Michigan MAC "Brew"-ha at Holland, Michigan

Last Thursday we were invited to join with Dr. Arkfeld at the District 7 meeting in Holland, MI, at the New Holland Brewing Co.  Dr. Arkfeld said that there were about 30 members present and that the un-conventional atmosphere at the brewery was very relaxed, with everyone asking excellent questions.

Dr. Arkfeld's topic was "Hidden Revenue Sources in the Chiropractic Office".  One of the areas he talked about was how offices doing 3-4 area adjustments, that should have properly been coded as 5 areas but were not (for whatever reason), was costing offices’ money.  The example he gave was that if you downcoded as few as 10 claims per day you would be losing approximately $31,000 a year.  And that is just one possible downcoding or improper coding mistake.

We really enjoyed visiting with the District 7 members and wish to thank them and the MAC for inviting us out.  We had a great time and look forward to our next District invite.

On the Dockets/Chopping Block Again:Medicare Pay Cut

The Medicare physician pay cut exists as part of the of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, which says that the Medicare payment dollars paid out to doctors will be cut automatically when the cost out paces inflation. These automatic cuts have been delayed repeatedly by Congress since 2003, which is why there is such a large pay cut currently being faced by doctors.  For physicians, if passed, H.R.4213 would extend the currently scheduled 21.2% cut in Medicare reimbursement until January 2012.  This would eliminate the current month-to-month wonder of what, if any, payment they are going to receive from Medicare for 19 months.

EHR: Plan the Implement, Implement the Plan.

Promoting Use of Health IT: Why Be a Meaningful User? I read a great article, succinct, to the point, and extremely thought worthy. I can't really say it any better, so I'm recommending that you take a minute to look it over, go ahead, it's from Dr. David Blumenthal, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, and his article is posted over at the government's HHS-HIT web site: Click here for the Blumenthal article. After that, come back here for some suggestions on how you can begin your journey into the wild lands of Meaningful Use.  Click here for suggestions on what you can do to prepare for EHR in your office.

Michigan BCBSM edits: NewsFlash

Attention Michigan Clients:

Per BCBSM please be aware of the following claim edits:

"Date: 05/12/10     End date: 05/26/10
To: Professional and Institutional electronic submitters
Subject: UPDATE Blue Care Network claims - edit codes P407 and F224

Earlier today we communicated an issue with BCN front-end edits P407 and F224.  We have determined that claims sent between 6:00 AM on 5/11/10 and 10:00 AM on 5/12/10 were erroneously edited.  Please do not resubmit, as these edited claims are being re-cycled back into the processing system.  All claims should be reprocessed by Friday, 5/16/10. "

eT v9.1 You've been Asking; We Deliver!

We know that many of you have been waiting for v9.1, now it is here.  New bells, whistles, and even niftier, make your life easier tools.

We strongly recommend that you update eTHOMAS now to enjoy not only the new features that have been added, but to make sure that you have the most current healthcare reform changes as well.

dTHOMAS clients: AutoUpdate now!

We strongly recommend that you update your dTHOMAS systems now, so that you will be on the most current version of the program.  This will keep you in step with the current changes in the healthcare and billing arenas that may affect your office and your billing.

Also know that we will be personally contacting you to invite you to update THOMAS as well as to discuss your current plans and hopes for EHR in your office.  We look forward to speaking with you soon.

Spring MAC with You!

This past weekend was the Michigan Chiropractic Association's Spring Convention in Traverse City, Michigan.  And what a wonderful place to be in the spring.  We had a great time hanging out with all of you in our home state (Genius Solutions is based in Warren, MI).  The convention was excellent, the turnout was amazing, and it was a pleasure to meet with so many of you. 

You may be wondering about the psychedelic booth.  The theme for the weekend was the 70's and we were all about the love.  In return, you helped to make us the best decorated booth winner.  Thanks MAC and MAC members!  We're looking forward to being with you again in the Fall. 

If you have any additional questions for us about any products you saw or would like to know more about, please feel free to e-mail us and we'll get right back with you.

Happy Earth Day, How Paperless are you?

We're not saying we have the answers to everything, although we do have quite a few, especially if you want to go paperless.  Going paperless isn't just for the environment (although I am a tree lover-tree hugging leaves scratches), it really is for the efficiency of your office.

Let's list some of the ways going more paperless can help you:

Medicare Physician Pay Cuts Get Another One Month Reprieve

Medicare Physician pay cuts get another one month reprieve (well plus a little, since April was almost over anyways).  The pay cuts have been delayed until May 31st and your current pay scale is still in place until then.

Are Your Ears Still Ringing From Reminder Phone Calls?

ADAMS, which stands for Automatic Dialing Appointment Reminder System, is an exceptionally easy-to-use calling solution. Click Here to learn more.

Do you know if your pay cut is going through?

Well, it's April 14th, Medicare was trying to hold off claims until today to see if there would be a mid-month, midnight pass to keep the 21+% pay cut from going through.  Congress did their bit (barely getting the votes to pass the temporary stay) and the senate has still not stepped up yet.

The senate wants to pass a long-term thing to hold off the pay cuts until October.  That is still not very permanent, it just means that when the reduction (probably even bigger than this year's) goes through for next year, that things will still look as gloomy and unresolved.

Medicare Fee Cuts in Action Limbo Again!

As previously encountered and projected, the government managed to leave Washington D.C. without fixing, extending, or repealing the 21.5% Medicare pay cut to physicians.  amednews.com is saying that Medicare is again delaying claims processing, hoping for an intercession until April 14.  They also mention that President Obama is trying to fill a CMS administrator position that has been vacant since 2006, in an effort to keep better tabs on things like this in the future.