Top Scenarios That Trigger Overpayment Refund Requests and How to Handle Them Fielding requests for overpayment refunds is unfortunately an all-too-familiar scenario for most providers. Here are the top three... Read More >
Key Strategies for Implementing Open-Access Scheduling in Your Practice Implementing open-access scheduling without careful planning invites disaster. Once you determine how much to open the schedule, develop a new set... Read More >
Understanding Required by Law Disclosures of PHI Under HIPAA HIPAA allows disclosures of PHI without authorization when such disclosures are required by law. What does this mean? The regulations define... Read More >
For services billed in year 2004, the following are the Medicare utilization statistics for Hospital Admits: 99221 5.5% 99222 35.8% 99223 58.7% Hospital Visits: 99231 23.3% 99232 56.7% 99233 19.7% Read More >
CMS Prioritizes Accuracy Medicare Fees to Be Updated Online Instead of CD-ROM The Centers for Medicare amp Medicaid Services CMS has decided not to place the fees on the CD-ROM... Read More >
From Part B News Key Changes in the Physician Fee Schedule What You Need to Know The final physician fee schedule won t be published until the Nov. , Federal... Read More >
CMS Launches Physician Voluntary Reporting Program Key Measures and Details Last Friday, the Centers for Medicare amp Medicaid Services CMS established the Physician Voluntary Reporting Program PVRP , a step... Read More >
Maximizing Efficiency Internet vs. POS vs. Phone Verification for Insurance In addition to using the Internet to handle patient registrations, consider using it for insurance validation. One insurance company recently... Read More >
Streamlining Collections Implementing a Veto-Only System for Physician Review If you have a well-defined collection process in writing, as you should, it probably requires that you give delinquent account information... Read More >
Optimizing Same-Day Appointments Balancing Patient Access with Physician Efficiency Trying to meet patient and referrer demands without sacrificing physician efficiency leads many doctors to adopt different appointment styles such as... Read More >
The next few months may provide a last chance opportunity for taxpayers who itemize deductions to deduct state and local sales taxes in lieu of state and local income taxes.... Read More >
CMS Releases Comprehensive Medicare Guide to Rural Health Services for Providers and Physicians The Division of Provider Information Planning amp Development at the Centers for Medicare amp Medicaid Services CMS... Read More >
On Social Security Online, Automatic Increases, Contribution and Benefit Base, http www.ssa.gov OACT COLA cbb.html , the Social Security Administration has announced that the wage base for computing the Social... Read More >
Protecting Your Practice How Antisteering Clauses Can Shield Against Revenue Loss from Carve-Outs When you contract with a health plan for your services, you base your deal on the reimbursement... Read More >
From the Journal of Accountancy How to Navigate Life Settlement Transactions Options, Steps, and Tax Implications WHEN INDIVIDUALS OR BUSINESSES HAVE UNNEEDED life insurance policies they have three options continue... Read More >
The American Health Information Management Association AHIMA provides help sorting through the rules regarding how long you must retain records at your practice. Use AHIMA s tables as a basic... Read More >
Per the Physician Compensation Report www.hcpromarketplace.com . Desire for higher salary . High malpractice premiums . Underutilized medical skills desire for upward advancement hours too long high call schedule .... Read More >
From the Group Practice Solutions newsletter www.hcpromarketplace.com The distinction between a request for a consultation and a referral seems straightforward at first glance. A consultation occurs when a physician gives... Read More >
Audit Reveals High Rate of Place of Service Coding Errors in Medicare Claims According to the July issue of Texas Medicine www.texmed.org , a recent audit of Part B claims... Read More >
The Growing Adoption of Electronic Medical Records Key Findings from a Recent Physician Poll In a poll released in the September issue of Physicians Practice www.physicianspractice.com , a surprising number... Read More >
Avoiding Costly Penalties Essential Audit Points for Managing Employee Pay and Classification From the Americian Institute of Professional Bookkeepers www.aipb.org To avoid major penalties, audit your own practices to avoid... Read More >
Disaster Preparedness for Medical Practices Protecting Records and Insurance As Hurricane Rita nears the Texas coastline, I wonder how many medical practices are prepared for any kind of a disaster,... Read More >
Medicare Part B Premium Increase Factors Behind the . Hike for Rapid growth in the intensity and utilization of Part B services in hospital outpatient services is a primary reason... Read More >
How to Determine the Right Buy-In Price for Your Practice Key Considerations Determining the right buy-in price is an inexact science. But applying one consultant s acid test can help... Read More >
According to the recent GAO report on the effects of concierge care on Medicare beneficiary care access, concierge care is an approach to medical practice in which physicians charge their... Read More >
New Email Service for Medicare Part B Inquiries from Trailblazer Health Enterprises Recently Trailblazer Health Enterprises, the Medicare intermediary for Texas and other states sent out the following announcement Medicare... Read More >
Credit Card Interest Rates on the Rise Key Insights and Financial Planning Tips An article in a recent issue of Medical Economics stated that the average interest rate for existing... Read More >
IRS Increases Standard Mileage Rates in Response to Rising Gas Prices In response to the recent dramatic gas price increases, IRS has announced that the optional standard mileage rate has... Read More >
How Rising Healthcare Costs Could Impact Your Retirement Planning From the September issue of the Practical Accountant magazine According to two recent retirement studies by Prudential Financial, Inc., in Americans... Read More >
Three Key Steps to Navigate Translation Service Requirements for LEP Patients Here are three steps to deal with the plan s requirements for members with limited English proficiency LEP Step... Read More >
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