chapter 20 critical thinking medical billing and coding

The money the medical practice must pay out to run the practice is called accounts ________.

payable

The term for income, or money, owed to the practice is called accounts ________.

receivable

The process of classifying and reviewing past-due accounts by age from the first date of billing is called ________.

age analysis

If the physician allows the patient to pay for services over time, she is extending ________ to the patient

credit

A credit ________ is a company that provides information about the creditworthiness of a person seeking credit

bureau

A common billing system that bills each patient only once a month but spreads the work of billing over the entire month, sending statements to groups of patients every few days, is called ________ billing

cycle

When one or more people sue a company that wronged all of them the same way, they have filed a(n) ________ lawsuit.

class action

Bills sent to patients that contain an itemized accounting of services performed, an indication of payments received from the patient or the patient's insurance, and an amount due to the practice are called ________.

statements

The statute of ________ is the state law that sets a time limit on when someone can legally file a collection suit on a past-due account

limitations

A(n) ________, or encounter form, includes the charges for services rendered on that day, a request for payment or insurance copayment, and all the information for submitting an insurance claim.

superbill

A(n) ________ account is one in which the physician and patient sign an agreement stating that the patient will pay the bill in a certain number of installments. If more than four installments are involved, this account is governed by the Truth in Lending

written-contract

Free treatment for ________ cases must be undertaken carefully and is given at the physician's discretion

hardship

A patient who moves without leaving a forwarding address and does not contact your office to make arrangements for payment of services he has received is known as a(n) ________.

skip

When a patient pays using a(n) _______ card, the money is immediately moved from the patient's bank account to the medical practice account.

debit

Another term for a bilateral agreement is ________ agreement

mutual

Money paid as compensation as a result of a lawsuit is called ________.

damages

Most medical offices collect ________ from patients who belong to managed care organizations at the time of the office visit

copayments

A federal Truth in Lending Statement, which is a written description of the agreed terms of payment, is also called a(n) ________ statement.

disclosure

A(n) ________ account uses the last date of payment or charge for each illness as the starting date for determining the time limit on that specific debt.

open-book

Most medical offices have a(n) ________ with the office name on it for patients who pay by check to ensure that the name of the practice is spelled correctly on the check.

stamp

The person who has financial responsibility for a patient is known as the ________.

guarantor

Money paid as punishment for intentionally breaking the law is called ________.

punitive damages

Large practices often use a(n) ________ billing service for both their insurance and patient billing procedures

independent

A(n) ________ account is an account with only one charge, usually for a small amount.

single-entry

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 protects telephone subscribers from unwanted telephone solicitation, which is commonly known as ________.

telemarketing