Mar 26, 2020 | Uncategorized
The COVID-19 pandemic is causing problems for everyone around the world. While it is important to pay attention to what is going on, there will be a point in time where everything will go back to normal. Many businesses will have buildup demand during this period and those that are ready to meet that demand will reap the rewards. Read the article below to find out what you need to do to prepare for life post COVID-19. nnPost COVID-19nCOVID-19 is all the buzz right now, but there will be a time after COVID-19 and when that time comes the winners will be those who are ready. No one, at least no one I know, wants to be sick or injured and need medical care, but it happens. Even during this pandemic, people will still need medical care, but the current slowdown, and even stoppage in some markets, of elective procedures, will create a buildup of demand for services. This pent-up demand will still be there as the impact of the virus diminishes and those practices that are ready to meet demand will reap the rewards.nnThings to consider as we weather this storm:n
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- Will you be ready to go back to “life as usual?” Will your facility be ready? Will you have all of the other providers and services needed to treat patients? Be sure to consider other services that may come from outside your practice. Services like: Anesthesiology, Radiology, Blood, and an actual facility to perform the procedure, etc.
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- It’s very likely that at least some hospitals and hospital systems will be swamped with COVID-19 patients, hopefully, many of them recovering. Consider, for example, most employed specialists have employment agreements based on Work RVUs, and they will be hungry to make up for lost RVU’s as the impact of COVID-19 abates; however, because they are tied to a specific hospital or system, there may not be capacity available to support their specialty. This means that the hospitals’ usual case volume may become available! Hospital-based providers may even become available themselves. Do you know which providers are the best candidates to join your practice?
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- As we have learned over the years, the art of commercial payer contracting has much to do about supply and demand! As we see a slowdown in the market to perform elective cases as COVID-19 cases increase, we should understand that this is affecting supply, but not demand. When we begin to see COVID-19 cases going down, access will increase to provide services for the built-up demand. Be ready!
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nWe want to encourage you to weather the storm and prepare for the opportunity on the other side. If you want to discuss appropriate strategies for your practice, please reach out to us. We are here to help!nnTodd Welter, CEO
Mar 24, 2020 | Uncategorized
Below are some updates regarding telehealth providers in Colorado. These are new updates and resources regarding COVID-19 (Coronavirus). Each of these payers has links to its website, for you to learn more about the services they are offering. Keep reading below to see if your provider has made any change to their telehealth program. If you have any questions for us at Welter Healthcare Partners feel free to contact us at 303-534-0388 or by email at info@WHPelter.com. nn
Mar 24, 2020 | Uncategorized
So many of us are now faced with not only the challenges associated with working from home but having the whole family home as well. There are daily news stories about how to cope with kids who want to go see their friends, work-out routines without gym equipment, and virtual dance parties streamed live via social media. But as members of the health care industry, we must always keep the patient’s information as a top concern. Read below for more information!nnWhether you are working off your work computer hauled into your dining room or a laptop on the kitchen table there are steps you can take to make sure personal health information (PHI) stays secure. Just like being at the office make sure you are locking your computer every time you walk away. If you are talking on the phone make sure you are in a closed room where PHI cannot be heard by other members of your household. Keep your internet tabs to a minimum and close out all unnecessary programs while PHI is open.nnClick on the links below for information on working from home during COVID-19:nnCoping With Children During QuarantinenWork Productively from Home in a Time of Social DistancingnnFrom everyone at Welter Healthcare Partners, we wish all of you health and safety during this time.
Mar 19, 2020 | Uncategorized
Welter Healthcare Partners is committed to keeping you up to date with the latest news regarding COVID-19. Beginning April 1st providers can start to use U07.1 for the diagnosis code of COVID-19. Read below to find out more about this coding update. n
Written by: Laura Evans, CPC Mar 18, 2020
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Providers in the U.S. will have a specific ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for the COVID-19 virus beginning April 1.
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During a meeting today, the ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee announced that it would adopt the World Health Organization (WHO) code, U07.1 (COVID-19), effective April 1.
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Previously, the panel had planned to implement the code beginning October 1 in the U.S. But the committee moved up the adoption date after the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic and President Trump declared the spread of the virus a national emergency, explained Donna Pickett, head of the diagnosis coding side of the ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee. She announced the April 1 implementation date during the March 18 committee meeting.
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Prior to April 1, providers can continue to report based on previously published interim guidelines, which outlines, among other things, how to report illnesses caused by COVID-19.
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Note that code U07.1 should be reported only for confirmed cases. Providers should continue to follow the interim guidelines for unconfirmed cases of suspected exposure or symptoms.
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Code U07.1 is designed to be a primary code, and you are to code also pneumonia and all other manifestations, Pickett advised during the meeting.
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Providers on the call noted that they are seeing testing only for severe cases and asked whether there are specific codes for exposure to COVID-19 or suspected cases of the virus that are symptomatic. Currently, there are not, Pickett responded.
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The ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee plans to update coding information about the code change on its website by March 20, 2020.
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Editor’s note: This is an unfolding story. Stay tuned for additional coverage.
