What Is a Virtual Medical Billing Assistant (and What Do They Do)?
A Virtual Medical Billing Assistant is a trained professional who works remotely to manage the billing and revenue cycle tasks of a healthcare practice. They function like an off-site extension of your billing department, handling the paperwork, data entry, and follow-up communications involved in getting you paid for your services. Crucially, Wishup’s virtual medical billing assistants come with real healthcare experience – they understand medical terminology, insurance processes, and clinic workflows – enabling them to integrate seamlessly into your practice’s operations.
Key Tasks a Virtual Medical Billing Assistant Can Handle
A medical billing VA can take over a wide array of time-consuming billing and administrative tasks, including but not limited to:
Insurance Verification & Authorizations
Checking patient insurance eligibility and obtaining prior authorizations for procedures or referrals. They ensure that coverage details are verified upfront so that treatments and claims process without avoidable hitches.
Medical Coding & Claims Submission
Preparing and submitting insurance claims with accurate CPT/ICD coding. VAs are proficient in medical billing software and EHR systems, so they can enter charges and file claims directly in your system. (Wishup’s billing VAs are familiar with popular EMRs like Athenahealth, Kareo, Jane, and other practice management tools.)
Claims Management & Denial Follow-Up
Tracking the status of claims, investigating denials, and resubmitting or appealing claims when needed. Your VA will communicate with insurance payers to resolve issues, so you don’t have to spend hours on hold or back-and-forth emails.
Patient Billing & Invoicing
Generating patient statements, sending bills, and following up with patients on outstanding balances. They can answer patient questions about bills in a courteous, professional manner, which helps reduce confusion and improve patient satisfaction.
Accounts Receivable (AR) Management
Monitoring aging receivables and ensuring timely collections. A virtual assistant will keep an eye on your accounts receivable reports and gently remind patients or payers about unpaid amounts, helping reduce your AR days.
Administrative Support
Beyond billing, many medical VAs can also assist with related admin tasks – scheduling appointments, managing referrals, updating patient records, handling phone calls, and more – to keep your practice running smoothly. In short, they take on front-office and back-office tasks that otherwise bog down your in-house staff.
By delegating these responsibilities to a competent virtual assistant, healthcare providers reclaim dozens of hours each week. On average, doctors save 20+ hours per week on admin work by using Wishup VAs, and this time can be reinvested in patient care or strategic growth.
Are your medical billing virtual assistants trained in my EHR or billing system?
Yes. Wishup’s virtual medical billing assistants are proficient with a wide range of EHRs, practice management systems, and billing software used across U.S. healthcare.
Our VAs come in with prior experience on industry-standard platforms for example, many have worked with systems like Athenahealth, Kareo, Epic, Cerner, DrChrono, AdvancedMD, and more.
We match you with the healthcare virtual assistant who is already familiar with the tools you use whenever possible. In cases where a VA hasn’t used your specific software, they are quick learners; we ensure they have strong computer skills and healthcare IT experience so that a new system’s interface can be picked up in no time.
Rest assured, your medical billing and coding virtual assistant will be able to log into your billing software or EHR via secure remote access and perform all required tasks just as an on-site staff member would.
What specialties and practice sizes do Wishup’s medical billing VAs support?
Wishup provides medical virtual assistants for practically every specialty and practice type. Whether you run a small private practice, a multi-provider clinic, a dental or veterinary office, or even a hospital department, we have medical billing virtual assistants with a minimum of 3 years of experience.
Our team has supported physicians across primary care and numerous specialties – from pediatrics, family medicine, and internal medicine to specialties like dermatology, psychiatry, orthopedics, gastroenterology, cardiology, physical therapy, chiropractic, dental, optometry, urgent care, and more.
This broad domain expertise makes matching and onboarding fast, because the VA already understands the workflows of your specialty. We also cater to practices of all sizes: solo practitioners, group practices, and large healthcare organizations in the U.S. all use Wishup VAs.
The medical billing virtual assistants can scale their support to your volume, like handling the billing for a single-doctor office or coordinating across a multi-provider clinic. No practice is too small or too large to benefit.
The key is that we pick a medical virtual assistant whose background aligns with your needs.
