Dr. Kanwarinder Singh Sidhu has been a family doctor for the past 11 years and is currently practicing independently in a shared clinic in Delta, British Columbia. His practice cares for a diverse population with a significant portion of his patients being treated for chronic care.
We sat down with Dr. Kanwar to talk about some of the challenges he faces and how DoctorCare has helped his practice.
“I was very confident in my knowledge of billing codes and felt I was well versed in all the telehealth codes. I didn’t think I had any problems, so I was a bit skeptical when DoctorCare approached … When they provided me a report of the billings I was missing out on, it was a humbling and eye-opening experience. I realized I’ve missed a lot!”
DoctorCare: What are some of the biggest challenges you face at your practice and how has the pandemic affected the way you practice?
Dr. Kanwar: Time is one of the biggest challenges. We are always very busy so there’s a lot of effort involved in trying to make sure that all our patients are helped and cared for. I feel I was well prepared for COVID-19 because I had been doing virtual care for about two years prior to the pandemic.
DoctorCare: With all of the changes in billing codes and new codes coming into effect for the pandemic, let’s talk a little bit about how you have been managing your billing.
Dr. Kanwar: For the past couple of years, I’ve been doing my own billing with the exception of the remittance forms done by my MOA. I was very confident in my knowledge of billing codes and felt I was well versed in all the telehealth codes. I didn’t think I had any problems, so I was a bit skeptical when DoctorCare approached. They came by my office one day and offered me a complimentary audit report that would provide me a rundown of all the potential billings that I was missing out on. I agreed to try it out because I didn’t have anything to lose. When they provided me a report of the billings I was missing out on, it was a humbling and eye-opening experience. I realized I’ve missed a lot!
What really surprised me was the billings relating to my chronic care patients. I assumed that most of them were coming in regularly, so I had never thought of implementing any recall mechanisms or following up to see if we were doing annual check-up visits. However, after working with DoctorCare, we found there was a substantial number of patients that I’ve missed over the years for a regular follow up visit.
DoctorCare: Why did you choose to continue with DoctorCare?
Dr. Kanwar: The primary factor for me was their detailed report that included the breakdown of all my chronic care patients. After receiving my initial report, I came to the realize how valuable of an asset the recall mechanism for chronic patients is to my practice.
With DoctorCare, billing has become one less thing for me to manage. The recall mechanism feature can be done in the EMR, but I don’t have the time to invest in regularly reviewing my patient billings in the EMR while trying to provide the best care to all my patients. I meet with the DoctorCare team every couple of months and they give me the latest updated report of all my billings and the patients that need to be seen again. Their reports are very straightforward and easy to understand so it’s very convenient for me.
DoctorCare: What are some of the improvements you have seen since working with DoctorCare?
Dr. Kanwar: I have received a really positive response from my patients. I’ve been seeing patients that I haven’t seen in over a year and they’re so happy to hear from us. They feel very cared for as we are actively reaching out and reminding them of their checkups. I now have a clearer idea of the patients that need to come in and get their tests all up to date.
Since working with DoctorCare, I am not worried about billing anymore and trying to remember missing codes on any patients and it’s relieved a lot of the stress around the complex care codes.
DoctorCare: Lastly, tell us about your experience working with DoctorCare.
Dr. Kanwar: The DoctorCare experience was super convenient. All of the review and reporting is done behind the scenes and I really didn’t have to do anything other than provide access of my patients and billing records to the DoctorCare team. They have been very accessible and responsive. If I have questions about any codes, they get back to me within one business day.
Many doctors are probably like me – they think they understand all their billings and can take care of it on their own. However, those reports that DoctorCare provides at the initial meeting are very eye opening to all of the missed revenue we are leaving on the table. If doctors get that first potential report, I believe they will be more than happy to join in on the DoctorCare experience.
