CollaborateMD review

CollaborateMD is a company that provides cloud-based medical billing and medical practice management software for practices of all sizes. The company was founded in 1999 by Douglas Kegler, who is still the CEO today. CollaborateMD’s mission is to help healthcare providers and billers improve their revenue cycle management, reduce administrative costs, and enhance patient care.

CollaborateMD has over 10,000 active users and processes over $2 billion in claims annually. The company is based in Orlando, Florida, and has a team of over 100 employees. CollaborateMD has received several awards and recognitions, such as the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies, the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 list, and the KLAS Category Leader for Practice Management in 2020.

CollaborateMD: Features

CollaborateMD, a well-established player in the medical billing industry, offers various features designed to optimize workflow, ensuring ease of use and faster payment for clinicians. Its core focus lies on catering to small and medium-sized practices, providing them with the personalized attention and support they need, rather than targeting the enterprise market.

CollaborateMD's cloud-based medical billing software streamlines the claims process significantly. It allows the staff to receive and process claims in real time, eliminating the delays associated with traditional paper-based billing methods. In the past, clinicians used to collect a stack of billing cards each week, and billers had to wait until they were physically received before they could begin the billing process. This delay is now a thing of the past, as the claims process commences as soon as the billing charge is entered into the system. This efficiency directly contributes to faster payment cycles and improved cash flow.

CollaborateMD enhances billing efficiency by enabling electronic claim submissions, known as eClaims. This feature expedites payment processing, eliminating delays and facilitating prompt reimbursement. Furthermore, the software accommodates an unlimited number of eClaims, ensuring scalability for growing practices. Its robust capabilities allow it to handle increased workloads seamlessly, resulting in an exceptionally high first pass claim submission rate of 99%, outperforming other billing software solutions.

Crucially, CollaborateMD ensures that each practice has a dedicated billing specialist, ensuring consistency in support and facilitating a smooth onboarding process, as opposed to having to start over each day with a new, unfamiliar representative.

CollaborateMD: Drawbacks

A major limitation of CollaborateMD is its lack of dedicated software for both Mac and Windows platforms. It solely operates as a browser-based application. Additionally, the absence of mobile apps for Android and iOS further restricts its accessibility. Many users prefer the convenience of accessing software through mobile devices, especially when they are out of the office.

Many users have expressed dissatisfaction with the unidirectional communication between their EHR and the CollaborateMD billing solution. They would prefer a bidirectional connection to enable automatic transfer of appointment and demographic data from the scheduling software to the billing system. This would eliminate the need for manual re-entry of data, reducing workload and errors.

Additionally, the customer support has been criticized for being inadequate. The complaint highlights the limited hours of availability for assistance and suggests that many support staff could benefit from improved training.

CollaborateMD: Support

CollaborateMD provides multiple options for users to obtain support. Previously, phone support was accessible through a toll-free number, but this is no longer available. The primary support method has transitioned to chat, accessible during the hours of 8 AM to 6 PM EST on weekdays only. Additionally, users can create a support ticket or visit the support portal. There is a designated email address for general inquiries, but it is not intended for direct support. 

In terms of self-support, an extensive Knowledge Center offers various articles categorized for easy navigation. It includes step-by-step instructions for numerous processes, such as issuing a refund for a patient, but it lacks video content. 

CollaborateMD: Pricing

With CollaborateMD, you need to enter your information, and establish contact with the company for a custom quote for any of the four plans. It states that it starts at a monthly price of $215 per month, and that this is per the provider.

CollaborateMD starts on the Starter plan which provides for unlimited eClaims, an appointment scheduler, real time claim submission, credit card processing, and patient payment plans. Going up to the Basic plan adds 150 MB cloud storage for documents, a secure patient payment portal, and a custom report builder. The Growth plan adds in claim scrubbing, claim follow-up and a patient responsibility estimator. At the top is the Unlimited plan, and delivers patient appointment reminders via SMS and phone, unlimited paper claims, financial insight tools and analytics.

For practices with a high volume of patients, the fixed monthly fees charged by this provider can be more cost-effective than some other billing software solutions that charge a percentage of collections. Therefore, estimating the monthly collections can help determine which pricing model will be more affordable for your specific situation.

CollaborateMD: Final verdict

CollaborateMD offers medical offices assistance in expediting medical billing to accelerate payment processing. It has some drawbacks, including the absence of mobile apps, restricted support hours, and a lack of transparent upfront pricing. However, CollaborateMD stands out with advantages such as an exceptionally high first pass claims submission rate, real-time claims submission, and fixed monthly costs with various package options. Balancing the pros and cons, CollaborateMD emerges as a competitive solution in the medical billing landscape despite a few shortcomings. 

We've listed the best telemedicine software.