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Cash Flow in Hard Economic Times
August
2010
In these hard economic times, and with the current problems of low reimbursements, we all are looking for ways to keep our doors open and our cash flowing. Think of your practice's stacks of uncollected insurance claims as piles of cash. Now imagine those piles of cash being swept into the trash. Here are some ways that might help you to increase your cash flow:
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Managing by the Power of Example
July
2010
The scenario: the economic climate has forced your physician to tighten the belt and raises and many perks are postponed or deleted from the budget and some staff positions are being looked at for consolidation, attrition, etc. Your staff feels the uncertainty and strain as they work harder and worry whether their jobs are on the line.
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GRIPE SESSIONS CAN BE SUCCESSFUL
May
2010
"Let's all get together on Tuesday morning for a no-holds-barred discussion. Problems, ideas, gripes - you name it and we'll talk about it."
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Let Go and Delegate An Office Manager's Hardest Goal!
March
2010
As a medical officer manager office efficiency is always one of our goals. That goal benefits everybody in our office and one of the best ways to accomplish this is by delegation.
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Hints for being a better Office Manager and Leader
January
2010
Today's medical office manager is in the leadership role in the office. Leadership skills are important for today's medical office manager because our organizations are shifting and becoming less hierarchical since many of us are in the trenches so to speak and work right along side our staff. Decisions are sometimes made at multiple levels depending on the size of our office. It's critical for staff to take responsibility for organizational results as well as for the office manager. And that means developing and honing good leadership skills.
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THE FINAL PUZZLE PIECE OF COMPLIANCE - ON-GOING EDUCATION
November
2009
Over the last few issues we have discussed compliance plans, compliance policies and chart auditing. The final piece to a good Compliance program is education and this is an ongoing process.
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Chart Audit 101
September
2009
Correct coding by physicians is critical to getting paid for what they do and for avoiding external audits by Medicare and other payers. Ultimately, however, the only way to determine whether coding is appropriate is to compare it against the there is inappropriate coding or atypical levels of intensity among your patients.
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CHART AUDITING - A way to compliance and maximizing reimbursement
July
2009
Many physicians are quick to dismiss coding as a necessary evil that deserves only enough attention to keep the practice out of trouble. We as office managers know that correct coding not only keeps the office in compliance but also can maximize reimbursement
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Guidance For Developing A Compliance Program
May
2009
National attention to the rising costs of federal health care programs (i.e., Medicare, Medicaid) has led to increased scrutiny by the OIG of physician billing practices. Any practice submitting a claim for services to Medicare or Medicaid must be in compliance with all laws, regulations, guidelines, advisory opinions, and carrier notices regarding those plans.
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Developing Coding Policies for Compliance
March
2009
Every physician practice depends upon correct coding and billing for their financial success. Coding drives reimbursement. All of the resources available for coding information and guidance are meaningless without the practice manager translating it into provider-specific coding policies and compliance plan. As a practice manager, you need to develop a compliance plan and coding policies that reflect official coding guidelines and fills in the blanks with provider-specific interpretation of how the official guidelines should be applied by the coding/billing staff of the practice.
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The Risks and Responsibility of Coders
January
2009
If your office were the target of an audit, would it survive? Would the documentation support the services you bill? To protect yourself and your practice, it's important to recognize coding and documentation risks and how to avoid them.
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Management Bullies - Are You One?
November
2008
There are as many types of management styles as there are managers and let's not forget that physician's are also managers and they too have many varied styles. This article is going to address staff abuse but more importantly Manager abuse by their physicians. Some methods used by managers make many employees feel like their manager is a bully. When you have frequent staff turnover one question you might want to ask yourself is "Is there a Bully among us?"
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ARE YOU PREPARED FOR A DISASTER?
September
2008
For those of us on the east coast and specifically, Florida and the Gulf states, it's hurricane season but in the Midwest it's also tornado season. Earthquakes have been happening in areas other than the west coast and floods have also been serious problems recently. A comprehensive disaster plan can help minimize loss if your practice suffers a catastrophic event.
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Dealing With Conflict In The Office
July
2008
Do you have a problem employee? You have asked her to follow a certain rule and she always violates it. Does your front office never know what the back office is doing and vice versa. Is there a lot of tension in your office? Have you had some turnover because people can't get along with a certain member of staff? When there are problems among employees, they can be a challenge to fix as well as detrimental to you're A/R since conflict usually breaks down the work getting done in a timely manner.
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Collections Problems - How to identify them and then how to fix them
May
2008
We are all aware that the common reports that indicate the number of days your claims remain in AR or that reveal your net collections ratio can help you keep an eye on the bottom line. But if those reports indicate trouble, what steps should you take to remedy them? Trust me - Yelling at your billing staff won't help!
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Is Your Practice: Making Costly Mistakes with The Billing?
March
2008
You may think your billing processes are working perfectly, but even the best billing process can take more time than it should to collect and some collections are lost altogether. It could be the staff's fault or yours as the office manager, but either way it's a major problem.
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Is Your Practice Coding Correctly?
January
2008
As the Office Manager it is our responsibility to see that our practice is coding correctly when billing the third party payers. Accurate billing is essential for two reasons. First, it lets you capture all costs, and thus bill for all services to which you are entitled payment.
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No Shows - OH NO!!!
November
2007
As Office Managers we know everyday will provide many challenges and usually nothing stays the same, but if there's one constant we can count on, and that is there will be "No Shows" in the appointment schedule. Sometimes that can seem like a blessing, especially during a busy day where you're already half an hour behind and the morning isn't over yet. But whether you're happy or not, a no show on the schedule still means missed revenue.
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HOW CAN THE FRONT DESK IMPROVE COLLECTIONS?
September
2007
Can your front desk actually boost your collections? Yes, and all it takes is a little training and smiles from your front-desk staff.
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TRAINING YOUR STAFF - An Investment in Training
July
2007
We want our offices to run like well oiled machines, however, for our staff to keep it working that way requires significant training and quality working tools. Medical office personnel often receive the majority of their training on the job but knowledge can become diluted as it is passed down and habits (often bad) are passed from the old to the new staff. Certainly training is a journey and not a one-time event. A priority for keeping the office running smoothly needs to include starting that journey with the right first step - TRAINING.
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