Providers should not let the EMR code for them. If it does, the providers need to override the system and only use it as a guide. The EMR is not equipped to understand nuances of medical-decision making that only a provider could determine. Say yes   Read more..

Audit Hotspot #1: Copy and Paste Although templates are intended to save time, providers must ensure that the built-in forms are age and gender appropriate. The following example demonstrates how template-assisted documentation might backfire when applied to a pediatric case. Example: A nine-year-old is seen for   Read more..

A happy patient—one well pleased with the patient experience—is a practice builder. How’s your patient roster holding up? Are you obtaining new patients? Are your existing patients satisfied? Improving patient satisfaction starts with the provider. While it certainly doesn’t end with the provider, as each member   Read more..

Know the Facts. According to the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH): 4 percent of people 18 or older in the U.S. reported that they drank alcohol at some point in their lifetime. 9 percent of people ages 18 or older reported   Read more..

Money can’t buy happiness, but happiness can—and does—make money. Patient satisfaction pays. In the wake of healthcare reform and its focus on patient-centered care, today’s patients are choosing happiness. Elevated to the role of consumer, they’re now in the driver’s seat. Patients are looking at   Read more..

Within a matter of months, 150 million Medicare health insurance claim numbers will be changed to new Medicare beneficiary identifier (MBI) numbers. Out With the Old Historically, the Medicare beneficiary’s identification Health Insurance Claim Number (HICN) has been used for processing claims and determining eligibility for services   Read more..

How knowledgeable are you of Federal regulations governing your practice? Are you equipped to safeguard your organization from violating the Physician Self-Referral Law (Stark Law), the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS), and the False Claims Act (FCA)? Various government agencies—the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of Health   Read more..

Streamlining accounts receivable processes, fine-tuning patient engagement, improving staff efficiency, finessing payer relations, negotiating equitable contracts, maintaining compliance with ever-changing regulations—there’s always something. Managing a medical practice is not easy. But you can make the job easier on yourself and your staff with tips to get   Read more..

What’s the most valuable asset a practice or office manager could possess—number of years in the industry, an impressive resume, a wall of certificates? None of these hold a candle to the one tool you can’t afford to lack—a positive, constructive attitude. It’s not what you   Read more..

MACRA stress is—and has been—high. Last year’s AMA/ KPMG survey reported that fewer than one of four physicians had perceived themselves as "well prepared" to meet MACRA’s Quality Payment Program (QPP) reporting requirements in 2017. Ninety percent of the physicians surveyed had considered the requirements   Read more..