One of the most important medical billing tips for getting faster reimbursement is better documentation. A few extra minutes can save you time and money and help you get paid faster. It’s important you understand why. The average AR days for a claim to be paid after it is sent out is between 25-33 days. Are your AR days within this range? If not, one of the first steps you can take at the clinic level is completing your medical records. Documenting the history, exam and medical decision making is a must but there are a lot of other things that can cause a medical record to be…

It’s ok to copy and paste, right? Maybe. The answer depends on what you plan to copy and paste. Most EMRs have a function where past information will auto-populate into the current medical record. This can be a useful timesaver, especially in the history section. However, you must be aware of the risks associated with this action. One place to watch is the current medications list. Some EMRs will automatically carry over every medication the patient has previously reported or prescribed by your clinic. Sometimes a patient will have two or three pages of medications listed. It will show…

Your billing company is a crucial component to your practice's success. Learning and understanding the billing process and what your biller does daily, will help contribute to the everyday operations of your business. What Does Your Medical Biller (actually) Do? Your biller's job is to use provider documentation to produce and submit claims to insurance companies. Your biller will then work directly with the insurance companies, healthcare providers, and patients to get claims processed and paid. They also review and appeal unpaid and denied claims. Your billing team will verify…

Creating new revenue sources to attract new patients, and better serve existing patients, is critical for growth in any company. As the saying goes – if you are not growing, you’re dying – so grow, baby grow! Dr. Reynolds points out in his blog article 3 Keys to Revenue Success, there are only three ways to increase revenue: • Increase the number of customers, • Increase the price per customer, and … • Increase the number of times a customer returns … One way to achieve increased revenue is to contract with a vendor to provide services. For example, working with an allergy…

The Washington Post (4/11, McGinley) reports the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) “has dropped its controversial opposition to routine screening for prostate cancer, and now says that men between the ages of 55 and 69 should discuss the test’s potential benefits and harms with their” physicians “and make decisions based on their own ‘values and preferences.’” The group said in proposed new guidelines on Tuesday morning, “The decision about whether to be screened for prostate cancer should be an individual one.” … The New York…

USA Today (4/11, Collins) reports Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC), chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, “intends to deliver an” ACA “repeal and replacement plan to House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis...that would leave in place the existing law’s mandates for insurers to cover people with pre-existing conditions.” Meadows stated, “What I’m getting to him is based on conversations that I’ve had with (Tuesday Group co-chairman) Tom MacArthur and leadership, but I wouldn’t say that it’s approved at this point.” The article adds that in…

The Washington Post (4/11, Johnson) reports even if GOP lawmakers are unable to repeal the Affordable Care Act, “they may still have a way to deliver on President Trump’s promise that the law will ‘explode’ – all via the power of uncertainty.” The article says the Trump Administration “could keep insurers guessing over whether it will continue federal payments that lower deductibles and copays for millions of Americans next year.” In the face of such uncertainty, insurers “may decide not to sell plans on the marketplaces set up by the…

A front-page story in the Washington Post (4/11, A1, Goldstein) reports on the closure of Haywood Park Community Hospital, on which Brownsville, Tennessee had “relied for decades.” Its closure, nearly three years ago, the Post adds, “added Brownsville to an epidemic of dying hospitals across rural America.” According to the article, “Nearly 80 have closed since 2010, including nine in Tennessee, more than in any state but Texas.”

The San Diego Union-Tribune (4/11, Fikes) reports, “Spinal manipulative therapy, including chiropractic care, provides modest relief from pain and improvements in function for those with acute lower back pain,” research suggests. In its “Shots” blog and on its “All Things Considered” program, NPR (4/11, Neighmond) reports researchers arrived at that conclusion that after analyzing data from “26 studies involving more than 1,700 patients with lower back pain.” The findings of the review were published in the Journal of the American Medical…

Reuters (4/11, Brooks) reports that research indicated “teaching preschoolers to regulate their own behavior around food, combined with obesity prevention messages, did not reduce obesity or most obesity-related behaviors.” Researchers came to this conclusion after testing “two interventions, alone and in combination, embedding the experiment within the federally-funded Head Start program.” The findings were published in Pediatrics.