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Articles from Jacob Thomas | Selfgrowth.com
- The Impact of Hospital Billing Processes on Patients Longer Term Satisfaction - by Submitted on Jun 01, 2012 from Jacob ThomasThe sway that business offices can have on reference patterns amongst consumers is a tactical opportunity as the insurance market moves to high deductible plans and hospitals take in new physicians into their business. According to a survey conducted by Connance in 2011 Americans who received ...
Views: 823 - Predicting the scope of medical billing consultants after 2014 and beyond - by Submitted on May 24, 2012 from Jacob ThomasAlthough it has been quite a while since the Federal Government announced a series of far-reaching healthcare reforms, we are yet to experience their full impact across the healthcare continuum. And, with the Senate bill deferring a major chunk of the reforms further, it is expected that we may ...
Views: 561 - Physicians tackle HIPAA requirements and increased scrutiny by Government - by Submitted on May 23, 2012 from Jacob ThomasThe health reforms have not only affected the way in which healthcare is delivered but also the way in which information is shared among various professionals and entities in the health industry. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations have become more stringent ...
Views: 713 - Meaningful Use’ Compliant EHR Technology Implementation – specialists’ perspective - by Submitted on Jan 20, 2012 from Jacob Thomas“While specialist practitioners, such as Radiologists, Psychiatrists, Chiropractors, Urologists, etc. can claim exemptions and exclusion of certain objectives set out in the Meaningful Use Clause by CMS, they are not treated preferentially as far as documenting clinical processes using approved ...
Views: 747 - Paid-sick-days concept as a preventive option for Federal healthcare expenditure - by Submitted on Jan 12, 2012 from Jacob Thomas“Coming at a time when Federal Government itself is promulgating radical healthcare reforms to tackle growing medical expenditure on public healthcare, and promote efficient and quality medical care to its ever growing insured population, this paid-sick-days concept promises to complement the ...
Views: 570 - Fall in doctor office visits by patients under 65 - by Submitted on Jan 11, 2012 from Jacob ThomasUS physicians recently have been experiencing a gradual decrease in visits by privately insured patients younger than 65. IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics, a health care research firm tracked an overall 4% drop in patient visits in 2011 compared with 2010, and Thomson Reuters Healthcare ...
Views: 556 - CMS encouraging physicians for health care reform innovation: grants offered - by Submitted on Jan 10, 2012 from Jacob ThomasAt last someone is looking to cut healthcare cost innovatively- The Health Care Innovation Challenge program, announced on 14th November, last year is the most recent federal effort by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to support health care innovations. The program is aimed ...
Views: 564 - Ohio tops in EHR usage, with the other states catching up - by Submitted on Jan 09, 2012 from Jacob ThomasAccording to Ohio Health Information Partnership, around 6,750 doctors in Ohio, the maximum count of physicians compared to any other state, have committed to electronic health records (EHR), leading the nation in usage of EHR’s. Greater Cincinnati has nearly 985 physicians who have committed to ...
Views: 597 - Increasing trend in Hospital Employment: Impact Physician Billing - by Submitted on Dec 28, 2011 from Jacob ThomasHealth care reform, widely anticipated federal Medicare reimbursement cuts and a variety of changes in the physician workforce, are fuelling more and more physicians to move under the hospital’s umbrella. Hospitals employees are expected to increase in the next ten years considerably with 85% of ...
Views: 603 - Physicians to make the most of 5010 Enforcement Delay - by Submitted on Dec 27, 2011 from Jacob ThomasPhysicians were mainly relieved with the announcement made by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Office of E-health Standards and Services (OESS) on 17th November, to delay enforcement of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act HIPAA 5010 transaction standards with a ...
Views: 593 - Doctors contemplate opting out due to continued Medicare hassles - by Submitted on Dec 23, 2011 from Jacob ThomasPhysician participating in the Medicare program are scheduled to face a 27.4% cut in their payments, effective 1st January, 2012, and with providers anyway complaining about current reimbursement rates, the cut is likely to considerably impact both patients as well as doctors adversely. As a ...
Views: 623 - Tackling the challenges faced by Physicians while treating Geriatrics - by Submitted on Dec 22, 2011 from Jacob ThomasThe Challenges in Geriatric Medicine The projected population of geriatrics is about 19.7 percent of the total population by the year 2030, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In light of such projections, it becomes clear that physicians and health care providers are definitely ...
