Your Message Subject or Title

Can't view this email? View in a browser

In This Issue / July 2012

Strategies to File Effective Medical Billing Appeals – and Get Paid

By Elizabeth W. Woodcock, MBA, FACMPE, CPC

If it seems like you’re bleeding money in the billing office, then it’s time to get your medical billing appeals program in gear.

Complimentary Webinar: Effective Appeals in Medical Billing – Breaking Through the Barricade to Get Paid
	Thursday, July 26, 2012 10:00 AM PDT / 1:00 PM EDT Speaker: Elizabeth W. Woodcock, MBA, FACMPE, CPC Register Now
In this fast-paced, informative webinar, you will learn: • The three-step process to determine when a denial needs to be appealed • How to build your case to create a successful appeal • Key phrases to include in an appeal letter to get your denial overturned • And more

Your Nine-Step Plan to Better Practice Collections, Part I

By Betsy Nicoletti, M.S., CPC

All practices want to collect every dollar they can, legally and within their contracts. This two-part series identifies nine steps to take to increase practice collections.

Staying on Top of Business Trends to Protect and Build Your Medical Practice

By Laurie Morgan

Planning for ways to reach new patients is one way to protect and build your medical practice. Another important step is to...

Kareo Medical Billing Software Demo Webinar: How to Streamline Your Medical Billing
	Learn how Kareo medical billing software can make your medical billing easier and improve your profitability in this one-hour demo webinar featuring Q & A. Read more

Top News & Ideas from Industry

Medicare Previews Pay Increases and Cuts for 2013
Charles Fiegl, Amednews, July 16, 2012 The program’s physician fee schedule details a new care coordination service but also outlines potential additional reductions through a quality payment modifier… Go to Article

Health Plans Look for Fraud Before They Pay Claims
Emily Berry, Amednews, July 16, 2012 Fraud detection systems are replacing retrospective processes, but “false positives” continue to delay legitimate claims… Go to Article

5 Potential ICD-10 Related Financial Issues
Steff Deschenes, Healthcare Finance News, July 9, 2012 As healthcare organizations prepare for the ICD-10 conversion, everyone knows there will be challenges. And financial managers are not likely to make it through unscathed... Go to Article

AMA Releases Midterm CPT Code Changes
AAPC News, July 13, 2012 The American Medical Association (AMA) released a host of mid-term CPT® code updates July 1. Among the new releases are… Go to Article

How to Avoid Turning Over Patient Accounts to a Collection Agency
Victoria Stagg Elliott, Amednews, July 16, 2012 Sending patients’ overdue bills to a collection agency can be bad for a physician’s reputation and may not gain the practice that much financially… Go to Article

Fear of EHRs Being Wrong Leads Doctors to Code E&M Services Manually
Pamela Lewis Dolan, Amednews, July 9, 2012 Despite the fact that most EHRs can assist physicians in assigning codes for evaluation and management services, most Medicare physicians still do it manually… Go to Article

CMS Releases 2013 Update ICD-10 PCS and GEMs
Carl Natale, ICD10Watch, July 2, 2012 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2013 update of the ICD-10 PCS and GEMs. It's 10 files of various sizes and complexity... Go to Article

10 Statistics on Payors Dropped by Physicians Since 2009
Laura Miller, Becker’s ASC Review, July 5, 2012 Here are 10 statistics on the payors physicians have dropped over the past two years, according to Medscape's Insurer Ratings Report Go to Article

How Medical Coders Can Adjust to the ICD-10 Delay
Carl Natale, ICD10Watch, July 12, 2012 For the most part, healthcare organizations appreciate an extra year to work on the ICD-10 transition. But Kevin McDermott found medical coders don't... Go to Article

How to Get Patients to Pay Their Bills
Victoria Stagg Elliott, Amednews, July 9, 2012 When it comes to asking patients for payment, medical practice consultants say this should be done early and often. But an effective collection strategy isn’t just about asking over and over again… Go to Article