Posts Tagged Claims Management
Evaluating an EMR? Use the opportunity to assess your overarching technology solution
Posted by Jim Denny in EMR, Infrastructure, Practice Management System on November 20th, 2009
The prospect of obtaining stimulus funding has, not surprisingly, created an environment of intense focus on EMRs. While that’s OK, I see a distinct limitation in looking at EMRs, practice management systems (PMS) and other applications as isolated pieces of hardware/software. Instead, I think the current atmosphere provides many practices the opportunity to step into completely new systems, with a completely new way of viewing the components.
Rather than contemplating an EMR purchase or PMS evaluation in the context of “what’s available,” consider how well these technologies will serve as your platform from which to custom-build, taking into account future needs as well as current.
It is similar to when, as a teenager, I went to buy my first stereo system. I saved up, went to the store, and there they helped me design my own system to suit my listening style. Two speakers or four? Turntable or tape player? Headphones? The stereo store catered to my taste, my music, my needs – and I ended up with a system that was perfect for me. Read the rest of this entry »
ICD-10-CM: Have you mapped out your transition plan?
Posted by Ken Bradley in Clearinghouses, EMR, ICD-10, Practice Management System on September 10th, 2009
Even if you’ve worked in healthcare only a short time, you’ve probably noticed that many providers are overwhelmed by the idea of ICD-10-CM and may not know quite where to start. In addition, transition to these new diagnosis code sets has been pending for so long that healthcare professionals aren’t convinced these deadlines are “really real.” The common quip for years now: “I’ll be retired before it happens!”
But the truth is that you already lag behind suggested timelines if you haven’t begun mapping out your transition plan.
The Oct. 1, 2013, implementation date seems a long way off. But you can expect the compliance deadline to hold firm; many of the current administration’s new value-based purchasing initiatives depend on the level of detail available in ICD-10 codes. Read the rest of this entry »
HIStalk response: The value of clearinghouses
Posted by Jim Denny in Clearinghouses, Insurance on September 10th, 2009
HIStalk published an article I wrote in response to Scott Bayou’s piece “Healthcare Clearinghouses.” In Mr. Bayou’s September 2 piece, he questions the necessity and usefulness of clearinghouses. Visit today’s HISTalk to see my response. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas on the value of healthcare clearinghouses.
SwipeIT: Standardized insurance ID cards considered for reliable data capture
Posted by Bryan Koch in ARRA/Stimulus, EMR, Healthcare Reform, Insurance, Practice Management System on September 2nd, 2009
When it comes to the healthcare reform debate, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and its push toward electronic medical records (EMRs) captures the lion’s share of the media spotlight. Somewhat lost in all the talk about EMR incentives, however, is a completely separate effort that’s underway to improve data capture and cut costs.
A project spearheaded by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) called SwipeIT brings the concept of machine-readable standardized patient insurance ID cards to healthcare. Think of your debit card. If this concept works for the banking industry, why not healthcare?
Non-standardized paper health insurance ID cards currently cost the industry as much as $2.2 billion annually, MGMA estimates. The association calculates that the labor-intensive, error-riddled process of manually obtaining patient demographic and insurance information from inconsistent paper ID cards may cause as many as 10%-25% of rejected claims. Today, many patient check-in kiosk solutions read magnetic insurance swipe cards provided by insurance carriers. However, not all of these institutions provide such cards. Read the rest of this entry »