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Use CMS’ 45-day period to dispute inaccuracies for open payments website

06/06/2013

Avoid having incorrect information online about payments to your providers by disputing inaccuracies during a CMS-designated 45-day period.

Going social? Use 3 tips to protect your practice from social-media pitfalls

06/06/2013

by: Roy Edroso

If you or your practice wants to get social via Facebook and other such tools, make sure to protect yourself from unwanted liability stemming from patient interaction.

OIG: Hire excluded workers -- even through third parties -- and risk fines

06/06/2013

by: Roy Edroso

A recent bulletin from the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) gives fair warning: With unlikely exceptions, any claim that gives federal money to excluded workers – even those hired through employment agencies – can result in overpayment liability and civil monetary penalties for you.

Benchmark: Don’t charge patients who exceed therapy cap without signed ABN

06/06/2013

by: Laura Evans and Scott Kraft

This week’s benchmark shows you the top 10 therapy codes billed under Medicare for 2011, the most recent data year available. Be especially vigilant to double-check the patient’s status against the therapy cap when billing any of these services and use an ABN when you believe the patient will exceed the cap.

Is sequester cut allowed on Medicare Advantage payments? Check your contract

05/24/2013

by: Roy Edroso

Some Medicare Advantage payers are passing along the 2% sequester cut to providers. Experts say that, in some cases, they shouldn’t — but it will be difficult to challenge the pass-through, especially if you haven’t been careful about the language in your contracts.

Weigh ‘softer approach’ options before turning patient debt over to collections

05/24/2013

by: Roy Edroso

If patient debt is a persistent problem for your practice, it may be time to turn to an outside collection agency. But make sure you’re ready for the implications and risks of such a move — and that you don’t wind up trading away your good name for the money.

Don’t let physician’s licensure history sidetrack enrollment

05/24/2013

by: Scott Kraft

Has your practice’s newly enrolled provider previously been licensed to practice in another state? Is she still? If so, you must quickly take steps to voluntarily terminate that license when the provider has no plans to practice or renew the license there or you could face a potential problem later, warns consultant Leslie Witkin of Physicians First in Orlando, Fla.

Train, assess, document to tighten office security and protect staff, patients

05/24/2013

by: Roy Edroso

Recent events – such as the April 16 shooting of a 6-year-old girl in a chiropractor’s office in Mission, Kan. – are reminders that office security is a pressing issue for physician practices. Now is the time to review your security policies and practices.

5 tips for choosing the right collections agency

05/24/2013

by: Roy Edroso

If you decide to consider collection, make sure the agency you pick gives you the best results for the money — and doesn’t alienate your patients or worse.

CMS: Diabetics now eligible for hepatitis B vaccines

05/24/2013

by: Lauren C. Williams

Expect a revenue boost from vaccines now that CMS has listed diabetic patients as high risk for Hepatitis B contraction.

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