DrChrono Medical Billing Review

• We chose DrChrono as the best billing service for new practices.
• DrChrono's medical billing services include charge entry and coding, claim scrubbing, monitoring, and denied-claim management.
• Unlike almost all other revenue cycle management (RCM) services, DrChrono requires you to use its electronic medical record software, not just its medical practice management software.
• This review is for medical practice owners who are considering DrChrono for their outsourced medical billing needs.

DrChrono Editor's Score: 87/100

Why DrChrono Is Best for New Practices

DrChrono's low cost and user-friendliness make it a great fit for new practices that want to get started with a lightweight medical software and experienced billing partner. With multiple pricing tiers, DrChrono has a plan for even the tightest budgets. DrChrono's medical software is very easy to use, meaning your staff will need minimal training.

Pros

• DrChrono is a cost-effective service.
• It includes access to user-friendly medical software.
• Implementation is covered in the subscription price.

Cons

• Billing clients must use DrChrono's electronic medical record (EMR) system.
• Your monthly billing volume must be relatively high to qualify for DrChrono's RCM services.

Usability

When you choose DrChrono's RCM services, you must also use the company's EMR software and practice management software (PMS), both of which are highly user-friendly. You should be able to navigate to most of your applications from the top of your EMR or PMS dashboard. Among the tabs you'll see are Billing, Marketplace, Patients, Reports, Schedule, Clinical and Account.

On the reporting side, we were especially impressed with how customizable DrChrono is. You can create and sort reports by collections per payer and time frame, individual or bulk claim volume or value, denied and adjudicated claims, and more. Implementing these customizations to suit your unique workflow is also easy. 

Tip: When you're considering a medical billing service, remember that you're also choosing a medical software platform. Make sure you and your staff like the EMR system and PMS that the billing service offers.

DrChrono Features

Here are some of DrChrono's most compelling RCM features that can improve your medical billing:

Charge Entry and Coding

DrChrono manages your practice's revenue cycle from start to finish, including medical coding. That means it enters and codes all your charges, so there is no need to handle these tasks in-house. This aspect of DrChrono's managed billing services distinguishes it from some other providers that begin managing your revenue only after you enter and code charges on your own.

Claim Scrubbing and Monitoring

Every time DrChrono generates a medical claim for your practice, it scrubs the claim to free it of errors that would result in payer rejection. When DrChrono detects these errors, its medical billing and coding team adjusts your claims appropriately to maximize the chances of acceptance. 

Additionally, DrChrono extensively monitors all claims it submits. Your DrChrono billing team will track all your claims until they are paid and will follow up on approved claims that go unpaid. DrChrono's FPAR is 96%, meaning only 4% of claims DrChrono submits on behalf of your practice are denied or need extra work before resubmission. This acceptance rate is well within the range of DrChrono's competitors. 

Did you know?: DrChrono's FPAR is 96%, largely thanks to its claim scrubber, which helps ensure claims are clean and ready for payers before submission.

Denied-Claim Management

Although denied claims are infrequent with DrChrono, a few denials are inevitable. When these denials occur, DrChrono will handle them on your behalf. DrChrono's billers will obtain all information available about the claim in question and use this data to revise it. 

To manage your denied claims, DrChrono will access your EMRs to obtain relevant clinical documentation. DrChrono will revise and refile your claim or submit an appeal based on what your documentation reveals. In all cases, DrChrono strives to resubmit denied claims no later than 48 hours after the payer denies or rejects them.

Source: DrChrono

EMR and PMS Access

DrChrono's RCM platform comes with its EMR system and PMS, and the company requires its medical billing clients to use both of those platforms. This is unusual, as most medical billing services require only that clients use their PMS. 

However, the EMR system requirement doesn't have to be negative, especially considering that we also chose DrChrono's medical software as our best pick for new practices. Read our DrChrono medical software review to find out why.

Tip: Implementing medical software can take weeks or even months. When you're migrating to a new system, ask the vendor how long it will take, which custom configurations are available, and whether training is included.

Flexible Solutions

DrChrono's RCM services suit practices of many sizes and claim volumes, but the company specializes in small practices. According to a company representative, most DrChrono client practices submit 100 to 1,000 claims per month and employ up to 25 care providers.

However, DrChrono doesn't rule out larger clients. Company representatives told us that practices of any size can sign up for DrChrono's medical billing services and immediately begin filing claims.

No Clearinghouse Fees

Unlike with some other RCM services, DrChrono's clearinghouse does not integrate with its software. However, in DrChrono's case, this lack of integration yields no serious consequences for your operations or budget. Because DrChrono has partnerships with the TriZetto, Carisk Partners, and Change Healthcare clearinghouses, it absorbs the fees other nonintegrated providers might charge you.

