The Republicans did it, they put out their “repeal” of the Affordable Care Act. Forty-nine days into the Trump administration the American Health Care Act was unveiled. I could launch into rhetoric about how flawed the bill is or how keeping key aspects of the ACA isn’t truly repealing it. Instead, I reflect on a [...]
What do adjustment codes do on the payers’ explanations of benefits? These codes tell the payee – the provider why all the money charged was not collected. Perhaps it is a contractual adjustment (difference between what was charged and what the contracted rate with the payer is). Perhaps there is patient liability. There might be [...]
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about fair pay? Minimum wage? The pay gap between men and women? What about a profession that is reimbursed derived from political processes trying to keep costs under control? A profession that requires at least eight years before using your skills? Education costs soaring [...]
One thing all citizens of our divided country can agree on is the state of our healthcare system is broken. As a patient and a "consumer" of health care services, my out of pocket expense has increased consistently over the last decade at a pace far exceeding the cost of living index. I am making [...]
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines commodity as “something useful or valued.” In healthcare, coding is the most important yet silent commodity in the revenue cycle. With over 68,000 medical diagnosis codes available through ICD-10 and over 87,000 procedures codes for providers to comb through, coding specialists are essential to get paid. Though electronic health records were [...]
Calls come in daily for new appointments. Some calls are existing patients and some are new patients. There may be patients waiting to check in. How fast can you get the patient an appointment and get them off the phone? Is this the correct way to measure customer service? Patients might become impatient with wait [...]
Yawn. The most BORING topic – yet one of the most important for medical providers. With thirteen plus years in medical accounting/patient billing, I know this is a commonly overlooked detail. Do you know all the payers with whom you are contracted? Do you know all the payers who pay you? How often is this reviewed? [...]
I have heard a lot of people around me say they are “preparing” or getting ready for the season. Whether it is the weather or a religious season preparation seems to be in the air. Thanksgiving is finished and the turkeys and fixings were all prepared and devoured, time to prepare for the last calendar [...]
There has been a lot of discussion of uncertainty in the wake of the election. The markets were up and down and then up again. On Wednesday, I saw the election results, continued to head to a 7am meeting. During that meeting I gave my resignation from my full-time position. I have always worked FOR [...]
Today I sit and write from my home office looking at the change colors of our small forest. Such a beautiful time of year. A time of year with many moving parts. Soccer has ended. For many, winter sports are starting. We prepare ourselves, and with family, and friends for the upcoming holidays and changing [...]
