Tebra Talks

Tebra

Tebra Talks brings together healthcare leaders, practice owners, billing experts, and Tebra specialists to discuss the operational challenges shaping independent practices and billing companies. Explore practical conversations about healthcare technology, revenue cycle management, patient experience, AI, and the business of care.

  1. 4d ago

    Medical Billing Growth Strategy: Specialization, Referrals, and Client Trust

    Specialization can feel like a narrow path for a medical billing company, but for some teams, going deeper into one specialty can become the clearest path to growth.In this episode of Tebra Talks, Sarah Ford, Director of Account Management at Tebra, sits down with Tracy Freeze, founder of Ascend Practice Management, to discuss how Ascend built a strong behavioral health billing niche and grew through referrals, compliance expertise, operational discipline, and long-term client relationships.With 30 years in business and deep experience supporting independent behavioral health practices, Tracy shares how specialization became a growth engine for Ascend, even without traditional marketing campaigns.The conversation covers:• Why specialization is becoming a stronger differentiator for billing companies• How behavioral health billing became Ascend’s core niche• Why deep specialty knowledge can make operations more repeatable• How SOPs, compliance libraries, and documentation help billing teams scale• Why referral relationships grow when clients trust the full team, not just one person• How billing companies can support independent practices beyond RCM• Why organic growth often comes from helping clients grow sustainably• What billing companies should consider before leaning into a specialtyTracy also shares how Ascend supports practices with billing, consulting, credentialing, compliance, HR, payroll, and other back-office needs so providers can stay focused on patient care.For billing company owners, RCM leaders, and teams looking for a stronger growth strategy, this episode offers a practical look at how specialization, relationships, and operational consistency can help billing companies stand out in a competitive market.Read Tebra’s 2026 State of the US Medical Billing Industry Report: https://tebra.co/billing-benchmark-re...

  2. Aug 14

    Independent Practice Operations: Scheduling, Staffing, and Patient-Centered Care

    More personal, attentive patient care does not happen by accident. It depends on the operational choices that shape the day.In this episode of Tebra Talks, Miriam Datskovsky sits down with Dr. John Scala, a physician board-certified in pediatrics and internal medicine, to discuss what it actually takes to build an independent practice that protects the human side of medicine.Dr. Scala has built independent practices, worked inside a larger corporate system, and returned to independence. In this conversation, he shares how schedule design, staffing, communication, documentation, and business operations can either support or crowd out patient care.You’ll learn how independent practices can:• Structure the schedule to support same-day access• Protect time for focused, face-to-face patient interactions• Keep documentation from taking over the visit• Build a front desk and clinical team that feels personal without becoming chaotic• Set boundaries around work that can overwhelm the practice• Simplify payroll, accounting, billing, and other administrative tasks• Create a calmer day for providers, staff, and patients• Support more sustainable, patient-centered practice ownershipFor physicians, practice owners, and healthcare teams working to sustain independent care, this episode offers a practical look at the habits, systems, and decisions that help keep the business side from crowding out the reason the practice exists.Learn more about Tebra: https://tebra.co/demo-ai-yt

  3. Aug 10

    Corporate Medicine vs. Independent Practice: Autonomy, Burnout, and Patient Care

    What do physicians gain, and what do they give up, when they choose independent practice?In this episode of Tebra Talks, Miriam Datskovsky sits down with Dr. John Scala, a physician board certified in pediatrics and internal medicine, to talk about the real trade-offs between corporate medicine and independent practice.Dr. Scala has built independent practices, worked inside a larger corporate system, and returned to independence. In this conversation, he shares what that experience taught him about autonomy, burnout, staffing, patient relationships, practice economics, and the business side of medicine.The episode covers:• Why physician burnout can feel like a loss of control• How corporate systems can affect scheduling, referrals, staffing, and patient care• What physicians often underestimate when starting an independent practice• Why practice ownership requires both business discipline and clinical clarity• How staffing can make or break the independent practice experience• Why autonomy can help physicians set boundaries and protect the way they care for patients• How independent practice can support more personal, one-on-one patient relationshipsFor physicians considering private practice, this episode offers a grounded look at what independence makes possible, what it demands, and why it can still be the right path for doctors who want to practice medicine on their own terms.Learn more about Tebra: https://tebra.co/demo-ai-yt

  4. Jul 27

    Medical Billing Dashboards: Turn A/R Data Into Revenue Action

    Billing teams have more data than ever, but more data does not always mean clearer answers. In this episode of Tebra Talks, Miriam Datskovsky sits down with Kevin Clinton, Billing and Payments Marketing Director at Tebra, and Dash Mercado, Director of Product Design at Tebra, to discuss how billing teams can move from exporting reports and rebuilding spreadsheets to using dashboards that surface the metrics that matter most. They walk through how Tebra’s A/R dashboard helps billing teams and billing companies see where revenue is stuck, monitor aging trends, identify high-priority balances, and move faster from metric to action.The conversation covers: • Why spreadsheet-based reporting slows billing teams down • How A/R health, days in A/R, outstanding A/R, and aging buckets reveal revenue risk • Why billing teams need to drill from trends into the claims behind them • How better reporting can support stronger client conversations • How Tebra’s AI Billing Assistant can help flag claims at higher risk of denial • What’s ahead for Tebra’s reporting and analytics tools For billing companies, stronger reporting can also help prove value during client check-ins and QBRs by showing what changed, why it matters, and what the team is doing next. Watch the full episode to see how Tebra is helping billing teams turn reporting into clearer revenue action. Learn more about AI Billing Assistant: https://tebra.co/ai-billing-assistant-yt

About

Tebra Talks brings together healthcare leaders, practice owners, billing experts, and Tebra specialists to discuss the operational challenges shaping independent practices and billing companies. Explore practical conversations about healthcare technology, revenue cycle management, patient experience, AI, and the business of care.