Every medical practice has a variety of specialized team members that handle patient intake, billing, collections, office management, and, of course, the delivery of the actual medical care itself. In... Read More >
When you need tax help, the IRS has many online tools that are easy to use. You can e-file your tax return free, check your refund s status or get... Read More >
Recently received the following question I am a physician who has a proposal from a bank to borrow k. The loan is primarily to consolidate some personal debt, but the... Read More >
If you ve been looking for a one-stop, illustrated coding reference that provides the critical coding details you need to accurately report your provider s services in , look no... Read More >
Clarifying Questions and Answers Related to CMS AMA Joint Announcement and Guidance Regarding ICD- Flexibilities On July , , CMS and the American Medical Association AMA released a joint statement... Read More >
When evaluating collection and adjustment percentages in a medical practice, be sure to include several months of activity, preferably one full year or at least six months. The reason is... Read More >
If physicians want to achieve excellent patient relations in their office, they must take a role in apologizing to patients for waiting time. Have you ever heard a physician say... Read More >
Reading Material Clear out all the old magazines and newspapers from the reception area, and replace them with reading material that s up-to-date and relevant to your patients. If you... Read More >
Is every unauthorized disclosure of a patient s health information a breach under HIPAA? No. Whether a HIPAA breach occurs depends on whether the patient information disclosed poses a significant... Read More >
After several years of unparalleled cooperation across the health care community, we are nearing the ICD- finish line. Less than days remain until our nation makes the transition to ICD-... Read More >
Have an employee who prints encounter forms in advance and contacts the patient concerning past due balances and the expectation of payment at check-in. When the patient checks in for... Read More >
Your EHR vendor should have a stragegy in place for most, if not all, catastrophies. Tapes should only be ONE of many LAYERS of protection you have in place. In... Read More >
St. Elizabeth s Medical Center SEMC has agreed to settle potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of HIPAA Privacy, Security and Breach Notification Rules with the... Read More >
On July , CMS released the first proposed update to the physician payment schedule since the repeal of the Sustainable Growth Rate through the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act... Read More >
With today s complex coding and reimbursement systems, it came as no surprise to discover that payment accuracy rates among insurance companies dip as low as percent. That finding comes... Read More >
The AMA and CMS yesterday issued a joint press release reporting agreement on certain elements of a -month grace period for the October , implementation of ICD- . Although physicians... Read More >
A little-known provision of the Affordable Care Act requires medical practices of all sizes to develop their own compliance plans to reduce fraud and abuse, but we are still awaiting... Read More >
According to a new survey, only percent of physicians practices believe they are now on track with preparation efforts to convert to ICD- -Forbes While the medical community is reluctant... Read More >
Handling Patients Sent to Collections Best Practices for Medical Practices A recent question I received We are interested to know how you handle patients that a medical practice sends to... Read More >
Today I came upon the following ten steps to developing an effective patient service strategy buried inside one of my digital folders. I really can t take credit for these... Read More >
Under the Affordable Care Act, Medicare beneficiaries now receive coverage for an Annual Wellness Visit AWV , which is a yearly office visit that focuses on preventive health. During the... Read More >
Guess what? Squabbling among staff members is common in medical practices. It is more than just an aggravation for the physician. Patients are aware of the ill will and hate... Read More >
A friend of mine who attended the recent ABA physician legal issues conference mentioned to me a representative from the Office of Inspector General OIG said that the OIG is... Read More >
I recently read the report of a presentation given at a medical conference by a well-known hospital-side consultant. In a nutshell, this expert states that physicians should reconcile themselves to... Read More >
AAPC recently finished a new white paper, titled The Keys to Compliance , and are sharing it. Step-by-step, the white paper outlines how your organization can create a compliance plan... Read More >
The biggest expense category in most medical practices is non-physician payroll and benefits. Are your staffing levels right for your office? An understaffed office can lose money through inefficiency an... Read More >
The Office of the Inspector General OIG has issued a new Fraud Alert relating to physician compensation arrangements. For many years now, both the OIG and the Department of Justice... Read More >
HIPAA requires covered entities to submit reports of breaches of unsecured PHI affecting fewer than individuals within days of the end of the calendar year i.e., March , for calendar... Read More >
While at Walmart this morning, I stumbled upon the staff s morning meeting back in the auto section. Being obsessed with the concepts of management as I am, I could... Read More >
The most common concern raised about medical practice staffing is cost. It is a legitimate concern, but I would argue that the factors to be looked at first are the... Read More >
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