Medical Billing Blog with Medical Billing & Coding Info & Articles
Our blog contains news and articles relating to numerous healthcare sectors including revenue cycle management, medical billing, medical coding, ICD, HIPAA, practice management functions and more.
Windows XP Will Not Be HIPAA Compliant in April 2014
If you are still using Windows XP machines, you need to be getting rid of them soon. As Mike points out over at Hitech Answers, April 8th is when Microsoft ends all security updates, which puts you in direct violation with HIPAA. “Time’s up. On April 8, 2014, Microsoft is ending security updates and patches for Windows XP and Office 2003. Just having a Windows XP computer on your network will be an automatic HIPAA violation, which makes you non-compliant with Meaningful Use and will be a time bomb that could easily cause a reportable and expensive breach of protected patient information. HIPAA fines and loss of Meaningful Use money …
ICD-10 Preparation Steps and Tips for Medical Providers
As a Provider, ICD-10 preparation, and the subsequent upcoming transition can be a bit daunting. The first thing I recommend you do is to assign one individual to be the driving force behind the process and to oversee the details. This could be your coder, office manager, biller or anyone in your staff with the drive to make it as smooth as possible. Next, you should begin to develop your timeline. It’s important for you to have goals in place so that you can achieve your plan. One of the key elements you will need to do in your preparation is to identify the most common codes that your practice …
ICD-10, Be Financially Prepared Before October 2014
As a follow-up to my ICD-10 article yesterday, I thought it was definitely worth mentioning this article by Matt Dallmann over at Physicians Practice. My article focused mainly on the sheer number of codes and how I felt that would affect providers in their daily operations. In his article today, Matt discusses the potential, or actually, the likelihood for a delay in reimbursements as this transition takes place. As quoted below, he mentions that it will likely cause computer glitches, etc., causing delays and a headache for many providers. “There are a number of issues you should look out for, ranging from systemic changes to computer glitches. The expansion of …
A New Year Brings a New Code Set – ICD-10 in 271 Days
It’s the year of ICD-10. In a short 271 days we will be making the change from ICD-9 to ICD-10. There is a ton of great information available on making the transition in October, but in speaking with clients and colleagues, I see an impact that will take providers some time to get used to. A very notable change of ICD-10 that I feel will have the most impact is the sheer number of codes providers will be dealing with on a daily basis. ICD-10 Diagnosis Codes: As we all know, we will be transitioning to ICD-10 in October (as of right now anyway), and this is a huge change …
Happy New Year and Reflection of OMG, LLC in 2013
Happy New Year to all of our colleagues, clients, friends and family. I want to personally wish everyone a year of health, wealth, happiness, and the love of all of those you hold dear. I want to thank everyone for making 2013 a fantastic year at Outsource Management Group, LLC. I could not ask for a better group of staff members that keep everything rolling on a daily basis. Their dedication and hard work are second to none, and never go unnoticed by our clients, myself, or the rest of our management team. Thank you for showing up everyday, giving the dedication we appreciate and the expertise that we need. …
Happy Holidays (The Sequel) from The OMG Elves
I wanted to add some more of our elves to the fun so here is a sequel, hip-hop version with a new set of elves around me. I want to say it again, on behalf of myself and the staff at Outsource Management Group… Happy Holidays to everyone, and we hope you enjoy our fun little elf video to show our appreciation. Thank you again, Melissa Clark – CEO View our first video with the OMG elves
Happy Holidays from The OMG Elves
I want to take a minute to thank everyone that has made 2013 at Outsource Management Group so fabulous, from all our vendors, to our amazing clients, to the incredible staff that make it all happen. I personally can’t say thank you enough, it has been a great year and we look forward to 2014. On behalf of myself and the staff at Outsource Management Group… Happy Holidays to everyone, and we hope you enjoy our fun little elf video to show our appreciation. Thank you again, Melissa Clark – CEO View our second video with additional staff members
Holiday Hours, Pay and Additional Hours at Your Medical Practice
As a provider in private practice the holidays can be a time of unhappiness and grief. Physician Practice has an article that can assist you with implementing a holiday policy that might not cause you quite as much inter-office grief. In her article, Carol Stryker states: “The elements of such a policy should include: Holidays when the office will be closed. Each office should observe holidays based upon its patient makeup, the preferences of the owner(s), and the composition of employees. A statement describing the rationale for the holidays chosen promotes employee acceptance of the selections. Religious holidays can be a challenge in a multi-cultural society. There is no requirement …
Ready for October 2014? ICD-10 Resources to Help You.
It’s been a long time coming, but I am happy to say that we finally got our new website going this week. As a part of our Provider Resource Center we have compiled a list of ICD-10 resources to assists providers in their preparation for Oct. 2014. The ICD-10 resource list contains links from CMS, AMA and WHO, as well as many other national and regional organizations. We have about 310 days till ICD-10 takes full affect and I am going to bet that very few healthcare professionals are ready. If you haven’t, you should start preparing, check out this list and hopefully it will assist you in better understanding …
New Hampshire BCBS Begins Participating with Medicare Part C & D
Medicare is a social health insurance backed and funded by the US federal government for senior citizens and for younger people with disabilities. Originally, beneficiaries of Medicare are provided with funding by the government itself, but with the inclusion of Medicare’s Part C, people can now opt to be covered through a network plan. While third-party health insurance agencies like the New Hampshire Blue Cross and Blue Shield Anthem exist for beneficiaries opting for Medicare’s Part C and D, why would anyone want to choose paying more for something the government offers at a lesser price? Medical Billing and Coding Process: Anyone who has ever been hospitalized and has filed …