For example, if you’re a mental health practice, we’d provide a VA who has worked with therapy billing and client intakes; if you’re a surgeon, we’ll match you with someone who knows surgical billing codes and authorizations.
This way, you’re not starting from scratch. Our VA hits the ground running with minimal training needed.
How do you ensure HIPAA compliance and protect patient data?
HIPAA compliance is non-negotiable at Wishup. We take multiple steps to ensure any medical virtual assistant handling your billing maintains the highest standards of privacy and security:
HIPAA Training
Every Wishup medical billing VA is formally trained on HIPAA regulations and patient confidentiality before they ever work with a client.
Secure Access & Communication
We use secure, encrypted channels for all communication and data transfer with your VA. Your assistant will typically access your EHR and billing systems through secure VPNs or remote desktop solutions that you control, ensuring no unauthorized party can intercept data.
NDA and Data Policies
Wishup requires all healthcare VAs to sign Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) and data security addendums before starting work. This legally binds them to protect your information.
Monitoring and Compliance Support
Our dedicated account managers periodically monitor VA work logs and communications (with your knowledge and consent) to ensure compliance. We perform random audits of processes to catch any potential issues early.
Additionally, Wishup stays abreast of healthcare compliance updates – if there are changes to HIPAA or other regulations, we update our training and inform our VAs immediately.
By partnering with Wishup, you essentially have a built-in compliance layer watching over the billing function, reducing the risk of breaches or errors that could lead to audits.
As a result, you get to partner with a team that prioritizes protecting your patients’ rights and your practice’s reputation.
In summary, patient data is as safe with our medical billing virtual assistants as it is with your in-house staff, if not more so. We combine human training (awareness and ethics) with technological safeguards (secure access, encryption) and oversight (NDAs, monitoring) to create a robust HIPAA-compliant workflow.
What if a virtual medical billing assistant doesn’t follow our specific workflow or makes changes to how we do things?
Wishup’s virtual medical billing assistants are trained to be adaptable team players, not disruptors.
Our goal is to integrate into your workflow, not overhaul it (unless you want process improvements).
When onboarding, your healthcare virtual assistant will learn your practice’s way of doing things like how you like charges entered, how you prefer claim follow-ups documented, your scheduling or billing policies, etc.
They will adhere to your protocols closely. If they have suggestions to improve efficiency (given their experience with other clinics), they will discuss those with you, but ultimately, you decide how things are done.
We emphasize during training that each practice has unique preferences and that the virtual assistant should mirror the client’s existing processes for continuity.
In short, your medical billing and coding virtual assistant will follow your lead. They won’t unilaterally change workflows; any optimization ideas will be collaborative. And because Wishup also provides a client success manager overseeing the engagement, we check in to ensure the VA is conforming to your expectations.
If at any point you feel something is not aligning, you can inform the VA or the manager, and we will correct it immediately. Our VAs take pride in fitting seamlessly into the practices they serve – many doctors tell us it feels like the VA is just another staff member following the same routines, just remotely.
Do you provide any ongoing support or account management after medical billing and coding virtual assistant placement?
Absolutely. When you hire a Wishup medical billing virtual assistant, you’re not just getting an individual in isolation – you’re getting the support of an entire dedicated team behind them.
We often say you hire 3 people for the price of 1. Here’s what that means:
- You get your dedicated medical virtual assistant(MVA) who works day-to-day on your tasks.
- You also get an Account Manager/MVA Manager (a supervisor on our side) who ensures the VA has everything they need to do their job right. They monitor the medical billing virtual assistant's work quality, help resolve any issues or questions the VA might have about your processes, and can step in to assist with tasks if needed.
- Additionally, you have a Client Success Manager from Wishup assigned to your account. This is your point of contact for any concerns or requests. They will periodically check in with you to make sure you’re satisfied, gather feedback, and provide any help. If you need to scale up with another VA, adjust your plan, or replace a VA, your Success Manager handles that immediately.
This ongoing support structure means you’re never left high and dry after themedical billing virtual assistant starts. If the VA goes on vacation or has an emergency, our team provides backup so your operations aren’t disrupted.
