Last month the Obama Administration released the standard application form that will be used to apply to the Affordable Care Act’s new health insurance exchanges. Applications will be accepted starting October 1, 2013 for coverage through the exchanges that will begin January 1, 2014. The first things you’ll notice about the forms – they’re short. Traditionally forms for health insurance coverage have averaged around 20 pages or so – the new individual short form is only 3 pages (plus a cover sheet and an appendix if you get a preparer’s help). If you are also seeking coverage for family members, the form balloons to 7 pages – still 2/3 less paper work than usual. The forms are designed to be a one-stop entry to not only the insurance exchange marketplaces but also to tax credits for eligible enrollees and to Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs for those who qualify. From the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services press release:
“Consumers will have a simple, easy-to-understand way to apply for health coverage later this year,” said CMS Acting Administrator Marilyn Tavenner. “The application for individuals is now three pages, making it easier to use and significantly shorter than industry standards. This is another step complete as we get ready for a consumer-friendly marketplace that will be open for business later this year.” (more…)
We had a great response to our interview with Lean Expert Mark Graban so we know Lean in healthcare is of interest to many. Here’s a short video explaining how Toronto Western Hospital reduced pressure ulcers (sometimes referred to as bedsores) in their Intensive Care Unit (ICU.) Pressure ulcers are injuries to the skin and underlying tissue caused by prolonged and consistent pressure to the skin, and are most often experienced by the elderly and people with a medical condition that limits their mobility and ability to change positions. Pressure ulcers can lead to fatalities according to a UCLA study published last fall.
Many patients are panicked that their physician will stop seeing Medicare patients, and that is not without cause. Physicians that care for Medicare patients do so at a loss to their practice which they can only hope to make up for from other payers. As money gets tighter and tighter, physicians are forced to decide if they can continue to see any patient at a loss.
Although a number of surveys indicate that few Medicare patients (less than 18% nationally) have difficulty finding primary care physicians, much has been written criticizing the methodology of these surveys. A survey in North Carolina in August 2012 revealed that of 200 family physicians called by “mystery shoppers”, only 100 offices indicated they accept new Medicare patients.
Here are 10 reasons why physicians might consider not seeing new Medicare patients, not participating with Medicare or opting completely out of the Medicare program.
#1: Medicare does not pay enough to cover the expenses associated with the services provided.
Mary Pat and I had the pleasure recently of being introduced to Ron De Santo and his team at SelectOrtho DME. We are always excited to hear about new products and services bringing win-win solutions to physician practices and patients. SelectOrtho’s turnkey solution for in-office brace fitting is a way for the physician practice to add ancillary services while providing quality service to patients. As a changeup from our regular “10 Question” format, we thought it might be fun to do a video interview and Ron De Santo graciously agreed.
Mary Pat’s Interview with Ron De Santo of SelectOrtho DME Part 1 of 2
Click below for the second part of the interview!
Register Now!
Our next Credit Card on File Webinar will be Thursday, June 6th at 1 p.m. EST. If you want to improve your practice’s cash flow in just one hour, sign up now as seats are going fast!
We’ve had such a great response to our Credit Card on File Webinars that we are running another session.We hope you will join us!Click here to register!
How to Cut Your Medical Practice’s A/R and Collection Costs in Just 60 Minutes.
We know patients are bearing more of the financial burden for healthcare, particularly in the form of High Deductible Health Plans (HDHPs), so it falls to the provider to collect the deductibles. How can you collect deductibles, co-pays and co-insurance, as well as electronically manage patient payment plans while reducing the associated labor and resource expense? Register for the Manage My Practice webinar that teaches you everything you need to know to spend less and collect more at time of service by implementing a Credit Card on File Program in your practice.
What is a Credit Card on File Program?
A Credit Card on File (CCOF) Program facilitates the collection of a credit or debit card from each patient and requires this card to be used for co-pays, co-insurance and deductibles. You have the option of collecting an estimate of what is due at time of service, and/or charging the credit card when the payer pays the claim.
What are the benefits of a Credit Card on File Program?
- Reduced days in accounts receivable.
- Improved cash flow.