Views: 577 - Revenue Cycle Improvements for Physicians and Clinics: An Overview - by Submitted on Dec 12, 2011 from Jacob ThomasThe revenue cycle management process starts even before the patient visits a physician’s office or a clinic or hospital and ends when full reimbursement is realized. The scope for improvements in the revenue cycle management process has been accentuated in the recent times due to changes in the ...
Views: 602 - Tackling the Demands Of Gastroenterology Medical Billing in Illinois - by Submitted on Dec 07, 2011 from Jacob ThomasLike most of the states in the US, Illinois too boasts of quality medical services. Lying in the Midwest region, Illinois population, being the largest in the region at 12,830,632 as per 2010 census, offers endless opportunities for diverse medical practitioners. Coupled with the demands of the ...
Views: 750 - Strategic Realignment to Affordable Care Organization Model – providers perspective - by Submitted on Dec 07, 2011 from Jacob Thomas“While physicians embark on such transformational healthcare model, their quantum of Medicare reimbursement, and its amicable distribution among themselves is sure going to be complex issue. Given such complex calculation on Medicare reimbursements and qualifying incentives, an external medical ...
Views: 701 - single payer system vermont - by Submitted on Dec 06, 2011 from Jacob ThomasVermont: State with Single payer system “Single-payer health system” which was passed in May 2011 by the Vermont governor, expects to accumulate savings of 24.3% of total health expenditure between 2015 and 2024, according to Harvard economist William Hsiao. Vermont is to be the first state ...
Views: 630 - Dealing with overpayments in your practice - by Submitted on Dec 06, 2011 from Jacob Thomas“Simple it might seem, yet given the time and the resources that such monitoring and reporting eventually consumes, physician practices can find it hard to take up such intensive scrutiny amidst the overriding challenge of keeping their medical service quality benchmarked to the perennially ...
Views: 591 - Shortage of Chiropractic physicians in US - by Submitted on Dec 05, 2011 from Jacob ThomasChiropractic Physicians in the US: A Brief Analysis and Outlook Chiropractors in the United States currently face numerous challenges and the recent health reforms have made a profound impact on this occupation. Moreover, the competition that it faces from other alternative medicinal ...
Views: 1223 - Dermatologists’ Shortage in the US – a medical billing perspective - by Submitted on Dec 05, 2011 from Jacob ThomasContrary to mounting demand, US healthcare industry continues to be plagued by shortage of dermatologists – the physician-patient ratio has grown to be so unhealthy that patients have to wait as long as 38 days just to have an appointment with their physicians; there have even been extreme cases ...
Views: 1173 - Evaluating the Procedural Constituents of Medical Claim Management Cycle - by Submitted on Dec 02, 2011 from Jacob ThomasGiven the alarming statistics about medical billing industry average – 14% of all claims submitted to the payers are denied and have to be resubmitted, appealed or written off by providers, 50% of denied claims are never re-filed, and 50-70% of denied claims have higher chance of being recovered ...
Views: 598 - Standards of ethical Medical coding: Part 3 - by Submitted on Dec 02, 2011 from Jacob ThomasHealthcare Insurance industry requires stringent guidelines and ethical practices for the protection of patient information. The field of medical coding and billing falls under the same ethical guidelines as any other part of the medical industry. Browse all: medical billing company Coding ...
Views: 781 - CMS to delay enforcing 5010 compliance - by Submitted on Nov 30, 2011 from Jacob ThomasCenter of Medicare and Medicaid announced that it will delay enforcing HIPAA 5010 transaction sets requiring hospitals, physician practices, health plans and claims clearinghouses to switch to using the ASC X12 Version 5010 standards for the electronic transmission of healthcare claims and ...
Views: 597 - Strategic management of physicians’ day-to-day operational issues - by Submitted on Nov 29, 2011 from Jacob ThomasUnlike physician practices of yesteryears, physician practices today have found themselves surrounded by a larger pool of stakeholders: patients, government, and insurance carriers. While physicians commitment to quality medical services continues to be unquestionable, their ability to comply ...
Views: 780 - The Physician-Patient Relationship: Communication ‘Break Up’ - by Submitted on Nov 11, 2011 from Jacob ThomasThe physician-patient relationship is one of the most important aspects of the health industry and contemporary medicine. There have been numerous changes and tremendous advances in the way health care is delivered to people. However, the importance of the relationship between providers and ...
Views: 841 - Is Outsourcing Medical Billing Services More Viable than In-house Practices? - by Submitted on Nov 09, 2011 from Jacob Thomas“Although, in-house medical billing, owing to its proximity to the physician’s supervision, can work relate itself better than the outsourced solutions, yet, it is beset with inherent adequacies” Although physicians practices have equally been divided between in-house medical billing and ...
