Aug 23, 2016 | Uncategorized
Are there advantages of a single payer system? Some say there are.nnI happen to not be one of them. Rather we really desperately need more payers, more choice, more competition, more access and a lot more imagination.nn 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.
Aug 23, 2016 | Uncategorized
A07.1 – Giardiasis [lambliasis]nnY93.01 – Activity, hikingnnY92.828 – Stream as the place of occurrence of the external cause
Aug 23, 2016 | Uncategorized
Welter Healthcare Partners strongly believes that transparent competition among payers and providers regarding value and cost is the only way to make the delivery of health care more effective and efficient.
nColorado’s Amendment 69 does nothing to address either issue. Amendment 69 is an incredibly expensive attempt to fix what is not working, but in the process will eliminate all of the things that do work, and do work well. Why would we go backward only to regain ground we have already traveled? Amendment 69 is a baby and the bathwater approach to very complex, multifactorial societal issues affecting costs, infrastructure, taxes, the attraction, education and distribution of providers, how, why and by whom health care is consumed, etc. The backers of Amendment 69 have yet to publish a comprehensive plan to do this.nnWe need more competition, not less! We urge a vote no on 69. In doing so we should also prevent the mega–mergers which we are facing with Anthem and CIGNA, Aetna and Humana. Competition is a good thing, transparency is a good thing; we should move in the direction of both and we should do so expeditiously.n
Click here for more information on Amendment 69 and to endorse NO!
Aug 18, 2016 | Uncategorized
Problems…everyone has them. Every practice has them. A good manager knows problems and setbacks are out there and does h/her best to get in front of issues before they become major and even worse, destructive. It starts with honest assessments. An honest look at ones own shortcomings first and then the issues which do or could affect the practice and those within it. issues within a practice or department no matter how small and seemingly in consequential become destructive and even career ending when they are allowed to!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.
Aug 18, 2016 | Uncategorized
W16.111A – Fall into natural body of water striking water surface causing drowning and submersion, initial encounternnV92.06XA – Drowning and submersion due to fall off (nonpowered) inflatable craft, initial encounternnY93.16 – Activity, rowing, canoeing, kayaking, rafting and tubing
Aug 18, 2016 | Uncategorized
Medicare pays for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests (CDLTs) under the CLFS. The CLFS provides payment for approximately 1,300 CDLTs, and Medicare pays approximately $7 billion per year for these tests. As of July 6th, 2016, some of the medicare & medicaid rules and policies are changing. Read Below for some facts and information about the upcoming changes:n
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- The 2017 Medicare physician fee schedule conversion factor will drop slightly, from 35.8043 to 35.7551.
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- Family Medicine looks to be the big winner this year with a 3% increase
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- Interventional Radiology will take a huge 7% hit.
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- Pathology and Vascular surgery will also decrease by an average of 2%
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- Telehealth will see an expansion of coverage there will be new codes for these services
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- Zero-day global services are under increased study. These are the codes which are commonly billed with an E&M code along with the modifier -25
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nProposed Hospital Outpatient Payment Changes for 2017nnOn July 6, 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Calendar Year (CY) 2017 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System policy changes, quality provisions, and payment rates proposed rule (CMS-1656-P). CMS is proposing a number of outpatient prospective payment policies that will improve the quality of care Medicare patients receive.nnA key proposal in this year’s rule is to implement Section 603 of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, which will affect how Medicare pays for certain items and services furnished by certain off-campus outpatient departments of a provider (hereinafter referenced as off-campus “provider-based departments” (PBDs)). In addition, CMS has listened to concerns raised by health care providers on the patient experience survey questions about pain management and is proposing to remove the Pain Management dimension of the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey for purposes of the Hospital Value Based Purchasing Program. In addition to the payment provisions and quality reporting program changes for the OPPS/ASC proposed rule, CMS has created other propositions.n
Click Here to Read More
nThis article was originally posted on CMS.gov.
