Chester Minarcik, MD, has been in the field of pediatric neurology for 32 years, first in a university setting and then as a solo practitioner in private practice. “Our office had not changed its accounting and medical billing procedures since it opened in 1992,” he recounts. “While we did have computerized billing, we didn’t have electronic claims submission. I started looking for a more modern system that would allow us to do that.” Dr. Minarcik spoke with other physicians and learned the biggest hurdles in acquiring a new billing and practice management software were expense and difficulties in learning the system. As a solo practitioner with a small office that sees 30 to 40 patients a week, he wanted to be able to use the system himself. “I spent six months researching various products online,” he says. “Kareo seemed to be the only one that met all my needs for flexibility, reasonable cost and training. What I didn’t have was someone’s personal testimonial about using Kareo.”

Dr. Minarcik learned of a local pediatric practice that was using Kareo and also offered the services of a pediatric neurologist. “The billing manager was very gracious in answering my questions about Kareo,” he recounts. “She also had experience in working with other medical billing systems, which she felt were far inferior and more difficult to use than Kareo.” Based on her glowing review, Dr. Minarcik signed on with Kareo a year ago and says it was definitely the right decision. “With updated procedure codes, diagnostic and billing codes already in the system, all we needed to input were referring physicians and our own office charges. We entered patient information as we had contact with them. We had no down time whatsoever.”

Dr. Minarcik learned that since he was billing with Kareo, he could also use a free electronic health record called Practice Fusion. The two products are integrated and when used together, offer a comprehensive practice management system. “That was a real bonus,” he says. “As I have learned the software and started using more of its functionality, I have not been disappointed. It has turned out to be everything I had hoped for in a system. I have spoken with other physicians who have spent a lot of money on their practice management software. They often complain and express a lot of frustration. I don’t have that with Kareo.”

According to Dr. Minarcik, his knowing how to use Kareo has had a positive impact on patient satisfaction. “We’re a small office. Before, if our biller went on vacation and patients had a question about their account, it would have to wait until she got back to the office. Now, anyone in the office can look up the account and answer any questions patients may have. It’s much more convenient for them.” Because he opted for electronic deposits, Dr. Minarcik has also seen an acceleration in the speed of reimbursement payments. He adds that tracking the stage of each claims is much simpler and more precise with Kareo.

“So many of the systems I researched were geared for larger practices. It seemed I would have to overpay for a system that was overly complex. Kareo is simple to use and meets my needs. I wish I’d had Kareo when I started my practice. It was definitely the right decision.”

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