Addressing Decline Payer Reimbursement
Here is a recent email exchange between practice administrators First administrator I was in the dumps already since Aetna and BC BS of Texas alerted us least week of fee... Read More >
Hospital Gainsharing Programs—Ten Years of Guidance
nbsp Over the last ten years, measuring from the date the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General OIG first addressed the issue of gainsharing arrangements in... Read More >
29 down and counting
nbsp Today ends my th consecutive tax season where has time gone by? It s wasn t too bad as compared to years past, mainly because I try to keep... Read More >
Make your help-wanted ads stand out
When it comes to filling open positions with capable staff, writing attractive and competitive classifieds ads remains a must. Here are some things to keep in mind when composing your... Read More >
Red Flags Rule guidance published
The Federal Trade Commission FTC published guidance to help organizations comply with the May enforcement deadline on the Red Flags Rule, which forces hospitals to implement a documented identity theft... Read More >
HIPAA pitfalls at physician practices
nbsp Reproduced from name of publication HCPro, Inc., Hoods Lane, Marblehead, MA . - . www.hcpro.com. Used with permission. nbsp The following lists the following common HIPAA violations seen regularly... Read More >
Gainsharing starting to get traction
Extending its string of positive advisory opinions involving gainsharing arrangements, over the past few months the OIG has issued three new, favorable gainsharing opinions. While the three gainsharing arrangements reviewed... Read More >
Collecting in challenging times
nbsp It s obvious that with the economy, accounts receivable management is more challenging. The Credit Research Foundation reports among companies an increase in average days delinquent of . in... Read More >
6 strategies to create a meaningful financial performance report
Contracting and financial managers must communicate their practice s performance by presenting data to a variety of audiences, including administrators, governing boards, and physicians. Following are some strategies for examining... Read More >
How to deal with unprepared patients
Dealing with patients who come in without the things they need is tough. So how should you handle it when patients come in without their referrals and such? The best... Read More >
Create an independent business advisory board
Consider creating an independent business advisory board for your practice. To help you cope with the business of leading your medical practice, do like many companies and hospitals do Create... Read More >
Using modifier 22
Generally modifier is used sparingly but that doesn t mean you should never use this modifier at all. When a procedure may require significant additional time or effort that falls... Read More >
Out of network patients – collecting the money
Offer out-of-network patients a good prompt payment discount for payment at time of service then allow them to decide what to do. Unless they are in HMOs, these patients will... Read More >
Medicare retroactive billing period reduced to 30 days
nbsp According to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, physicians will be able to retroactively bill Medicare for services your physician rendered up to days prior to the date he or... Read More >
Empower your administrators and managers
Give your manager or administrator the authority to manage all employees. When physicians don t accord the office manger the full measure of respect for his or her skills, it... Read More >
Avoid assigning E/M codes based solely on documentation length
nbsp Coding an E M visit based on the physician s documentation is an art form but selecting a code simply based on the volume of documentation is just bad... Read More >
Transitional discounts for out-of-network patients
nbsp If you have recently terminated a contract with an insurance carrier and now have become an out of network provider, how best to deal with your affected patients? Of... Read More >
Uncomfortable collecting patient copays?
nbsp There are many front desk people who are uncomfortable asking patients for copays even though it is part of their job description. Is there any easy way to overcome... Read More >
The Checklist For Clean Claims
Clean Claim Checklist Ensure Accurate Submissions Every Time Has your office ever received a claim that was denied due to insufficient initial reporting? If not, consider yourself in the minority,... Read More >
Ensure patient documents are legible and complete
nbsp Want to help keep your medical office s documentation crisp, complete and legible? Use this checklist to make sure that your patient files pass muster if an auditor ever... Read More >
Separate reception and telephone staff (If you can)
No matter what sort of technology you use to keep communications flowing efficiently, some days it seems the phones never stop ringing in your practice. Callers require appointments the same... Read More >
Hospital-Physician relationships – the Feds want to know more about them
nbsp The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services CMS has confirmed that it plans to proceed with plans to distribute the Disclosure of Financial Relationships Report DFRR to private sector,... Read More >
Let’s get down and tweet
nbsp Okay, I ve finally succumbed to all of those pundits that say you need a twitter account to further your communications with clients, colleagues, friends, etc ..like any gives... Read More >
The dreaded favored nations clause
nbsp While you are in the process of renegotiating your contract with a managed care carrier, they want you to sign an agreement that states that the rate being offered... Read More >
HIPAA: Children in the office
Reproduced from name of publication HCPro, Inc., Hoods Lane, Marblehead, MA . - . www.hcpro.com. Used with permission. What if one of your employees on occasions have one of their... Read More >
Full Exam Rooms Could Mean Empty Promises
Warning Where people wait really doesn t matter So you ve gotten all of the patients out of the waiting room, and you re staring at a nice collection of... Read More >
Feds to Crack Down on Consulting Fee Kickbacks
An article from the New York Times on March , discusses statements by federal prosecutors that they plan to crack down on physicians who receive consulting fees from drug companies... Read More >
Stay Out of Phone Triage Crossfire
nbsp When people call their doctors, they usually know what they want an appointment, to speak with the nurse, to renew a prescription, etc. But sometimes patients aren t so... Read More >
Younger Boomers Doing Worse Job of Saving than Elders
Older Baby Boomers this includes physicians appear to be doing a better job of preparing for retirement than younger Boomers this also includes you younger physicians out there , though... Read More >
E-Mail Procedures to Protect You and Your Office
nbsp Ever sent an e-mail in the heat of anger that you would give a week s pay to retrieve, or lost an e-mail that would have proved the office... Read More >
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As a top advisor to physicians, I help increase practice profits by delivering hands-on, expert medical accounting/tax support, practice counsel, and revenue-building strategies. Read More >
