Health plans and healthcare providers are increasingly using e-mail to exchange PHI. A HIPAA question raised was Can a health plan disclose information e.g., name, diagnosis, and admit dates to... Read More >
The Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services OIG issued Advisory Opinion No. - on Dec. , . In the Advisory Opinion, the OIG... Read More >
However helpful and efficient, computers don t always improve upon time-tested manual aids. That s my conclusion after asking a variety of my colleagues about using a cancellation list to... Read More >
nbsp A audit of Medicare claims by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General OIG found that Medicare fee-for-service payments that did not comply with Medicare... Read More >
If you somehow stagger through office hours when you are late for valid reasons, you may begin arriving just as late on other days. In effect, arriving a half-hour late... Read More >
nbsp If your physicians perform Welcome to Medicare WTM exams, also called an Initial Preventive Physical Exam IPPE , you ll have one less payment battle to wage this year.... Read More >
Who Sets CPT Codes Physicians or Coders? Who is responsible for setting the CPT and diagnosis codes the physician or the coder? Perhaps this question has arisen in your practice.... Read More >
The single most common complaint I hear from MDs these days is I don t know what is going on. Physicians are obviously busy and most want to just practice... Read More >
This Medicare resource is now available in downloadable format. This two-sided resource gives Medicare fee-for-service physicians, providers, suppliers and other health care professionals a quick reference to Medicare s preventive... Read More >
Many physicians and groups are thriving with managed care and capitated practice by communicating with their patients from the start of the relationship. They form their patients expectations, telling them... Read More >
nbsp The Department of Health and Human Services HHS Office for Civil Rights OCR has published new HIPAA Privacy Rule guidance as part of the Department s Privacy and Security... Read More >
With rates so low, NOW is the time to save some money by refinancing your mortgage. I know of one physician couple that locked in a fixed-rate mortgage at .... Read More >
The information you share with a physician recruit about the hospitals in your community with a physician recruit will depend on the physician s specialty, but it could include the... Read More >
Can one person in a workplace ruin a workplace? In other words, can one bad apple spoil the whole bunch? That s the question Dr. Will Felps, Rotterdam Business School... Read More >
nbsp Pens and prescription pads emblazoned with name-brand drug logos are as commonplace as stethoscopes in many doctor s offices. That all changed last Thursday. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers... Read More >
Suppose you have a new registration area with a counter where patients sit when registering and signing consent forms. Sufficient space is available for two patients to register simultaneously. A... Read More >
nbsp IRS audits now routinely review S corporation payments to shareholders to see if payroll taxes are being avoided by treating payments to shareholder-officers as loans or shareholder distributions of... Read More >
Set up a timetable for handling account balances as they reach certain ages. For example, at days, send a letter that asks patients to pay the remainder of the balance... Read More >
In yet another example of how IPAs can get in to trouble, two physician groups separately have settled charges that they violated federal antitrust law by engaging in price-fixing conspiracies... Read More >
When looking at the growing pool of pay-for-performance P P programs, you might wonder how to determine what you re getting into before you sign up. To understand your organization... Read More >
nbsp Taxable fringe benefits include cash bonuses, severance or vacation pay and noncash gifts such as season tickets to sporting events and gift certificates or gift cards. Taxable fringes are... Read More >
nbsp Intuit will offer the Windows version of QuickBooks Pro for free at all Staples stores on Monday, Dec. , for one day only. The offer works like this The... Read More >
Now there s a better way for physicians and non-physician practitioners to enroll or make a change in their Medicare enrollment information. The Internet-based Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System... Read More >
nbsp From the American Health Lawyers Association www.healthlawyers.org On December , , the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General OIG issued Advisory Opinion - , in... Read More >
IRS Posts Publication Explaining Individual Income Tax The IRS posted an updated version of Publication , Your Federal Income Tax , to www.irs.gov . The online version has more than... Read More >
Increasingly, personality is proving critical in relating to patients and to the many players you must deal with daily in the healthcare game-payers, referrers, employers. When choosing a leader for... Read More >
The Centers for Medicare amp Medicaid Services CMS used the Medicare final physician fee schedule PFS to make additional changes to the complex rules governing diagnostic testing. Among the most... Read More >
Here are a few simple tips to remember when making your year-end charitable contributions. For IRA owners age or over, you can transfer up to , per year tax-free to... Read More >
nbsp On November , , the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General OIG issued Advisory Opinion - , approving a gainsharing agreement between a hospital, four... Read More >
A senior member in phase-down should probably give up legal co-owner status. Today s pressures on medical practices call for tough decisions about the future. Business as usual usually won... Read More >
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