Put another way, the clearinghouse fees that are common with some other billing services are included in DrChrono's pricing. The result is that DrChrono's clearinghouse is effectively integrated (and thus cost-free) even if this isn't truly the case.

Key takeaway: DrChrono includes clearinghouse fees in the percentage it quotes you. In contrast, some other medical billing services tack on clearinghouse fees in addition to the quoted percentage.

DrChrono Cost

Like all the RCM companies we reviewed, DrChrono charges a monthly percentage of your collections. This structure stands in contrast to that of medical software, for which you typically pay per provider per month. In some cases, you may be able to pay per encounter, but DrChrono is open to negotiating a flat monthly fee. However, in all cases, your billing volume must be high enough that your monthly fee reaches at least $1,200.

The percentage of collections your practice pays ranges from 4% to 8%, with limited exceptions. The exact rate is based on the number of patients your practice sees per month, the number of providers and your specialty. The latter element may have the most profound impact on your rate, as some specialties' billing processes are more complex than others. 

Whatever your rate, DrChrono likely will ask you to commit to a one-year contract, though you can sometimes sign a two-year contract. This contract length is common among the medical billing services we reviewed. 

Setup

Some RCM services charge setup, implementation and clearinghouse fees, but DrChrono does not. You'll incur no extra costs to get your software and services in place, with one exception: If you're switching to DrChrono's EMR system from another platform (i.e., you don't already have DrChrono's EMR system), you may incur data migration costs. Otherwise, training and implementation are included. 

Additionally, DrChrono will pair you with a dedicated contact for your implementation and training. You'll also receive videos customized for your practice. That's because DrChrono offers personalized Zoom training sessions, and you can ask to record the video from these sessions. You can then reference the video time and again.

Customer Service

We like that DrChrono pairs you with a dedicated account manager you can contact for all customer service inquiries well after implementation. This contact can also provide any status reports you request. You can also file help tickets for technical issues.

Should you have questions or concerns that you think you can resolve on your own, you can explore the self-guided learning tools and videos available on DrChrono's website. These resources focus mostly on concerns regarding navigation, customizability and troubleshooting. You'll also find guides to DrChrono's mobile app.

Drawbacks

DrChrono's RCM services are ideal for small practices, but there are some potential drawbacks. First, DrChrono requires you to use its EMR platform, which wasn't the case for most of the RCM services we reviewed. So, if you're already settled with another EMR platform, this requirement may be a dealbreaker. Migrating to DrChrono's EMR  system may also result in data migration fees, although they are relatively low.

Another limitation is that DrChrono requires you to pay at least $1,200 per month for its RCM services. Based on the percentage of collections per month DrChrono charges, your practice must earn $15,000 to $30,000 in monthly revenue to use DrChrono's RCM services. However, some new practices may struggle to immediately reach these amounts. If you're looking for an RCM that sets no monthly minimum price, read our review of AdvancedMD medical billing services.

Methodology

We spent hours researching medical billing services. That research included software demonstrations, phone interviews and customer service calls, as well as analysis of customer service reviews available online, including those listed on the Better Business Bureau's website. We spent several months browsing company websites, reading customer reviews and speaking with company representatives. When choosing the best for new practices, we analyzed billing services' medical software and their experience working with very small practices. In our testing, we determined that DrChrono offers a lightweight software platform and a reliable billing service for new practices.

DrChrono Medical Billing FAQs

How much does DrChrono's medical billing service cost?

The pricing for DrChrono's medical billing service ranges from 4% to 8% of your practice's collections, with limited exceptions. You must also pay a minimum of $1,200 per month to use DrChrono's RCM services, meaning your practice must earn at least $15,000 to $30,000 per month. Your exact percentage can vary based on factors such as practice size, specialty, claim volume and billing complexity. DrChrono's pricing is competitive with the prices we found in our other medical billing service reviews.

Do I have to use DrChrono's medical software to use the billing service?

Yes. DrChrono requires clients to use both its EMR system and its PMS. This requirement is unique among the medical billing services we reviewed; most required the use of only the PMS.

Does DrChrono's medical billing service include medical coding?

Yes. DrChrono manages charge entry and medical coding. Its staff includes medical coders who can turn your patient encounters into coded claims, so you won't have to hire an in-house medical coder. This is a valuable service that not every medical billing service offers; not even all of our best picks offer medical coding.

Overall Value

We recommend DrChrono Medical Billing for …

• New practices on a budget.
• Small practices that need core medical software functions.
• Practices that want flexible outsourced billing solutions.

We do not recommend DrChrono Medical Billing for …

• Practices already committed to another company's EMR system.
• Practices looking for month-to-month RCM contracts.