Subject: Podiatry billing proposal request for [practice name]

Hello,

We are a podiatry practice with [number] providers in [city, state]. We are comparing billing companies and would like a written proposal.

ABOUT US
- EHR: [product]
- Billing / practice management system: [product]
- We want to: [keep these systems / look at a new system]
- Main payers: [Medicare, Medicare Advantage plans, Medicaid, commercial plans]
- Collected in a typical month: about $[amount] from insurers and about $[amount] from patients
- Work we bill: [routine foot care / nail and callus care / wound care / surgery / DME / orthotics / diabetic shoes / other]
- Why we are looking: [our biller left / replacing a billing company / new practice / other]
- Start date we want: [date]

PLEASE ANSWER EACH ITEM IN WRITING

1. Coding. Does your team assign the codes from our signed notes, or do we send you claims that are already coded? Who asks the provider when a note is missing something?

2. Daily work. Which of these do you do, and which stay with us: eligibility checks, prior authorizations, claim submission, payment posting, denial follow-up, appeals, patient statements, patient phone calls?

3. Podiatry rules. How does your team check Medicare routine foot care claims before they go out? Who is our Medicare contractor, and which current foot care policies do you follow? How do you check our other plans' requirements? If we bill diabetic shoes, who gathers the paperwork and who sends the claim?

4. Software. Can you work inside our exact EHR and billing system? If not, what do we have to switch, who moves our data, and what does that cost?

5. Fee. What is your percentage or flat fee? What exactly does the percentage apply to: everything we collect, only insurance payments you collect, or another defined base? Is there a monthly minimum, how much is it, and when does it start? Is it a floor under the percentage charge, or a separate charge added to it?

6. Other charges. List every other charge: setup, software, clearinghouse, statements, coding, authorizations, credentialing. If something is $0, please write $0.

7. Old unpaid claims. Will you work the claims we already have open? Which ones, and for what fee?

8. People and reports. Who is our contact? What reports do we get, how often, and can we log in and see our own numbers?

9. Contract. How long is the term? Does it renew by itself? How many days' notice to cancel? Is there any charge to leave? When we leave, how do we get our data, and who finishes the claims already sent? Please include your business associate agreement.

For each service above, please mark it: included / costs extra / not offered.

Please also send a sample monthly invoice using the collection numbers above, and list anything it leaves out.

We are not sending patient information with this request. If you need to review records, we will set that up separately in a secure way.

Thank you,
[name, title]
[phone / email]