If you have a question (“Can the VA also do task X?”), you have someone to ask. And if, in the rare case, you feel the medical billing virtual assistant isn’t the perfect fit, we offer free and fast replacements – we can swap in a new assistant typically within 24 hours, ensuring continuity.
All of this is included in our service; we do not charge extra for the support and management layer.
We believe in forging a long-term partnership, so we are invested in the medical billing virtual assistant's success and your satisfaction throughout the engagement. (It’s one reason our client retention is so high.
Our medical VAs have an average 36-month retention rate working with their assigned clients, reflecting how well we support both sides.)
In summary, after placement, you can count on Wishup’s team to be there for you and your medical billing virtual assistant, making sure everything runs smoothly at all times.
How can I measure if my virtual medical billing assistant is delivering results?
The best way to gauge success is to track the key performance indicators (KPIs) of your revenue cycle before and after bringing the medical billing virtual assistant on board. Important metrics include:
- Days in Accounts Receivable (AR): Is the average AR days decreasing? (Ideally yes, as the VA submits claims faster and follows up on overdue accounts, you should see quicker payments.
For example, after adding a Wishup medical billing virtual assistant, a healthcare client reduced their AR by 60%, dramatically improving cash flow.)
- Claims Denial Rate: Has your denial rate gone down? A competent medical billing virtual assistant will catch errors and submit cleaner claims, leading to fewer denials. You can compare your monthly denial percentage or the number of claims that require resubmission.
Many clients see previously high denial rates drop significantly once a professional and experienced medical billing virtual assistant takes over meticulous claims management.
- Collections and Cash Flow: Simply put, are you collecting more revenue, and doing so faster? Monitor monthly collections against billed amounts. With improved follow-up and efficient billing, you should see an uptick in the percentage of revenue collected.
- Staff Time Saved: Another metric is qualitative but important. Calculate how many hours of staff/physician time have been freed from billing tasks.
If you or your office manager used to spend 10 hours a week on billing and now spend 2, that’s 8 hours that can go to patient care or other productive work. Wishup clients routinely report saving 20+ hours per week of administrative time, which is a significant efficiency gain.
- Patient Feedback on Billing: You might also track if patient complaints or questions about billing have decreased.
A smooth billing process managed by the virtual assistant can result in fewer confused calls from patients about their bills, meaning the VA is doing a good job communicating and handling patient billing inquiries.
We help you in this measurement by providing some tools as well. Clients get access to Wishup’s free VA management app, where you can see the tasks your medical billing virtual assistant is working on, track time, and get daily or weekly reports.
This transparency lets you directly observe the work being done (e.g., number of claims processed, number of patients contacted for payments, etc.).
Additionally, your client success manager can assist in setting up a reporting rhythm – for instance, your VA can send you a weekly summary: This week I submitted 120 claims, resolved 15 denials, recovered $$ in overdue accounts, etc. With such reporting, it becomes very clear that you’re getting a return on investment.
Ultimately, the proof will be in the improved financial performance of your practice. If you notice improved billing efficiency and cash flow within the first couple of months (which is our goal), then the medical billing virtual assistant is delivering results.
And if anything is not up to expectations, we will address it promptly, whether through additional training or by assigning a different assistant.
Our confidence is backed by our track record. Wishup has a 98.8% client satisfaction rate for a reason: we consistently deliver tangible results, and we’re ready to prove it to you.
Is outsourced medical billing really better than doing it in-house for a small practice?
For most small (and even medium or large) practices, yes, outsourcing is often better primarily because of the efficiency and cost benefits discussed earlier.
In a small practice, every staff member tends to wear multiple hats. If your front desk or office manager is also doing billing, chances are they can’t dedicate the focused time and expertise that a specialized medical billing virtual assistant would.
This can lead to higher errors, slower claims, and lost revenue.
Outsourcing to a virtual medical billing assistant who is 100% focused on billing ensures that critical revenue cycle tasks get expert attention without distraction. It’s like adding a billing specialist to your team without the full-time cost.
Additionally, a small practice may not have the resources to keep up with constant changes in coding or payer rules, but an external service does this as its core business.
The result is often higher collections at lower cost than hiring even a part-time in-house biller.
There are exceptions; if you have a super-low volume of claims, you might handle it yourself, but in general, once you reach a certain patient volume, the gains from outsourcing become very clear.
