Happy Doctors' Day! We at Genius Solutions Salute You.

We hope that someone has sent a red carnation to you, as it is the symbolic flower for National Doctor's Day. 

National Doctors' Day is March 30th.  According to the web site, http://www.doctorsday.org/, it was first observed in Winder, Georgia, in 1933.  Eudora Brown Almond, wife of Dr. Charles B. Almond, set aside a day to honor physicians; greeting cards were sent and flowers were placed on the graves of deceased doctors.

Doctors' Day was adopted by the United States House of Representatives, on March 30, 1958, and legislation was introduced and passed in the House and Senate in 1990 to officially establish a national Doctor's Day. On October 30, 1990, President George Bush signed S.J. RES. #366 (which became Public Law 101-473) officially and lawfully designating March 30th as "National Doctor's Day."

Keep up the good work!  Most of us wouldn’t be happy or healthy without you.

Go Green with Genius and GreenFlag!

 

Click Here for more information on how to work your AR better.

HIT Hard, Across the Web

Well, the comment period is over, the interim EHR rules and regs for use go into effect today.  I wanted to just take a walk across the web to see what the general thoughts were across the web on HIT, ARRA, EHR incentives and adoption, current and foreseeable problems, etc.  Here is a hit list of topics and quotes across the board (with attached links to the articles if you want to peruse any of the topics in a more in depth manner).

Medicare Seminar- Boot Camp 3

Genius Solutions Presents
 CA Boot Camp, Part 3

Medicare
Presented by Ted A. Arkfeld
DC, MS, CICE, CPC

March 18, 2010
10 am - 5pm

@ Genius Solutions
7177 Miller Dr, Warren, MI 48092

Medicare?

Medicare... if that was enough said, you wouldn't need this class!  But it usually isn't, so come and find out everything you were afraid to know, or ask, about Medicare. Medicare billing and coding can be confusing, frustrating, and frightening if you have not been taught the correct procedures. This seminar will eliminate the myths, misconceptions, and will provide step by step instructions to submit claims to Medicare. 

Agenda Topics Include:

• How the Medicare System Works with respect to Chiropractic
• What is the difference between a Part B & Part C
• What is Chiropractic Coverage in the Medicare World
• How to link diagnosis with areas of Chiropractic Manipulations
• Diagnoses that give your treatment plans time to work, and get paid
• Advance Beneficiary Notices (ABN’s)
• The AT modifier
• Post Payment Audits

Only $99 Per Person

Register Today!

 

There's Still Time to Comment, Until March 15th

There is still time to add your voice and make any comments you would like, regarding the proposed Medicare & Medicare rules going into effect for the HITECH/ARRA incentives.  This would include the definition of meaningful use for EHRs, as well as the  other requirements for qualifying for the ARRA incentive payments.  The comment period for the proposed "interim" rules closes on March 15, 2010.  CMS says that they welcome your comments.

Comments may be submitted through http://www.regulations.gov. For additional information on the proposed rule,  as well as fact sheets summarizing the material, visit http://www.cms.hhs.gov/Recovery/11_HealthIT.asp on the Web.

Last Minute Stay of Execution for Medicare Rate Reduction

Last night it was announced that Congress's proposed stay of execution for the 21% Medicare rate reductions had passed.  This freezes the reimbursements rates at the 2009 levels.  As expected, they did make it retro-active back to March 1st.  So you will probably want to get those claims in A.S.A.P.  Unfortunately, it still isn't a permanent fix, it is a hold through March 31st, to give the government a bit more time to create a permanent resolve.

PR Newswire service is listing a report from Sermo, one of the world's largest online communities of physicians.  They polled nearly 1500 physicians, 84% of whose respondents said that they would have to stop accepting new Medicare patients and would likely have to drop their Medicare patients if a reasonable, permanent fix was not made for physician reimbursement.

Write your congressmen and senators!  Keep the pressure on them. Now is definitely the time.

Preliminary Proposed Rule for HIT Certification Programs is on the Table Now

We reported to you back in January that the first round of official documentation was out for “Meaningful Use” and “Certified” EHRs definitions.  Well, the 60-day comment period is over and the final interim rule has been issued.  National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, Dr.David Blumenthal, announced yesterday afternoon that the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) officially released a notice of proposed rule-making (NPRM) outlining the proposed approach for establishing a certification program to test and certify electronic health records (EHRs).

21.5% Medicare Paycut Goes in to Effect Today

Apparently before recessing on Friday, congress failed to pass any new legislation or extensions to stop the 21.5% pay cut that goes in to effect today, March 1.


You may remember that congress passed a measure last December postponing the cut until March 1. The House then passed a bill on Feb. 18 providing another temporary stay until March 31, but the Senate was unable to approve the measure before adjourning for the weekend on Feb. 26, thus the cut goes into effect today with no last minute reprieve.

Genius Sponsors MAC district Meeting in March

In the good ol' days of practice you would submit your claims to Medicare receive payment end of story, but now that doesn't even begin the the story, let alone end it.  Just because you got paid does not mean that you coded your claim properly, nor does it prove that the care was "medically necessary".  Incorrect coding and lack of documented medical necessity are the basis for ever increasing negative post-payment audits.  The audits are regularly followed by the inevitable demand for repayment.  It has been said that it is not a matter of IF you will be audited, but a matter of WHEN you will be audited.  Don't hide in fear of an audit, do it right, do it right now, and tell them to "bring it on" with confidence.

eTHOMAS v8 Has Been Officially Retired

As of March 1st, we will no longer produce any further changes to the eTHOMAS v8 system.

$100 Million in Grants Given to States to Improve Child Care

Kathleen Sebelius (Health and Human Services Secretary), announced today 10 states would be given $100 million in federal grant funds to  improve health care quality and delivery systems for children enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program).

Medicare Claims Crossover Problem

Genius Solutions received the following e-mail from: NHIC, Corp.MEDICARE ADMINISTRATIVE CONTRACTOR JURISDICTION 14 A/B MAC, regarding claims crossover problems from Jan 5, 2010.