixir or ME+) reconciles them into your own system within minutes. This frees up practice staff to chase up unpaid bills and focus on important practice admin.

Tips for reconciling faster

• Send claims off sooner
• Start reconciling as soon as the RAs arrive – don’t put it off till later
• For an even faster cycle, consider using myMPS’s automated reconciliations.

“I see approximately 20 patients a day & welcome any tool that will help me handle my admin quickly & accurately. Automated reconcilliations did exactly that, especially now that Discovery Health remittances are available. It literally takes minutes, & no more mistakes, unlike the manual way of working”. Dr Ntimane, Diepkloof (Soweto)

*Source: Healthbridge data (April 2012)
** Source: Healthbridge GP Pilot (January 2012)