the form gets fed through the printer, nothing prints. This will usually happen when the patient info in the database doesn't pull correctly. This can be caused by one of two things. Either the patient info itself is empty, meaning nobody filled it in, or the program is pulling the wrong index number and therefore is pulling a non existent patient. This can also cause wrong data to pull if it pulls another patient. This is easy to troubleshoot by simply checking the patient file.

When doing

One of the most common problems that medical billing personnel run into is printing of medical forms. In this installment of medical billing and troubleshooting tips, we're going to cover the most common types of form problems and how to fix them with as little pain as possible. Most of these you will be able to do without any outside help. However, in some cases, you will need a forms expert.

On of the most common forms problems when doing medical billing is that the form doesn't line up right. In other words, the printing either prints a line above or below where it is supposed to. Most forms have a marker on them that shows you where to set the form in the printer itself, if you're using dot matrix printing, which is the most common. In most cases, the problem is simply that the form wasn't lined up correctly to begin with. By simply raising or lowering the form in the printer, the problem is usually resolved quickly.

But what about when the form is lined up correctly and the information is still printing a line above or below where it is supposed to. In this case, the problem is usually with the form itself. Each form has to be programmed by the software. The software pulls each field from a particular place in the system and then prints it on the form where it needs to go. Sometimes, the programming is simply wrong. Most software programs come with what is called a forms editor where you can go in and make changes to the form. This is usually very easy to do and comes with instructions. If however, you don't feel comfortable doing this, the software makers usually have forms people that will fix the form for you. If it was an error on their part, they will usually do it free of charge. If however, it was because there was a change in the form itself, then this is usually billable.

Another common forms problem is that the form doesn't print at all. You have it set up in the printer, you pull the patient info, you send the info to the print queue and when the form gets fed through the printer, nothing prints. This will usually happen when the patient info in the database doesn't pull correctly. This can be caused by one of two things. Either the patient info itself is empty, meaning nobody filled it in, or the program is pulling the wrong index number and therefore is pulling a non existent patient. This can also cause wrong data to pull if it pulls another patient. This is easy to troubleshoot by simply checking the patient file.

When doing

t. In other words, the printing either prints a line above or below where it is supposed to. Most forms have a marker on them that shows you where to set the form in the printer itself, if you're using dot matrix printing, which is the most common. In most cases, the problem is simply that the form wasn't lined up correctly to begin with. By simply raising or lowering the form in the printer, the problem is usually resolved quickly.

But what about when the form is lined up correctly and the information is still printing a line above or below where it is supposed to. In this case, the problem is usually with the form itself. Each form has to be programmed by the software. The software pulls each field from a particular place in the system and then prints it on the form where it needs to go. Sometimes, the programming is simply wrong. Most software programs come with what is called a forms editor where you can go in and make changes to the form. This is usually very easy to do and comes with instructions. If however, you don't feel comfortable doing this, the software makers usually have forms people that will fix the form for you. If it was an error on their part, they will usually do it free of charge. If however, it was because there was a change in the form itself, then this is usually billable.

Another common forms problem is that the form doesn't print at all. You have it set up in the printer, you pull the patient info, you send the info to the print queue and when the form gets fed through the printer, nothing prints. This will usually happen when the patient info in the database doesn't pull correctly. This can be caused by one of two things. Either the patient info itself is empty, meaning nobody filled it in, or the program is pulling the wrong index number and therefore is pulling a non existent patient. This can also cause wrong data to pull if it pulls another patient. This is easy to troubleshoot by simply checking the patient file.

When doing

nformation is still printing a line above or below where it is supposed to. In this case, the problem is usually with the form itself. Each form has to be programmed by the software. The software pulls each field from a particular place in the system and then prints it on the form where it needs to go. Sometimes, the programming is simply wrong. Most software programs come with what is called a forms editor where you can go in and make changes to the form. This is usually very easy to do and comes with instructions. If however, you don't feel comfortable doing this, the software makers usually have forms people that will fix the form for you. If it was an error on their part, they will usually do it free of charge. If however, it was because there was a change in the form itself, then this is usually billable.

Another common forms problem is that the form doesn't print at all. You have it set up in the printer, you pull the patient info, you send the info to the print queue and when the form gets fed through the printer, nothing prints. This will usually happen when the patient info in the database doesn't pull correctly. This can be caused by one of two things. Either the patient info itself is empty, meaning nobody filled it in, or the program is pulling the wrong index number and therefore is pulling a non existent patient. This can also cause wrong data to pull if it pulls another patient. This is easy to troubleshoot by simply checking the patient file.

When doing

s with instructions. If however, you don't feel comfortable doing this, the software makers usually have forms people that will fix the form for you. If it was an error on their part, they will usually do it free of charge. If however, it was because there was a change in the form itself, then this is usually billable.

Another common forms problem is that the form doesn't print at all. You have it set up in the printer, you pull the patient info, you send the info to the print queue and when the form gets fed through the printer, nothing prints. This will usually happen when the patient info in the database doesn't pull correctly. This can be caused by one of two things. Either the patient info itself is empty, meaning nobody filled it in, or the program is pulling the wrong index number and therefore is pulling a non existent patient. This can also cause wrong data to pull if it pulls another patient. This is easy to troubleshoot by simply checking the patient file.

When doing

the form gets fed through the printer, nothing prints. This will usually happen when the patient info in the database doesn't pull correctly. This can be caused by one of two things. Either the patient info itself is empty, meaning nobody filled it in, or the program is pulling the wrong index number and therefore is pulling a non existent patient. This can also cause wrong data to pull if it pulls another patient. This is easy to troubleshoot by simply checking the patient file.

When doing laser printing of forms, the problem of lining up the form doesn't exist. So if the form prints out of alignment, then the problem is that the form program is printing to soon or too late. This again is a simple fix in the forms editor by changing the starting line.

These are the most common medical billing forms problems. By simply going through the process in a logical step-by-step process, you can usually find the problem quickly.