Apr 1, 2015 | Uncategorized
The US Senate has recessed without taking up the Doc Fix
nWe were so close to finally doing away with the SGR (Sustainable Growth Rate) calculation which has held good medical care hostage year after year. The House of Representatives sent through a bi-partisan bill to the Senate, the President was ready to sign, and the Senate dropped the ball.nnConsequently, the 21% cut in reimbursement is set to take affect April 1, 2015. We encourage you to exercise your right to make your representatives in Washington aware of your contempt.
Mar 23, 2015 | Uncategorized
The proposed permanent fix to the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula may bring big changes to interoperability.nnRep. Michael Burgess (R-Tex.) has introduced H.R. 1470 to repeal and replace the Sustainable Growth Rate formula that Medicare uses to pay physicians. The bill as introduced does not include language to change policy on the ICD-10 compliance date or the two-midnight rule pertaining to hospital payments. However, it does lay out a program to have “widespread” electronic health records interoperability in 2019, with the threat that certified EHRs not supporting interoperability could be decertified.nn“As a consequence of a significant Federal investment in the implementation of health information technology through the Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs, Congress declares it a national objective to achieve widespread exchange of health information through interoperable EHR technology nationwide by December, 31, 2018,” according to the 158-page bill, available here.nnBurgess’ legislation, which won’t be the only SGR bill being considered in the House and Senate, defines widespread interoperability as meaning “interoperability between certified EHR systems employed by meaningful EHR users under the Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs and other clinicians and healthcare providers on a nationwide basis.” The bill includes incentives, such as streamlined quality reporting, for providers who are not eligible for the meaningful use program to use certified EHRs.nnIn the legislation, interoperability is defined as “the ability of two or more health information systems or components to exchange clinical and other information and to use the information that has been exchanged using common standards as to provide access to longitudinal information for health care providers in order to facilitate coordinated care and improved patient outcomes.”nn
Further, the Department of Health and Human Services would be tasked to establish metrics to identify the extent to which interoperability objectives are being achieved, and to submit a report to Congress identifying objectives not being met along with recommendations to get them back on track. These recommended actions could include: “to adjust payments for not being meaningful EHR users under the Medicare EHR incentive programs;” and “criteria for decertifying certified EHR technology products.”nnThe legislation also calls for EHR users to demonstrate, possibly through attestation, that they have not “knowingly and willfully taken action (such as to disable functionality) to limit or restrict the compatibility or interoperability of the certified EHR technology.”nnThis article originally posted on HealthDataManagement.comnn
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Related Services and Resources from Welter Healthcare Partners:
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Certified Practice Management and Electronic Medical Record SoftwarenCertified Professional Coder Preparation Course & CertificationnCHIEF ICD-10 Implementation Plan – Get Started Today!nICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS Coder Academy[nCoding & Documentation Quickinars
Mar 23, 2015 | Uncategorized
M54.5 — Low back painnM54.6 — Pain in thoracic spinenM54.9 — Backache NOSnM54.41 — Lumbago with sciatica, right sidennIn preparation for the upcoming deadline for ICD-10 implementation, Welter Healthcare Partners presents weekly ICD-10 Codes of the Week! Our goal is to familiarize you with the new and expanded code set and the additional clinical documentation needed from your providers to comply with ICD-10 coding, and more importantly, for accurate and clean claims submission to keep your revenue stream flowing! We are to help YOU prepare for the October 1, 2015 implementation date. Please don’t hesitate to contact us for all of your training and education needs!
Mar 23, 2015 | Uncategorized
Ask your patients if they have a cafeteria plan at work. Money has to be spent by the end of the year! Keep track and start sending out cash pay service reminders mid October.nnStay tuned for more Todd’s Tips!nn
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About R. Todd Welter • MS, CPCnFounder and President of Welter Healthcare Partners
nMr. Welter has over 25 years of healthcare industry experience assisting physicians and other providers, hospitals and other facilities with the business side of medicine. Through strategic planning and analysis, Mr. Welter’s main focus is to strategically increase revenues and profitability in this radically changing health care environment.
Mr. Welter has a Masters Degree in Organizational Leadership from Regis University in Denver where he has had an appointment as affiliate faculty in the School for Professional Studies for over ten years. In addition, Mr. Welter holds a faculty appointment at the University of Denver’s University College. In the Health Care Leadership program he teaches Macro Economics in Health Care and Innovative Strategies and Change in Health Care to graduate students.
Feb 27, 2015 | Uncategorized
A major problem we have in health care today is transparency.n
Add to your referral process —(I hear the groan).
nAsk those you are referring to what their charge AND acceptable payment will be. You will be interested to see the reaction, and answer.nnStay tuned for more Todd’s Tips!nn
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About R. Todd Welter • MS, CPCnFounder and President of Welter Healthcare Partners
nMr. Welter has over 25 years of healthcare industry experience assisting physicians and other providers, hospitals and other facilities with the business side of medicine. Through strategic planning and analysis, Mr. Welter’s main focus is to strategically increase revenues and profitability in this radically changing health care environment.
Mr. Welter has a Masters Degree in Organizational Leadership from Regis University in Denver where he has had an appointment as affiliate faculty in the School for Professional Studies for over ten years. In addition, Mr. Welter holds a faculty appointment at the University of Denver’s University College. In the Health Care Leadership program he teaches Macro Economics in Health Care and Innovative Strategies and Change in Health Care to graduate students.
