Hospital-physician acquisition of medical practices continues at a furious pace. Unfortunately, no one knows for certain whether physician employment by hospitals is the key to better or more cost-effective care.... Read More >
nbsp The following is a summary of the changes that are being implemented with the January , release and links to references with additional information. On December , , President... Read More >
nbsp Adult amp Pediatric Dermatology, P.C., of Concord, Mass., APDerm has agreed to settle potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Breach... Read More >
nbsp Standard Mileage Rates Beginning on , the standard mileage rates for cars, vans, pickups, and panel trucks will be cents per mile for business miles, . cents per mile... Read More >
nbsp The IRS has released draft instructions for Form , which individuals will use to calculate the amount of additional . Medicare tax owed. The instructions are available at www.irs.gov... Read More >
Optimize your healthcare practice's phone operations with key metrics to improve patient experience and staff efficiency. Track call times, peak periods, and more. Read More >
nbsp In order to determine whether PHI has been compromised in a physician office, you should always consider the following The nature and extent of PHI involved, including the types... Read More >
nbsp The Centers for Medicare amp Medicaid Services CMS has finalized payment rates and policies for , including a major proposal to support care management outside the routine office interaction... Read More >
nbsp Recent client question Do you know of a good simple reference book for teaching our physician office staff the basics of E amp M coding for internal audits, perhaps... Read More >
nbsp A recently concluded FCA suit involving a Wisconsin physician practice and a onetime billing department worker allegedly fired for trying to prevent overcharging of the federal government feeds uncertainty... Read More >
nbsp Question I need some advice on how to handle a group of mean girls in the office. The have all been on a counseling step for different reasons at... Read More >
nbsp A number of physicians were recently indicted, convicted and sentenced for healthcare crimes. Here are a few examples. Remember this government is actively working to identify and prosecute physicians... Read More >
nbsp As part of your collection process most offices send a certain of statements before they start sending out collection notices usually statements for most practices , you should follow... Read More >
nbsp It seems providers everywhere are asking the same question How should we prepare for the ICD- implementation deadline? A good place to start is to identify every way you... Read More >
nbsp Patients suggest that if physicians want to improve their collections, they should provide online access. An Intuit Health survey found that patients often are late in paying not because... Read More >
Change Request CR alerts you that the annual HPSA bonus payment file for will be made available by the Centers for Medicare amp Medicaid Services CMS to your Medicare contractor... Read More >
nbsp CMS Physician Quality Reporting System PQRS program encourages the reporting of quality information through incentive payments through and payment adjustments beginning in . PQRS provides an incentive payment to... Read More >
Another familiar HIPAA violation has struck again; pay attention people!!!!!!!! http://www.statesman.com/news/news/crime-law/seton-officials-stolen-laptop-has-patient-informat/nbT6W/ Read More >
nbsp As you know, Medicare has imposted the government s across the board sequestration cut to your physician fee for service payments. Since many managed care payers pay physicians on... Read More >
nbsp Even Americans who are lucky enough to be working in this economy are becoming unhappy with their jobs. According to version of the Conference Board Job Satisfaction Survey, in... Read More >
nbsp On August , the U.S. Department of Health amp Human Services, Office of Inspector General OIG issued a favorable Advisory Opinion, - PDF , concerning an arrangement whereby a... Read More >
nbsp I recently received a call from a client asking if they can begin charging all patients at the time of service and refunding the patient s payment when insurance... Read More >
nbsp A Senior U.S. District Judge recently ordered the Tuomey Healthcare System to pay more than . million in False Claims Act FCA fines and Stark Law penalties. If you... Read More >
nbsp Physicians who are considering being part of a merger should weigh their risks and take steps to reduce potential legal hurdles here are some suggestions based on my experience... Read More >
nbsp Access, the time between a patient s request for an appointment and the next available appointment on your schedule, is a concern that is getting increasing attention. For medical... Read More >
nbsp As I have mentioned in previous blog posts, I m amazed at how many physician practices do such a poor job at patient customer service. This ultimately leads to... Read More >
The pressure on medical practices to cope with rising operating costs is not just one of perception, but based on real, staggering numbers. In fact, the cost of operating a... Read More >
nbsp Physicians and other health care professionals who provide Medicare Part B Physician Fee Schedule PFS covered professional services need to be aware of a negative . payment adjustment under... Read More >
nbsp HHS released an issue brief disclosing the premium rates that will be available in the states in which HHS will support or fully run the state insurance marketplace. The... Read More >
nbsp Carefully reviewing, analyzing, and revising office processes can yield an improvement in office productivity I ve seen it many times. For maximum effectiveness, gather your team to conduct the... Read More >
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