ClaimTek Medical Billing Success Stories

Building an Empire

Donald Kalkofen looks for 100 firms

Medical claims processing has proven a very good living for many people. They get anywhere from 3 to 10 clients and enjoy an upscale lifestyle while having the freedom of being their own bosses.

But don't tell that to Donald Kalkofen. He wants 100 firms in the next few years. And 100 companies is not just a goal, it's a start. PracticePro of Portland, Ore. is looking to become one of the biggest and best electronic medical claims processing companies in the United States.

America is about empire builders and nay Sayers. There were people who told Ray Kroc he would never sell more than the 1,000 hamburgers again after his first day as a restaurant owner. They called the little hamburger diner a fluke. Today, the McDonald's chain sells more than 1,000 hamburgers every eight seconds!

Those who dare to be great like Donald often succeed. And those who can crunch the numbers count their success all the way to the bank. Certainly, Donald knows how to do that. He's a former chief financial officer of a bank and still serves on bank boards. He has been a certified public account for many years.

But Donald wanted a chance to build his own company so the 38-year-old Kalkofen gave up the past businesses and created PracticePro. With expert knowledge in financial transactions, Donald is a natural for doctors looking to not only streamline their insurance payments, but also grow their cash flow into a river of revenue.

"A lot of it is cash management experience," Donald said. "The medical practice is all about cash flow and details. That's what normal CPA deals with on a daily basis."

Consider this -- you're a doctor looking to eliminate a heavy back load of receivables, but your staff can't handle the volume or complexity of claims. After all, there are hundreds and hundreds of different medical plans and the rejection rate because of errors can be very high when using inexperienced staff.

Then Donald Kalkofen shows up with his CPA degree and doctors suddenly realize it's not how much they're paying him to process claims -- it's how much money he can make them by clearing up the backlog of receivables, increasing payment schedules and improving overall cash flow.

"Doctors often realize they need help and the person they're paying out front $20,000 a year doesn't have the education and experience to help them out," Donald said. "They look at me and see a CPA and CFO and know I can help them more than just process claims."

One thing that can be said about certified public accountants is they're not only very bottom-line oriented, but they look at the details through and through. When Donald considered different software programs, he scrutinized them intensely. One finally demanded his respect -- Lytec. And there's only one company that exclusively offers this software -- ClaimTek Services.

"I did a lot of research on software, especially those dealing with small clients," Donald said. "Lytec is fairly easy. ClaimTek is as good as it comes."

And that's how Donald will one day have 100 clients. Doctors like seeing someone with his credentials walk through their door, but he has to prove himself. ClaimTek is the deal clincher.

Who knows? Maybe one day we'll remember when Donald became the McDonald's of electronic medical claims processing.