Choosing a Physical Therapy Billing Service: 7 Questions to Ask

A physical therapy clinic can compare billing companies by price, but the more useful question is how each company will handle the claims that already slow your practice down. Ask for a specific workflow, an owner for each step, and a way to see what happened after a claim was submitted.

1. Who tracks authorizations before visits?

Ask who records the approval, watches the remaining visits or effective dates, and alerts the front desk or clinical team when action is needed. Also ask what happens when an appointment is on the calendar but the authorization is unclear. A company should be able to describe the handoff rather than simply promise to “handle authorizations.” Requirements vary by payer and plan, so the team needs a way to check the relevant coverage terms.

2. How do you review timed units against the visit record?

Some PT services are billed in time-based units. Ask how the biller checks that the charge, documented treatment time, and claim agree before submission. Find out who resolves a mismatch and how the clinic hears about it. Do not expect a generic unit chart to settle every payer question; ask how current payer guidance is checked for your mix of plans.

3. What happens after a denial?

A denial list is useful only if someone works it. Ask how denials are grouped by reason, who decides whether a claim can be corrected or appealed, and where deadlines and outcomes are recorded. Request an example of the reporting you would receive without sharing patient information during an introductory conversation.

4. How do you work aging A/R?

Ask how the team identifies unpaid balances that need payer follow-up, what follow-up is documented, and how long-standing balances are escalated. Separate new claims still in process from older claims that have stalled. A weekly count of open claims alone will not tell you whether the oldest balances are moving.

5. Can you work in our billing or EMR software?

Name the exact system and version your clinic uses. Ask the prospective biller to confirm the work they can perform in it, what access they need, and what stays with your staff. Do not assume that experience with one therapy platform means support for every workflow or integration.

6. Who will we speak with when a claim is stuck?

Ask who owns day-to-day questions, how the practice reaches that person, and what information appears in routine updates. A productive answer names the communication path and the decisions that require the clinic's input.

7. What is included in the engagement?

Get the scope in writing: claim submission, payment posting, denial work, A/R follow-up, credentialing, patient balances, reporting, and any transition support. Ask about fees and terms using your actual claim volume and software setup. The answer may differ by practice; a vague promise of “full service” is hard to compare.

A practical first conversation

Explore Matrix’s physical therapy billing services.

Bring your software name, an estimate of where staff time goes, and the billing problem you want to solve first. You can discuss patterns in authorizations, timed units, denials, or older A/R without sending patient information. If you want to discuss Matrix's physical therapy billing services, request a free A/R and denial snapshot. It starts with a conversation about your concerns and an agreed review scope. Do not submit patient information.