What Is Superbill?

The superbill is an essential document in the healthcare world. It's what allows doctors, hospitals and health care agencies to get paid for their services. Without it, they'd be out of luck. Without a superbill, your doctor wouldn't be able to bill your insurance provider and expect payment for the care they gave you. They would also not be able to provide that information to your insurer to determine whether or not they will cover your visit (and how much of it). While some doctors' offices and hospitals have their systems for creating superbills, many still rely on third-party software providers who specialize in billing management software, insurance claims processing software and even practice management software. The Superbill is a little like the medical records system you know and love—but with a few key differences. You can do so without worrying about HIPAA violations if you're storing your superbills electronically. At the same time, there are things you do need to keep in mind to make sure that your superbills are secure. The most important thing is to keep them in a safe location, preferably locked up, where only authorized personnel can access them. If you're working with a team with access to electronic medical records, make sure they understand that these are not the same as regular records and that the same security rules don't apply. Remember that, even if you're using electronic medical records, you may need to print out superbills for some of your patients, and you'll need to keep those copies secure. But just because HIPAA doesn't cover superbills doesn't mean they can't be secured with the same kind of technology that protects your regular medical data! So, make sure you're using modern encryption technology to protect your superbills from unauthorized access.