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Weigh clearinghouse price of 4010 conversions to avoid added ICD-10 costs

08/19/2013

You could actually save money in the long run by switching your systems to the 5010 HIPAA standard rather than relying on your clearinghouse to convert from 4010 to 5010. Some 20% of practices that use clearinghouses aligned with the Cooperative Exchange (CE) still rely on them for the switch, according to data from the industry group, which represents 19 clearinghouses.

Complete dollar loss value data

08/19/2013

Part B News had room for only the top five dollar loss value codes per specialty in this week’s issue. This is critical data for your practice, so here is the entire list for each specialty.

CMS: August launch of PECOS surrogate program will let others enroll providers

08/12/2013

by: Karen Long

Practice staff will have a legal way to complete physician enrollment using the Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS) as CMS rolled out its long-awaited surrogate program for use by the end of August.

Proposed changes to PQRS reporting likely to add costs, burdens for practices

08/12/2013

by: Scott Kraft

CMS proposals to require reporting of more Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) measures for 2014 are likely to add complexity for practices looking to avoid potential payment penalties. Many practices already are struggling to report PQRS measures, experts tell Part B News.

5 tips to keep wait times short, improve patient-satisfaction scores on CG-CAHPS

08/12/2013

by: Karen Long

Shorten the time patients spend waiting in the reception area and exam room to improve patient satisfaction, which could be part of your Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) measures.

OIG: Can’t compensate GPO members with stock if patients don’t benefit

08/12/2013

by: Roy Edroso

A group purchasing organization (GPO) proposed to get creative by rewarding its members with equity instead of fee shares. OIG shot it down, and experts suggest it was because they suspected the GPO of trying to profits at the expense of patients and CMS.

MAC, private payer communication could mean a race to your bank account

08/12/2013

by: Scott Kraft

You risk getting buried under an avalanche of repayment demands now that Medicare administrative contractors (MACs) and secondary and supplemental payers are communicating more actively and effectively than ever with claim audit results.

Benchmark of the Week: Less than half of docs ‘always’ see patients within 15 minutes of appointment

08/12/2013

by: Karen Long

Patients are waiting longer than 15 minutes for their appointments at physician practices, and that can affect patient-satisfaction scores.

Breaking news: CMS to launch PECOS surrogate program by end of August

08/07/2013

by: Karen Long

Practice staff will have a legal way to complete physician enrollment using the Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS) as CMS is poised to roll out its long-awaited surrogate program for use by the end of August.

6 key parts of CMS’ proposed complex chronic care plan to watch

08/05/2013

by: Roy Edroso

Though CMS has yet to set fees for new G-codes for complex chronic care services introduced in the proposed 2014 physician fee schedule, practices can look to six key points to determine whether they’ll be able to provide the services profitably.

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