Payor Enrollment Mistake #7: Check for Clarity and Spelling

A single comma in a statement in a contract cost Rodgers Inc. 1.69 Million Dollars.

Although a spelling or grammar mistake, when completing your payor enrollment form, will not cost 1.69 million dollars, spelling and grammar mistakes on payor enrollment forms can still be costly to medical providers.

The most likely cost caused by spelling and grammar mistakes are delays in the enrollment process due to confusion or a lack of clarity. This is particularly true when it comes to the spelling of legal entities, addresses, and information material to establishing a legal binding agreement. When these discrepancies and errors are caught, the payor enrollment application is often returned for correction, causing a delay.

Although a delay in processing a payor enrollment application process does not have a direct cost, delays can prevent a medical provider from accepting new patients and will result in extra time and energy spent correcting the errors.

The worst-case scenario is the payor enrollment application is rejected, requiring the medical provider to start the payor enrollment application process over again.

No one likes proof reading, especially when everyone is busy. We understand this as do most medical professionals. However, when it comes to completing a payor enrollment form, take a few extra minutes to proofread the form for spelling and grammar mistakes.

Below are the top spelling and grammar mistakes to look out for:

• Capitalization: When it comes to names, make sure the name is spelled correctly and consistently, especially pay attention to capitalization. If a legal name is in all caps, make sure every time the name is referenced it is in all caps.
• Prefixes & Suffixes: Pay attention the spelling and grammar related to prefixes and suffixes. For example, if the legal name of the company includes LLC., make sure the legal name always includes the suffix LLC., including the period.
• Statements & Descriptions: It is always best to review all statements and descriptions. Make sure your sentence structure is properly punctuated and do not include run on sentences. It is best to keep sentences short and to the point. If you are not sure something is clear, it probably isn’t.
• Abbreviations: If you are using abbreviations, make sure to check each one and confirm it is correct. Abbreviations are typically CAPITALIZED and will be ignored by spellcheck.

To learn more about the payer enrollment process and the mistakes to avoid, we recommend reading our blog: Avoid the Top 9 Enrollment Mistakes and Checklist.