Our clients (including solo practitioners) regularly express that they wish they had outsourced sooner. They see improvements like faster reimbursements and a 20-30% reduction in billing overhead costs, not to mention the stress relief of not dealing with insurance companies personally.
So, yes, for a U.S.-based private practice, clinic, or even a larger facility, outsourcing to a qualified VA is typically a smart move both financially and operationally.
Does a medical billing virtual assistant help with patient satisfaction, too, or just back-office stuff?
Indirectly, they absolutely can boost patient satisfaction. While a virtual billing assistant isn’t treating patients, the work they do has a ripple effect on the patient experience:
Fewer Billing Errors and Surprises
When claims are filed correctly and promptly, patients are less likely to receive surprise bills or multiple confusing statements. This reduces patient frustration. Clear, accurate billing fosters trust. Now patients feel your practice is professional and transparent.
Better Customer Service
A medical billing virtual assistant can take the time to follow up with patients for payments diplomatically, set up payment plans, or answer billing questions. If a patient calls about a bill, your virtual assistant (acting as a billing specialist) can provide prompt, courteous support.
This level of service is often beyond what small practices can do on their own. It shows patients that you care about resolving their concerns, thereby improving their overall satisfaction.
Freed-Up Front Desk and Clinical Staff
Perhaps most importantly, when a lot of the billing workload is lifted off your front desk or nurses, those team members have more time to devote to patients in front of them, like greeting them, scheduling them efficiently, returning phone calls, etc.
Patients will notice that your office runs smoothly and attentively. For example, one of our clients had their VA handle insurance authorizations and billing calls, which freed the in-office staff to focus on patient care, resulting in an improved patient experience (patients weren’t kept waiting while staff were on long insurance calls, etc.).
By reducing administrative chaos, healthcare virtual assistants create a calmer, more patient-centric environment.
Reduced No-Shows and Better Follow-ups
While this strays into scheduling, many medical billing virtual assistants also assist with appointment reminders and follow-up calls since they work closely with the schedule and accounts.
Wishup’s medical billing virtual assistant have helped recover thousands of no-shows by timely reminders. Fewer no-shows mean patients are engaged in their care (and it helps your revenue, too).
Similarly, a VA can follow up on labs or referrals if those tie into billing, which again improves patient satisfaction by ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.
In summary, a medical billing virtual assistant contributes to patient satisfaction by making sure the billing process is smooth, communication is clear, and your in-house team is freed up to provide excellent face-to-face service.
It’s an often-overlooked but important benefit of using virtual assistants in healthcare.
How do I choose the best virtual assistant for medical billing for my practice?
Choosing the right VA (or VA provider) comes down to a few key factors:
Experience & Skills
Look for a medical billing virtual assistant who has specific experience in medical billing and your specialty. They should know the basics of CPT/ICD coding, have used healthcare software, and understand insurance workflows.
If you use a particular EHR or billing system, ensure the VA is either experienced in it or the service can train them quickly.
At Wishup, we only onboard VAs with a minimum of 3 years of professional experience, and we further train them on 50+ healthcare tools and processes before assigning them to clients. This ensures a high baseline of competence.
HIPAA Compliance
Verify that the medical billing virtual assistant service conducts HIPAA training and enforces compliance measures. Never work with a VA who isn’t aware of patient privacy rules. We, for instance, proudly emphasize that all our healthcare VAs are HIPAA-compliant and sign NDAs to protect your data.
Communication
The virtual medical billing assistant must have excellent communication skills – both for interacting with your team and potentially with patients or payers.
Strong English proficiency and a professional demeanor are must-haves (all Wishup VAs go through language and communication screening).
During an interview with a prospective VA, gauge their communication clarity and promptness.
Reliability and Support
If you’re hiring through a VA company, assess their reliability and support structure. Do they have good reviews? What is their backup plan if the VA is sick or if you’re not satisfied? A top firm will offer quick replacements, trial periods, and a support manager to contact.
For example, Wishup has a 98.8% client satisfaction rate and 4.8/5 stars on Trustpilot, indicating proven reliability. We also offer a risk-free trial (money-back guarantee in the first few days) and no long-term contracts or cancellation fees, which shows our confidence in our service.