Mar 18, 2020 | Uncategorized
Dear Valued Welter Healthcare Partners Customer,nnYour team at Welter Healthcare Partners is closely monitoring the developments regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19). We are following the guidance from multiple healthcare authorities, including our own medical director, and implementing policies and procedures to keep our employees healthy so we can uphold our commitment of providing quality services to you. nnWe are currently open and maintaining our operations and delivering services. In the unlikely event we are required to temporarily close our office, we have a business continuity plan in place and are ready to execute it. This includes the ability of our employees to work from home. Our work from home policy includes compliance and security standards to protect your information, including encrypted VPN access to various platforms and data. We are limiting business travel for employees but can ensure continuity of service to our clients in a virtual environment. nnThank you for being a valued client. We are here for you and committed to helping our clients through this very difficult and challenging time. Please contact us if you have any concerns or need any assistance. Your continued success is of the utmost importance to us. Our team will work closely with you and provide necessary updates and information.nnPlease stay safe!nnTodd WelternnCEO
Mar 17, 2020 | Uncategorized
Welter Healthcare Partners is committed to providing you with the most up to date information regarding billing and coding issues regarding COVID-19. For more information regarding this billing update on Medicare read the article below!
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The Trump Administration today announced expanded Medicare telehealth coverage that will enable beneficiaries to receive a wider range of healthcare services from their doctors without having to travel to a healthcare facility. Beginning on March 6, 2020, Medicare—administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)—will temporarily pay clinicians to provide telehealth services for beneficiaries residing across the entire country.
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“The Trump Administration is taking swift and bold action to give patients greater access to care through telehealth during the COVID-19 outbreak,” said Administrator Seema Verma. “These changes allow seniors to communicate with their doctors without having to travel to a healthcare facility so that they can limit risk of exposure and spread of this virus. Clinicians on the frontlines will now have greater flexibility to safely treat our beneficiaries.”
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On March 13, 2020, President Trump announced an emergency declaration under the Stafford Act and the National Emergencies Act. Consistent with President Trump’s emergency declaration, CMS is expanding Medicare’s telehealth benefits under the 1135 waiver authority and the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act. This guidance and other recent actions by CMS provide regulatory flexibility to ensure that all Americans—particularly high-risk individuals—are aware of easy-to-use, accessible benefits that can help keep them healthy while helping to contain the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
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Prior to this announcement, Medicare was only allowed to pay clinicians for telehealth services such as routine visits in certain circumstances. For example, the beneficiary receiving the services must live in a rural area and travel to a local medical facility to get telehealth services from a doctor in a remote location. In addition, the beneficiary would generally not be allowed to receive telehealth services in their home.
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The Trump Administration previously expanded telehealth benefits. Over the last two years, Medicare expanded the ability for clinicians to have brief check-ins with their patients through phone, video chat and online patient portals, referred to as “virtual check-ins”. These services are already available to beneficiaries and their physicians, providing a great deal of flexibility, and an easy way for patients who are concerned about illness to remain in their home avoiding exposure to others.
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A range of healthcare providers, such as doctors, nurse practitioners, clinical psychologists, and licensed clinical social workers, will be able to offer telehealth to Medicare beneficiaries. Beneficiaries will be able to receive telehealth services in any healthcare facility including a physician’s office, hospital, nursing home or rural health clinic, as well as from their homes.
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Medicare beneficiaries will be able to receive various services through telehealth including common office visits, mental health counseling, and preventive health screenings. This will help ensure Medicare beneficiaries, who are at a higher risk for COVID-19, are able to visit with their doctor from their home, without having to go to a doctor’s office or hospital which puts themselves or others at risk. This change broadens telehealth flexibility without regard to the diagnosis of the beneficiary, because at this critical point it is important to ensure beneficiaries are following guidance from the CDC including practicing social distancing to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. This change will help prevent vulnerable beneficiaries from unnecessarily entering a healthcare facility when their needs can be met remotely.
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President Trump’s announcement comes at a critical time as these flexibilities will help healthcare institutions across the nation offer some medical services to patients remotely, so that healthcare facilities like emergency departments and doctor’s offices are available to deal with the most urgent cases and reduce the risk of additional infections. For example, a Medicare beneficiary can visit with a doctor about their diabetes management or refilling a prescription using telehealth without having to travel to the doctor’s office. As a result, the doctor’s office is available to treat more people who need to be seen in-person and it mitigates the spread of the virus.
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As part of this announcement, patients will now be able to access their doctors using a wider range of communication tools including telephones that have audio and video capabilities, making it easier for beneficiaries and doctors to connect.
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Clinicians can bill immediately for dates of service starting March 6, 2020. Telehealth services are paid under the Physician Fee Schedule at the same amount as in-person services. Medicare coinsurance and deductible still apply for these services. Additionally, the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) is providing flexibility for healthcare providers to reduce or waive cost-sharing for telehealth visits paid by federal healthcare programs.
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Medicaid already provides a great deal of flexibility to states that wish to use telehealth services in their programs. States can cover telehealth using various methods of communication such as telephonic, video technology commonly available on smart phones and other devices. No federal approval is needed for state Medicaid programs to reimburse providers for telehealth services in the same manner or at the same rate that states pay for face-to-face services.
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This guidance follows on President Trump’s call for all insurance companies to expand and clarify their policies around telehealth.
nFor more information regarding this update click here.nnComplete and original article published on cms.gov.
