Billing Compliance

One of the thorniest coding questions is: Can a physician bill for family meetings when the patient is not present? If so, who gets the bill ?

Today doctors are competing for patients in a radically changed marketplace. One of the most important emerging technologies in that space is Internet-based social networking.

Here are your latest coding questions, answered by coding expert Bill Dacey.

Straight from the HIPAA regulation, here is an outline to follow as you create your Notice of Privacy Practices.

Use this sample template for guidelines on documenting inpatient visits. Provided by Hill & Associates.

Compare your denial rate from Medicare to national averages for your specialty by total amount denied, number of services denied, or percent of services denied. Data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Use this form to document internal review of and response to complaints concerning compliance with human resource, HIPAA, Medicare billing or other ethical and legal guidelines.

Manage your denials from insurance companies by tracking them in this worksheet. Track the denials according to the functional area to identify opportunities for improvement. By tracking and monitoring denials, you can fix the problem and prevent denials in the first place.

Physicians often want to review an overdue patient account before it is sent to a collection agency. Staff can use this form to summarize the status of the account, making review easier.

If you are shopping for sharps or syringes, make your selection easier using this template. Provided courtesy of Quality America, Inc. For more information about OSHA compliance, please visit www.quality-america.com.

Use this sample template for guidelines on documenting patient visits in general. Provided by Hill & Associates.

Plain language advice on using common modifiers in your medical coding.

Let new patients know about your policies from the get go. Follow these guidelines.

Use this sample template for guidelines on documenting outpatient visits. Provided by Hill & Associates.

Indiscriminate tongue wagging around the office can affect everything from staff morale to patient care. Here’s how to stop loose lips and protect patient privacy, care, and trust.

Unfortunately, physicians are not immune to the growing threat of identity theft and data breaches. Check out our guide to keeping your personal information secure.

You can’t make the medical home model work on a practical basis without technology. But how to know what widgets are essential? Here’s your guide to the must-have technologies for your medical home practice.

Are networking sites like Facebook and Twitter privacy problems in need of a solution, opportunities to build community around your practice, or both? We help you navigate this brave new world of Web networking.

Hospitalist admit billing; coding for pre-op exam; selecting high vs. moderate risk.

Physician profiling is used by payers to steer their members to in-network physicians who, by their measures, are the most cost-efficient and provide the highest quality of care. Wonder if you’ve made the grade? Look yourself up in a provider directory: if you see a star or two beside your name, you’ve been profiled.

Billing for hospitalists; smoking cessation documentation; patients’ paperwork; group visit codes.

Our fifth edition of PayerView uses real claims data to examine and rank payers based on financial and administrative performance, as well as efficiency. Here’s to friendly competition that helps docs get paid.

We know EHRs can improve practice efficiency, but can they improve patient care? The evidence is suggesting they can. From disease management tools to automated reminders, EHRs are offering welcome improvements in patient outcomes.

Here’s a list of our favorite apps developed specifically for physicians’ diagnostic and information needs.

How to choose the right fund that will secure your retirement.

Billing massage chair use; using the AI modifier; getting paid for pulse ox.

Here's a primer to assist your medical practice maintain its patient records and avoid any legal troubles.

It is important to take the time to review the rules with your staff, so that everyone understands exactly what incident-to billing requires.

The road to electronic health records is filled with good intentions. However, every EHR vendor claims they have a certified product. Here are some steps that you can take to protect your EHR investment.

Problem visits with counseling; coding for suture removal; mixing exam types?