eTHOMAS/WritePad Roundtable Discussion Webinar Series

With EHRs coming into their including both the meaningful use requirements and the possibility of reporting it to receive stimulus funds we wanted to start a round table.  This series is for you, our clients, to bring questions, concerns, and comments to your software experts, coding & compliance experts, and to your peers, who are in the same position as you.

This round table series will be hosted by Genius Solutions and this first discussion will be led by Ted Arkfeld, DC.  We will be announcing additional seminars throughout the summer to make sure that you are ready.

Who is invited? 
All eTHOMAS and WritePad users are welcome.  Whether you've been using the programs together for a while, are new, or are just thinking about joining the EHR party.  These seminars are for you!  Come chat with the experts and each other- learn something new, share something you know, and work with those who can help.

The discussion begins here:
Tuesday, June 28th
12:30 - 1pm EDT

Click Here to register.

Emergencies and E-Data- A Wake Up Call

EHR’s can be a lifesaver as new convert St. John's Regional Medical Center in Joplin, Mo found out last month when it became part of Joplin’s tornado disaster.  According to an iHealthBeat article, the hospital had just converted to EHR 3 weeks prior to the tornado that wiped out and spread its paper records as far away as 75 miles.

You can Update to eTHOMAS v 9.2 Now!

As promised, eTHOMAS Version 9.2 has been released and is now available for download.  The “What’s New” Document for v 9.2 can be accessed by going to Genius on the Web under the Messaging Tab.  Once you are on Genius on the Web, click FYI at the top of the screen, and select General.  It will be listed under Genius Solutions Resources as eTHOMAS v9.2.

If you are an active, current Genius client office, the update is FREE; there is no charge for updates to the program if you are a current SoftCare subscriber.  If you aren’t up-to-date, don’t wait, update! (Unless you are beta testing any features or programs for us.  If you are beta testing something, call us before updating.)

Here is more on the "whys" and "how to-s" of good THOMAS updating.

Genius Presents WritePad Webinars, by WritePad

Click the Banner for the schedule.

  

We wanted to make sure that all of our WritePad clients and users were aware of the upcoming webinars being provided by WritePad.  If you have any additional questions regarding these webinars, please e-mail scannon@writepad.com

First Incentive Paychecks Mailing Out to Non-Hospital EPs This Week

Per an Update e-mail from the ONCHIT (the Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology), the first paychecks will be going out this week for individual eligible providers who completed their attestation for having met the meaningful use and other necessary requirements.  Per one of their Twitter messages this week:  “Incentive Programs have paid out $83,294,778.06 since January.”  Up to this point that would be mostly money that has gone out to Hospitals and possibly some Medicaid payments.

The ONCHIT’s newsletter also reiterated some of the money rules that apply to these payments, this year:

• Payment is based on 75% of Medicare allowed charges that are submitted no later than 2 months after the end of 2011 (the charges had to be this year, but you seem to have a grace period for reporting of up to 2 additional months).
• The max allowed incentive charges for this year is $24,000, which will yield a max check of $18,000 incentive payment.
• An eligible professional must meet the minimum threshold of $24000 in Medicare charges before they can be paid the incentive.  (I know they say you only have to report for 90 consecutive days this year, but it sounds like you may have to give yourself a longer than 90-day window if it will take you longer to generate the $24000 minimum Medicare charge threshold.  Bear this in mind as you decide when you want to start your attestation period this year to give yourselves enough time to generate the proper amount of charges.)
• You will receive payment to the TIN (taxpayer identification number) you selected during your registration for the incentive program.

Want to know more?  Check out the Medicare “Path to Payment” Incentive page.

eTHOMAS v 9.2+

Whoo-hooo!  We love a challenge and we love to add new accessories as much as you do, so I am pleased to give you a glimpse of the shiny, new, upcoming eTHOMAS v 9.2 release.  Now at the outset I can see your faces drooping saying “yeah, sure, new because you have to for the 5010 electronic format”.  However, we’re not just any software vendor, if we’re going to have a number change it’s because we want to give something more to our clients—YOU!  And did I mention?  We’re Genius.

UB-04

UB-04, also casually referred to as institutional or hospital billing, may be in your present or near future.  Many of you may work as outpatient facilities such as rehab or physical therapy facilities, etc. that may need to use this format.   At Genius we have been fielding an increasing number of calls regarding UB-04 billing:  Can eTHOMAS do it? Can we teach you UB-04 billing? Are there resources available for you “out there”?  So, here we go.

Changes this month…. New National Coordinator at the ONCHIT

Dr. David Blumenthal stepped down as the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology this month, replacing him is Farzad Mostashari, MD, ScM . Dr. Mostashari is not new to the ONCHIT office, he has been working with them and the previous National Coordinator since 2009. He was the Deputy National Coordinator for Programs and Policy when I was reviewing the big ONC HIT 2009 review at the end of last year.

CMS Offers Anti-RAC Tool, Based on RAC Findings

Don’t the RACs work for CMS? Is it possible? Did the RACs spawn something useful?

Indeed it appears they have, if you can a) find it, b) use it wisely. The RACs have created a new CMS Learning Resource that you are probably not aware of: the Medicare Quarterly Provider Compliance Newsletter. If you go by its tagline (and you can) the newsletter’s purpose is to help you with "Guidance to Address Billing Errors". As the RAC information is beginning to rack up, CMS has found a useful way to help you use the information that they are getting back from the RACs (Recovery Audit Contractors).

Use WritePad to qualify for up to $44,000 in EHR Stimulus Reimbursements

Let us show you how with WritePad’s 5-Part Meaningful Use Webinar Series which highlights the following areas:

• Introduction to Meaningful Use
• As it applies to Demographics & Diagnosis
• As it applies to Lab Work
• As it applies to Medications
• As it applies to Communication

 Click here for more information or to register.

Certify in 2011 with the NACC's 1-day Super CA Chiropractic Coding & Certification Seminar

Don't miss out become a CCC (Certified Chiropractic Coder) today!   

You can still sign up to attend the upcoming session in Saginaw, MI, April 7th and we've also just added a date for Des Moines/Urbandale, IA, May 19th.

You can literally go back to your office and change your office life after attending this seminar.  This seminar can pay for itself and you, the same week you attend, go back to your office, and use it. 

My favorite NACC quote of the day?

"Come on, what are we waiting for?  Let's start a Chiropractic Revolution!"

ICD-10 Coding is Coming – Run NOW!

I had the opportunity to sit in on some preliminary ICD-10 training being given by the Practice Management Institute (www.pmiMD.com) last week.  It was their goal to inspire confidence and a “we can do this” attitude, but honestly, the reactions I witnessed (or had myself), looked more like despair that would soon be mixed with alcohol and anti-anxiety meds.  I was a bit disheartened.  I came out of that meeting thinking “ICD-10 coding is coming- Run NOW!”

Chicken Little
I do so hate to sound like Chicken Little shouting that “the sky is falling”.  I was also seeing some benefits to updating the codes and coding.  I mean, yeah, with new technology, new procedures, and new techniques, there needed to be new codes and new code availability to cover them.  It also simplifies some things to have one CPT code, rather than a CPT code plus some DX codes.  The specificity of the codes will also make the data more valuable because you are giving more information.  Disease and treatment patterns can be studied more accurately.   The spread of disease can be studied and possibly better contained.  However, this is a beast with many tentacles, on par with the biggest of government programs and endeavors ever conceived.  Have no doubt, it is going to change the way you document patient encounters and bill out, forever.

Let’s start with the easy stuff and work our way along the ICD-10 trail.