How we compare medical billing options

We compare the specific service or plan

One company can sell several services with different prices, minimums, and contracts. We therefore compare the specific offer being considered, such as a managed revenue cycle service or a specialty billing service, rather than the company as a whole.

A finding about one offer does not automatically apply to another offer from the same company.

Where information comes from

Every statement in a comparison belongs to one of these categories:

Provider-published

Stated in the provider’s own website or published materials, with a link to the source. It shows what the company advertises; it does not independently verify service quality.

Confirmed with provider

A specific detail the provider confirmed directly to us. We use this label only when that confirmation exists. The current homepage examples are provider-published.

Our assessment

Our editorial analysis, such as which terms deserve a question or how a minimum changes the effective rate. It is labeled as ours, not presented as a provider statement.

Not publicly stated

The detail was not established in the linked sources we reviewed. It is a question to confirm in your proposal, not a negative finding.

We do not give companies a blanket “verified” badge. Labels apply to individual statements, not to a provider’s overall quality.

Unknown means unknown

When a fee, minimum, contract term, or capability is not established in the sources, we show it as not publicly stated. We do not fill gaps with industry averages, typical ranges from other companies, or assumptions about what a provider probably offers.

Pricing bases and monthly minimums

A percentage fee only means something once you know what it is a percentage of. We record the base each provider states, for example practice collections, all money collected, or insurance payments the company collects for you, along with:

• monthly minimums, which can make a low percentage expensive for a smaller practice;
• separate pricing for older balances or recovery work;
• setup fees, required software, add-ons, and per-claim charges where they are published;
• whether a figure is a published rate, a typical range, or a custom quote.

Illustrative calculations, like the cost example on our homepage, use only published terms and state what they exclude. They are not quotes.

Software requirements

We note whether an offer includes software, requires the provider’s system, or says you can keep your existing EHR or practice-management system. A provider saying it works with your software is a reason to confirm the specific connection, not proof that it exists for your system.

Who does the work

Billing services divide work differently. We look at which tasks the company performs and which stay with your practice, such as charge entry, claim submission, denial follow-up, patient statements, payment posting, authorizations, and credentialing. Specialty requirements, such as authorization tracking in physical therapy or ABA, are questions to confirm for your practice.

Contracts and transitions

How you leave matters as much as how you start. We record published contract length, cancellation notice, and exit terms, and we treat the handoff of unpaid claims, older balances, and access to your data as questions to settle before signing.

Source-check dates

Each comparison shows the date we last reviewed its linked sources. It is a source-check date, not a publication date or a guarantee that terms are unchanged. Providers can change their pricing and terms at any time, so confirm current terms in your proposal.

Corrections

When we find that a published detail has changed, we review the current source, update the comparison, and record a new source-check date.

Submitting a correction

Send the page and a supporting source through our contact page. We review corrections from readers and providers against the source.

Commercial and editorial separation

Payment does not determine factual fit or editorial ordering. Companies cannot buy an editorial recommendation or pay to change our fit criteria, and facts keep their sources and qualifications whether or not a link is paid.

If we use a paid link, we disclose it, and any sponsored placement is labeled separately. The provider links on our homepage are unpaid, and the examples are listed alphabetically. See our advertising disclosure.