Views: 1366 - Some Common Tax Deductions for Physicians - by Submitted on Nov 04, 2011 from Jacob ThomasThere are many tax deductions for physicians who have their own clinic and even for those who work part time or full time in a hospital. Many such deductions are often overlooked and providers end up paying more than they should which can profoundly affect the revenue and the financial health of ...
Views: 852 - Medicare Cuts and Geriatric Medicine - by Submitted on Nov 03, 2011 from Jacob ThomasThe proposed Medicare cuts by President Obama and the Congressional “Super Committee” does not bode well for physicians and geriatric medicine in the country. Although the cuts would ensure that Medicare bankruptcy would be postponed and the Federal deficit reduced, it has long term negative ...
Views: 635 - Better Payer Interaction for Physicians - by Submitted on Nov 03, 2011 from Jacob ThomasPayer interaction plays a crucial role in ensuring that physicians receive payments in a fair and timely manner. Medical billers and coders who interact with payers need to stay current with major payers (insurance companies, employers, or the government) in order to make sure that errors and ...
Views: 571 - Medicare learning network Updates Medicare Claim Submission Guidelines - by Submitted on Nov 01, 2011 from Jacob ThomasCenter of Medicare and Medicaid services has released fact sheet on Medicare claim submission guidelines. The fact sheet offers billers, coders and physicians up-to-date guidance on how to file Medicare Claims. Following are some important points mentioned in the fact sheet: Browse all: ...
Views: 684 - Salary survey 2011 for coders - by Submitted on Nov 01, 2011 from Jacob ThomasSalary survey for coders is out for year 2011. The survey is carried out amongst 12,000 respondents; the survey clearly shows an upward trend in average salaries for coders. The survey has also brought out some key trends in coders hiring, region wise average salaries and various career paths ...
Views: 608 - Physicians see value in handling Claim Denials in a Better Way - by Submitted on Oct 31, 2011 from Jacob ThomasAppealing denied claims is one of the important steps in enhancing the revenue of physicians and this fact is supported by a report by the U.S Government Accountability office (GAO). The report released on March 16, 2011 states that – “coverage denials occurred for a variety of reasons, ...
Views: 602 - Tax Exemptions for Physicians in Underserved Areas - by Submitted on Oct 31, 2011 from Jacob ThomasThe tax exemptions for physicians serving in underserved areas are no longer limited to a few states and have expanded to the whole nation, according to the IRS. The Affordable Care Act makes provision for professionals who received student loan relief under state programs that reward those who ...
Views: 1000 - Gearing Up for Inpatient Medical Coding and Reimbursement Challenges - by Submitted on Oct 28, 2011 from Jacob Thomas“The prevalence of such demanding challenges is reason enough to push physicians beyond their Medical Billing Management capabilities, which invariably results in compromised medical efficiency. Therefore, physicians – faced with insurmountable challenges of inpatient medical billing management ...
Views: 764 - Alleviating the Time Factor in Evaluating Revenue Generation from Medical Claims - by Submitted on Oct 24, 2011 from Jacob Thomas“While physicians would not mind investing in revenue optimizing systems, asking them to invest their invaluable time in something which is non-core to their medical efficiency could ultimately have an adverse impact on their efficiency for medical care. Therefore, there seems to be a ...
Views: 717 - Group Appointments A new niche for Primary Care Practice - by Submitted on Oct 24, 2011 from Jacob ThomasGroup appointment, also referred to as shared medical appointment, includes multiple patients seen as a group for follow-up or routine care. These visits are voluntary for patients and provide a secure but interactive setting in which patients have: improved access to their physicians, the ...
Views: 552 - What rules the roost in healthcare organizations-financial stability or patient care - by Submitted on Oct 28, 2011 from Jacob ThomasUnlike Public or Community Healthcare centers, which are funded and run by Federal Healthcare Department, the private healthcare centers have to find their own course to a sustainable means of practice amidst an intensely competitive healthcare industry. As most of these private practices ...
Views: 982 - Towards Cleaner Claim Submission and Realization - by Submitted on Oct 24, 2011 from Jacob ThomasDespite vigilant system of medical claim submission practiced by physicians, the recent statistics released by the American Medical Association (AMA), has reported an increase in medical billing inaccuracies by 2% over the last year’s results. What is more significant is – apart from delay or ...
Views: 560 - The Relevance of Using Perfect Modifiers in Medical Claims - by Submitted on Oct 20, 2011 from Jacob ThomasThe overlapping nature of certain medical procedures is such that it is impossible to report them with CPT codes alone. Although CPT coding has grown to be comprehensive enough to cover breakthrough procedures over the years, yet, physicians are not spared from submitting separate procedural ...