Cultural Fit
Sometimes overlooked, but if the medical billing virtual assistant will interact with patients, you want someone who fits your practice culture and patient demographic.
During the interview, you might prefer someone who has worked with similar patient populations or has the personality that gels with your office vibe.
Wishup allows direct unlimited free interviews and even multiple free trials if needed until you find the perfect fit.
Technology & Tools
Ensure the medical billing virtual assistant has a good technical setup (a reliable computer, fast internet, secure network). A reputable VA company will have vetted this.
Additionally, some VAs bring bonus skills like familiarity with automation tools, Excel, or analytics, which can be a plus if you want to improve processes.
Wishup healthcare automation expert virtual assistants, for instance, are trained on over 200+ AI and no-code tools – which means they might help automate parts of your billing workflow over time, increasing efficiency.
In essence, do your due diligence as you would hiring any employee: check for relevant experience, test their knowledge, verify their trustworthiness (through reviews or references), and ensure there’s a support system.
By working with a provider like Wishup, much of this vetting is done for you – we’ve already filtered for the top talent (accepting <1% of applicants) and trained them extensively in medical billing best practices.
That’s why U.S. doctors and practice owners have rated Wishup as one of the best medical virtual assistant companies year after year. We make choosing a VA easy by presenting you with only the top matches for your needs and backing it with our guarantee.
Why Choose Wishup for Your Medical Billing Virtual Assistant?
With many outsourcing options out there, you might wonder what makes Wishup different.
Here are some of the standout reasons healthcare providers across the U.S. trust Wishup for virtual medical billing assistance:
Top 0.1% Talent, Rigorously Vetted
We handpick only the best. Every Wishup VA has a minimum of 3 years of professional experience, and we accept fewer than 1 in 100 applicants.
Our hiring process includes a 6-step evaluation (skills testing, interviews, background checks, etc.) to ensure you get a highly competent assistant. In short, you’re getting someone who could be overqualified for an in-house role – a true expert from day one.
We’ve supported over 1,200 founders and healthcare professionals globally with 1,500+ high-ownership VAs, so our experience in matching the right talent is unparalleled.
Healthcare Trained & HIPAA-Compliant
Wishup’s VAs are specifically trained for healthcare environments. They are well-versed in medical terminology, EHR/EMR systems, billing software, and insurance processes.
Before onboarding any healthcare client, our VAs undergo HIPAA training and sign all required agreements to protect PHI. You get the peace of mind that your VA knows the rules of healthcare billing and patient privacy inside-out.
We also continuously upskill our team – e.g., our VAs go through an intensive 8-week training program covering 70+ no-code tools and 200+ AI tools relevant to modern workflows.
This means they not only handle billing, but can also introduce efficiency hacks (like automation for repetitive tasks) safely into your practice.
Fastest Onboarding & Immediate Support
No need to wait weeks or months to get help. Wishup boasts the fastest onboarding in the industry – we can have a qualified medical billing VA matched and ready for you within 60 minutes.
Our onboarding is smooth and guided, so you won’t waste time. Moreover, our VAs are extremely responsive once they start: they strive to respond to any query or task assignment within 5 minutes during your working hours.
You’ll feel like they’re right there in the office. We also assign a dedicated success manager to you, ensuring any issue is addressed within an hour at most. This rapid responsiveness keeps your operations flowing without skips.
High Reliability and Retention
With Wishup, you’re signing up for reliability.
Our screening emphasizes work ethic and professionalism, which translates to VAs who show up and deliver consistently.
We’re proud of our 98.8% client satisfaction rate and 4.9/5 rating on Clutch, indicating that clients are getting the outcomes they expect. Additionally, our VAs stick around – we have a 36-month average VA retention with clients, meaning you won’t face high turnover or retraining hassles.
In the unlikely event your VA needs to exit, our replacement guarantee ensures we’ll have a similarly qualified new assistant ready, typically within 24 hours, with no disruption to you.
Comprehensive Support Team (“3-for-1” Advantage)
Wishup’s model gives you layered support. Not only do you get a dedicated VA, but also a VA Manager and a Customer Success Manager who together support the engagement at no extra cost.
