Guard Patient Privacy at the Front Desk
nbsp By now everyone should be in HIPAA compliance and know the rules. Here are three things that you may not have thought about, but could land your practice in... Read More >
Rev up referrals and increase practice revenue
nbsp Whether you work in a primary-care or a specialist s office, referrals are key to good patient care and profitability. Don t let the front desk be a weak... Read More >
Listen to patient complaints—they can lead to lawsuits
You may not think that you can do anything to help your practice avoid a malpractice claim, but you are wrong. According to a study in the Journal of the... Read More >
Improve your verification process with this checklist
Implement these insurance verification suggestions to save yourself time and headaches Be proactive. Ask about insurance when any patient, new or established, makes an appointment. Verify it. Verify coverage before... Read More >
Urgent Walk-Ins, Angry Waiting Room
Read the following question I recently received below and decide how you would handle it. Question I m a receptionist at a busy practice. We have a lot of urgent-care... Read More >
HIPAA Help: Shred It, Burn It — But Do It Right
nbsp You handle millions of scraps of paper every day, enough for a whole forest. And inevitably you have to get rid of lots of them. But there are a... Read More >
How to Maximize Patient Health and Generate Revenue
nbsp Because you receive payments, schedule follow-up visits, and thank patients as they leave the office, you are in the best position to suggest additional helpful services to patients. With... Read More >
Build an effective billing team from the start
Putting together an effective billing team begins with the hiring process. Individuals who have the five following personal characteristics-above and beyond the usual hiring criteria-are likely to be successful at... Read More >
Is a Boutique Practice in Your Best Interest?
nbsp In recent years, practices have explored options to being solely reliant on insurance contracts. Some practices are opting out of all insurance contracts and Medicare and charging an annual... Read More >
Phone Triage: Avoid Scheduling Headaches Before They Begin
How To Triage a Patient Over The Phone There is nothing better for managing patient intake than the good old telephone. Asking the right questions and noting the right information... Read More >
Simple rules for your older patients
nbsp The needs of elderly patients can vary from a physical handicap, such as being hard of hearing, to becoming overwhelmed with medical information or even forgetting what the doctor... Read More >
Withholding on Form W-4
According to the Spring edition of the SSA IRS Reporter see www.irs.gov pub irs-pdf p .pdf , the following statement was added to the Form W- instructions based on a... Read More >
Physicians’ Relationships with Pharmaceutical Companies and Medical Device Manufacturers
nbsp The U.S. Department of Justice DOJ and the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services OIG have indicated that they intend to begin... Read More >
Capture Those Pesky Copays Before They Sneak Out the Door
nbsp My colleagues and I all agree that if the front desk doesn t collect the copay at the time of the visit, you ll be hard-pressed to ever see... Read More >
Check out new FAQs about disposing PHI
The Office for Civil Rights OCR , which enforces the HIPAA privacy rule, has posted a set of FAQs on its Web site related to the disposal of PHI. Questions... Read More >
Check Encounter Forms to Prevent Billing Mistakes
nbsp A quick peek at patients encounter forms before they leave the office can prevent some major billing problems for your office. The receptionist should scan the encounter form to... Read More >
Seeing more and more production-based compensation plans
nbsp As medical group practices face changing reimbursement structures and increased operating costs, aligning physician compensation plans with organizational goals is critical. Many practices achieve this alignment by using productivity-based... Read More >
Employee achievement awards – the tax issues
Many large medical practices give out employee achievement awards annually some even monthly . Are you aware of the tax issues related to these awards? The IRC Section j defines... Read More >
Don’t abandon new partner buy-ins despite concerns
Today s medical climate affects both a senior s or group s willingness to offer buy-in and the junior s willingness to take it. To begin, consider young physicians concerns.... Read More >
Why your practice might want to retain earnings
Your budgeting discussions are likely to uncover certain practice goals. You might want, for example, to open one or more satellite offices. When such goals emerge, it s time to... Read More >
Weather/Closing Policy
nbsp It s still winter out there and snow seems to be coming down in blankets in some parts of the country but not here in Texas where it is... Read More >
Parties, Parking Spaces, and Lurking Stark Law Violations
Great post by Martie Ross mross lathropgage.com Once a year, the federal government adjusts the dollar limits under the non-monetary compensation and incidental medical staff benefits exceptions under the Stark... Read More >
RVU-based physician compensation arrangements
nbsp Keep in mind that physician employment arrangements that include production-based compensation may be affected inadvertently by changes to changes in the Medicare physician fee schedule. There are numerous employment... Read More >
IRS Nonprofit Hospital Study – Final Report
Internal Revenue Service officials released the final report on its tax-exempt hospital project. The project aimed to help the IRS and public better understand how nonprofit hospitals benefit their communities,... Read More >
Attention large medical practices – COBRA Health Insurance Continuation
The Tax Act made changes to the health benefit provisions of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of COBRA . Eligible former employees who were enrolled in their employer s... Read More >
IRS Releases New Withholding Tables
nbsp Due to tax law changes made in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of , the Internal Revenue Service IRS has issued new wage withholding and advance earned income... Read More >
Partners must bring value to a medical practice
Unfortunately, doctors rarely appreciate why their group members serve as partners or what responsibilities they should assume. Compared to commercial business, professional service groups traditionally have one serious problem The... Read More >
How to Obtain a Copy of Your DEA Certificate: A Guide for Private Healthcare Practices
Obtaining a DEA Certificate copy For healthcare practices, especially those involved in prescribing controlled substances, having a valid DEA Drug Enforcement Administration certificate is crucial. This certificate grants physicians and... Read More >
Medicare Physician Fee Schedule – Carrier Specific Pricing Files New for Calendar Year (CY) 2009
CMS has condensed all Physician Fee Schedule PFS carrier-specific pricing files into one zip file. This file is found in the list on the CMS Web page at http www.cms.hhs.gov... Read More >
Tap into employee complaints in your physician office
Building an effective complaint process requires more than scheduling periodic venting sessions or hanging a suggestion box. Instead, encourage staff to register their complaints in a way you can constructively... 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 >