Views: 703 - Deciphering Medicare Fee Schedules - by Submitted on Oct 19, 2011 from Jacob ThomasA proactive affinity to Medicare Fee Schedule alerts physicians to the efficacy of attending to Medicare beneficiaries, and also plans their revenue prospects in advance. But, with the legislation firm on mandatory medical service to Medicare patients, physicians are inevitably driven to seek ...
Views: 565 - Under-Coding: Financial Repercussions and Solutions - by Submitted on Oct 14, 2011 from Jacob ThomasUnder-coding can be defined as the procedure of medical coding where the codes do not reflect the full extent of the treatment provided to a patient. This can usually happen due to many reasons but the most common are errors or misreading of codes or because of the misconception that the chances ...
Views: 2236 - Hospitalists registered a pay increase in 2010 - by Submitted on Oct 13, 2011 from Jacob ThomasThe year 2010 has registered a hike in the median compensation for Hospitalists. The Hospitalists in adult medicine saw their compensation increase 2.6% to $220,619 from $215,000 while the Pediatric Hospitalists’ pay rose by 7.2% to $171,617. The report, which is based on MGMA survey ...
Views: 574 - Medicaid claims audits slated for January - by Submitted on Oct 11, 2011 from Jacob ThomasThe Medicaid recovery Audit program is due to get implemented nationwide in January, carrying on in a similar vein as Medicare RAC program, as announced by CMS on 14th September, 2011. The Medicare RAC had recovered $451.3 million in overpayments and corrected $78.5 million in underpayment ...
Views: 606 - Revenue Cycle Management – prescription for optimum medical claim realization - by Submitted on Oct 10, 2011 from Jacob Thomas“Despite such volatile environment, physicians have to find means to realize their each and every dollar owed them as their very sustenance and growth hinges on efficient reimbursement of medical bills” Unlike other professional services that realize their professional fees instantly, without ...
Views: 1102 - Appealing Denied Insurance Claims: An Overview - by Submitted on Oct 05, 2011 from Jacob ThomasThe process of appealing a denied insurance claim is complicated but can be effective if done correctly since there are numerous reasons for claims to be denied by an insurance company. The payer or insurance company receives thousands of claims everyday and the claim can be quickly denied if ...
Views: 618 - Are You Prepared to Deal with Patient Information Breach? - by Submitted on Oct 04, 2011 from Jacob Thomas‘The readily available sources for implementing security-rich technology platforms should not only make your search easier but also ensure Patient Privacy Compliance by sage-guarding critical information against undesirable proliferation, and sharing information only at the behest of ...
Views: 576 - Combating Healthcare Fraud and Abuse – a challenging task for providers - by Submitted on Oct 03, 2011 from Jacob ThomasThe inherent nature of Health Insurance is such that it is highly susceptible to fraud and abuse by unscrupulous healthcare providers and beneficiaries. Consequently, there has been an unbridled rate of fraud and abuse amounting to billions of dollars – a reliable statistics puts it around 300 ...
Views: 658 - Small Practices: Adapting to the Challenges of Healthcare Reforms for Better Revenue - by Submitted on Sep 29, 2011 from Jacob ThomasThe major challenges faced by physicians who run a small practice or clinics that have less than four or five physicians are expanding exponentially. Many physicians find themselves worrying and spending time on administrative processes and interacting with payers rather than spending some ...
Views: 545 - Standards of ethical Medical coding: Part 1 - by Submitted on Sep 27, 2011 from Jacob ThomasCoding is one of the core functions of healthcare providers and, due to the complex regulatory requirements impinging upon the health information coding process, coding professionals are frequently faced with ethical challenges. There are stringent medical guidelines in place for the entire ...
Views: 801 - Increasing Demand for Certified Coders in Healthcare - by Submitted on Sep 26, 2011 from Jacob ThomasThe year 2010 has set a premium on the coding professionals, registering a rise in their average salaries. And as expected, the salaries for certified medical coders are higher as compared to the non certified ones. According to a salary survey of nearly 12000 coding professionals, the ...
Views: 595 - Bundled payment initiative to lower healthcare costs, help coordinate care - by Submitted on Sep 12, 2011 from Jacob ThomasA new program to aid and improve patient care while patients are in the hospital and after they are discharged has been announced by the U.S. department of Health and Human Services (HHS). These initiatives will also motivate doctors, nurses and specialist to perform coordinated care and hence ...
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