This is like having a mini billing team watching over your revenue cycle.
If your VA has a question on a complex billing issue, our internal team (which includes experts) will assist them behind the scenes so you always get the benefit of collective expertise. Our success manager stays in touch to ensure you’re happy and getting results.
Competitors might charge extra for account management or leave you to manage a freelance VA alone; with Wishup, it’s baked in, so you truly get more value for the price of one VA.
HIPAA-Training and Data Security Focus
We cannot emphasize enough how seriously we take compliance.
Wishup is a company founded on the principle of trust.
All our operations align with HIPAA best practices, from how we train staff to the tools we use.
We are ready to sign Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) with healthcare clients to formally ensure compliance.
Plus, we equip our VAs with secure technology (for example, our VAs can work through secure virtual desktop infrastructure if required). Data is kept confidential and secure.
In comparison, hiring an independent freelancer might expose you to risk if they’re not thoroughly vetted for compliance. With Wishup, HIPAA compliance is guaranteed; it’s in our DNA.
Advanced Tool Expertise (Automation Capabilities)
Today’s medical billing isn’t just about data entry – it’s also about using software smartly. Wishup VAs come trained on various RCM tools, clearinghouse portals, and even automation software.
They can leverage tools like Zapier, Excel macros, or custom scripts to automate repetitive parts of your billing workflow (for example, automatically pulling daily appointments into billing drafts, or setting up triggers for claim follow-ups). They’re also adept at using reporting tools to generate financial reports for you.
This means you’re not just hiring a person, you’re gaining access to a tech-savvy assistant who can optimize processes over time.
Transparent Pricing and Value-Add Bonuses
Our pricing is straightforward and competitive for the elite service we provide.
You can choose full-time or part-time VAs as per your needs.
- Full-time Elite Virtual Medical Billing Assistant: $1999/month (160 hours/month)
- Part-time Elite Virtual Medical Billing Assistant: $1299/month (80 hours/month)
- Full-time Elite Automation Expert Virtual Medical Billing Assistant: $2999/month (160 hours/month)
- Part-time Elite Automation Expert Virtual Medical Billing Assistant: $1999/month (80 hours/month)
To sweeten the deal, Wishup currently offers a $1,000 benefits package for new clients – this includes $500 worth of premium productivity tools free and $500 worth of bookkeeping services free when you hire a VA. We basically invest back in your success by equipping you with the best tools and giving you a head start on financial management.
We also give all clients free access to our workforce management app (no extra fee) to track VA performance. And importantly, our contracts are zero-risk: we require no long-term commitment, no cancellation fees, and no 30-day notice if you choose to pause or stop. It’s totally flexible to match your needs.
Money-Back Guarantee and Trial Period
We are confident in our service, so we offer a risk-free trial. Work with a Wishup medical billing VA, and if for any reason in the first 7 days you are not satisfied, we will refund your fees – no questions asked.
Additionally, during this trial, if you feel the fit isn’t right, we can replace the VA quickly and restart the trial. Our goal is your peace of mind and success; we take on the risk so you don’t have to.
Proven Results and Client Success Stories
Wishup’s approach has delivered outstanding results for healthcare providers. We don’t just make claims – we have documented case studies.
For example, one of our virtual assistants helped a pediatric therapy clinic cut their accounts receivable by 60% and streamline operations dramatically.
Another client, a healthcare startup, was able to achieve timely billing and free the CEO from burnout by delegating to our VA. We have helped recover thousands of dollars in missed claims for clinics that previously had chaotic billing.
On average, clients see 40% faster billing cycles after using our service, directly translating to better cash flow. And as mentioned earlier, our client satisfaction is industry-leading.
We’re also highly rated on independent review platforms like Trustpilot (4.8/5) and Clutch (4.9/5). When you choose Wishup, you’re aligning with a trusted partner that has a proven track record in the medical virtual assistant domain.
In short, Wishup is obsessed with your success. We differentiate ourselves by combining talented people, robust processes, and cutting-edge tools.
Our medical billing virtual assistants are not just workers; they are partners in your practice’s growth, committed to improving your financial outcomes and easing your workload.
That’s the Wishup promise.
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