- Elimination of statements.
- Electronic management of payment plans.
- Elimination of bounced checks.
- Elimination of the manual refund process and refund check expense.
- Reduced labor in daily reconciliation process.
- Elimination of cash drawers and change issues.
- Reduction or elimination of deposits.
- Facilitate faster check-in and check-out.
- Elimination of paper receipts.
- Elimination of collections expense.
This one-hour webcourse with accompanying materials is an incredible value at $59.95
What will I learn if I take this webinar?
1. Understand how a credit card on file program differs from traditional payment options offered by practices.
2. Learn the terminology and protocols of credit card processing its not as mysterious as it seems!
3. Compare credit card processing fees and choose a vendor based on an informed analysis.
4. Utilize handouts to train staff and educate patients on the credit card on file program.
5. Successfully implement a credit card on file program.
What does the program include?
Purchase of this program for only $59.95 includes the live webinar, slide handouts, and a complete Action Pack of forms and templates in Word, including:
1. Worksheet for Credit Card on File Program Return on Investment (ROI)
2. Staff Script & Role Playing Suggestions for Staff Training
3. Sample Security Policy to Comply With PCI Guidelines
4. Credit Card on File Program Timeline Worksheet
5. Credit Card Program Comparison Worksheet
6. Patient Handout #1: Information About Our Credit Card on File Program & Discontinuation of Statements
7. Patient Handout #2: What is a Deductible and How Does It Affect Me?
8. Sample Patient Agreement for the Credit Card on File Program
Register Now!
- June, 6th 2013 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern/ 12:00 p.m. Central/
11:00 a.m. Mountain/ 10:00 a.m. Pacific Click here to register!
The deadline is fast approaching for both individual eligible professionals (EPs) and group practices participating in the Group Practice Reporting Option (GPRO) to complete their required number of electronic prescriptions. If you are an EP or an eRx GPRO participant, you must successfully report as an electronic prescriber before June 30, 2013 or you will experience a payment adjustment in 2014 for professional services covered under Medicare Part B’s Physician Fee Schedule (PFS.)
The only thing better than finding a great report, tool, or piece of information on the web is sharing it with our readers so that they can put it to work themselves. Here are some of the “treasures” that I’ve been pointed towards recently that have found places in my bookmarks folder. We hope you’ll find them useful too!
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Disclosure: We use and believe in Box at Manage My Practice and we are Certified Box Resellers. More information here.
Box, a California cloud file sharing and content management service has announced new partners and investments in the healthcare industry. Makers of software for clinical documentation, care coordination, interoperability and access to care will integrate tightly with Box’s existing platform to make sharing data from their software even easier. The platform partners announced were: EHR DrChrono, dental PM systemUmbie Dentalcare, secure messaging apps TigerText and Medigram, provider social network Doximity, telehealth platform Healthtap, image viewers iMedViewer and iPaxera, record release app Medi-Copy and finally posture analysis app Posture Screen Mobile. In addition to announcing the new platform partners, Box also announced an early-seed investment in DrChrono to help the software make medical data viewable in Box. Box also added former Google Health director Missy Krasner to help their push into healthcare. Krasner sees her work with Box as “picking up where Google Health left off“.
I have been on the management side of the healthcare industry for more than twenty-five years, so I know how heath insurance works and how it is sold. Many times in my career I have been the administrator entrusted with evaluating health insurance for the entire practice. So when my husband and I recently found ourselves in the market for coverage I was confident about navigating the market, even though this would be the first time we had ever funded our own premiums 100%. The process was pretty eye-opening.
Have you ever wondered why some individuals with average talent achieve great success while others with exceptional talent see their careers derail? In sports we witness this all the time. Players with great talent often find themselves on the bench orout of the game. It may be a lack of commitment, desire or emotional intelligence.I have always appreciated the dedication and commitment of New York Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter. He clearly has talent, but his desire to continuously improve, his love of the sport, and his respect for all is why he will always be admired for his achievements.
What about the world of business? Do you feel that you have reached your full potential? If not, why not?
The following are a fewsuggestions to assist you to reach your full potential:
