How are Physicians Expected to Bill Post Implementation?

Even though ICD 9 and ICD 10 are very similar in many ways including the guidelines, rules and conventions used which consequently brings out similarity in the organization codes as well; ICD 10 is a product of many improvements done in ICD 9 coding. In spite of the overwhelming improvements, the transition from ICD 9 to ICD 10 has been a huge challenge for the physicians, medical billers and health care workers to catch up with the advancements....

HIPAA 5010 enforcement delayed to ensure doctors & entities complete transition

Enforcement of HIPAA 5010 transactions on March 15, 2012, was delayed for the second time for another 3 months by the government, with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Office of E-Health Standards and Services (OESS) pushing the date further to June 30, 2012, in order to not compromise physician cash flow. Physicians have previously communicated to AMA significant cash flow problems they encountered associated with...

How are States retaining physicians in times of shortage?

Physician shortages is a growing concern and is pushing various states to keep doctors trained in medical schools and residency programs from crossing state lines to practice medicine. According to new statistics from the Assn. of American Medical Colleges- nationwide, there were 258.7 active physicians per 100,000 people and in individual states, ratios range from a high of 415.5 physicians per 100,000 people in Massachusetts to a...

How medical billing consultants are crucial to Credentialing with Medicare & Medicaid?

Over the years, Credentialing has become an indispensable thing to medical practitioners’ sustenance and growth; so much so that it is impossible to think of undertaking medical practicing without a valid credentialing from the authorized health agencies. Today, credentialing, as much as a mandatory requirement for commencing and running clinical operations, is also physicians’ passport to attract and retain patients. Moreover, unlike during...

Flexible work hours, employment options and career growth for Medical Billers and Coders

Various options in Medical billing and coding jobs provide ideal opportunities to billers and coders to choose from an array of different types of work environments giving them several opportunities along with flexibility in the rapidly growing health care field. According to a study by the American Association of Professional Coders (AAPC) to determine the types of environments in which medical billers and coders worked, stated most medical...

Flexible work hours, employment options and career growth for Medical Billers and Coders

Various options in Medical billing and coding jobs provide ideal opportunities to billers and coders to choose from an array of different types of work environments giving them several opportunities along with flexibility in the rapidly growing health care field. According to a study by the American Association of Professional Coders (AAPC) to determine the types of environments in which medical billers and coders worked, stated most medical...

Medical billing to assist Primary Care Physicians in streamlining their practice

The lack of primary care providers in the country is a topic which has been hotly debated among many circles and written about vehemently. Not many medical students are ready to enter primary care due to lack of great financial prospects in the future. This is resulting in even more shortage of physicians and problems when it comes to the reputation of this line of medicine. The remuneration problems along with other difficulties faced...

Job Opportunities: A New Positive Outlook for New Physicians amidst healthcare reforms

The shortage of physicians, the health reforms, the skyrocketing costs of health care , the Medicare cuts worry and the influx of health IT into the health industry has created a bit worrying albeit a dynamic environment. Although there are critics who oppose the health reforms and suggest other methods, there are optimistic physicians as well as patients when it comes to improving healthcare...

Hospitalists as Primary Care Providers

In all the states of the US, healthcare is becoming an integrated affair with hospitals combining traditional healthcare services like surgical treatments with primary health care activities responsible for elementary requirements of a treatment cycle from blood tests to coordination of various activities within a treatment episode to ensure availability of all components of healthcare services under one roof, when seen in the larger context,...

Protection From Medical Billing Gaps

The disappearance of a landmark law in Florida has a lot of doctors and others who speak fairly to limits in network costs in a variety of healthcare settings, and how to provide patients with transparency with respect to their eventual costs of medical treatment. The Florida Senate has refused to pass a bill called SPB 7186, two issues addressed by this bill, a version that was passed in the House of Florida, is the best quality out of network charges...

Billers and Coders to gear up for 1CD- 10 –despite physician community pushing the deadline

ICD-10’s implementation on October 1, 2013, according to AAPC – will alter everything from the way health care providers document services to the way codes are selected, reported, and reimbursed, however it will be coders who will play a vital role to achieving success in ICD-10 implementation. AAPC’s vice president of ICD-10 education stated that with the expected advantages of electronic health records (EHRs) aside, all eyes will...

The Changing Landscape of Healthcare Reimbursement in 2012

“As the projection for 2012 forecasts an unprecedented increase in patient population, physicians will have a hard time balancing their time resources between quality medical care and adhering to imposing compliance regimen promulgated by the Federal Healthcare Reforms. Therefore, it becomes crucial that practitioners seek strategic alliance with medical billing advisories that can ease their burden off the compliance regimen, and help...

Physician Credentialing: Worth Getting Right to Get Paid

As physicians, despite your reputation for benchmarked medical services, you could be losing out when it comes to realizing medical bills reimbursed fully from respective health insurance carriers. And when you start to analyze that elusive reason responsible for hampering your reimbursements, you would invariably end up discovering ‘Credentialing’ as the chief culprit. Quite contrast to the earlier scenario, wherein your credential...

Paid-sick-days concept as a preventive option for Federal healthcare expenditure

“Coming at a time when Federal Government itself is promulgating radical healthcare reforms to tackle growing medical expenditure on public healthcare, and promote efficient and quality medical care to its ever growing insured population, this paid-sick-days concept promises to complement the macro healthcare reforms formulated by the Federal...