Billing Compliance

Patient portals can offer better customer service and care, but only if you can get your patients to use it. We examine the pros and cons of jumping on the portal bandwagon.

When patient records are requested, your staff could unintentionally put your practice at risk of a HIPAA violation. Here's how to handle requests properly.

In this issue, a question that asks how many new codes are in the ICD-10 code set.

Do you have an emergency plan in place? You should. Our disaster-planning checklist gets you started.

Planning for retirement can be tricky, and it’s definitely something you want to get right. Check out these potential pitfalls and how to avoid them.

Here’s how to use these code add-ons correctly to help you get paid what you deserve

NPP versus physician visit

One of the thorniest coding questions is: Can a physician bill for family meetings when the patient is not present? If so, who gets the bill ?

Today doctors are competing for patients in a radically changed marketplace. One of the most important emerging technologies in that space is Internet-based social networking.

Here are your latest coding questions, answered by coding expert Bill Dacey.

Straight from the HIPAA regulation, here is an outline to follow as you create your Notice of Privacy Practices.

Use this sample template for guidelines on documenting inpatient visits. Provided by Hill & Associates.

Compare your denial rate from Medicare to national averages for your specialty by total amount denied, number of services denied, or percent of services denied. Data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Use this form to document internal review of and response to complaints concerning compliance with human resource, HIPAA, Medicare billing or other ethical and legal guidelines.

Manage your denials from insurance companies by tracking them in this worksheet. Track the denials according to the functional area to identify opportunities for improvement. By tracking and monitoring denials, you can fix the problem and prevent denials in the first place.

Physicians often want to review an overdue patient account before it is sent to a collection agency. Staff can use this form to summarize the status of the account, making review easier.

If you are shopping for sharps or syringes, make your selection easier using this template. Provided courtesy of Quality America, Inc. For more information about OSHA compliance, please visit www.quality-america.com.

Use this sample template for guidelines on documenting patient visits in general. Provided by Hill & Associates.

Plain language advice on using common modifiers in your medical coding.

Let new patients know about your policies from the get go. Follow these guidelines.

Use this sample template for guidelines on documenting outpatient visits. Provided by Hill & Associates.

Indiscriminate tongue wagging around the office can affect everything from staff morale to patient care. Here’s how to stop loose lips and protect patient privacy, care, and trust.

Unfortunately, physicians are not immune to the growing threat of identity theft and data breaches. Check out our guide to keeping your personal information secure.

You can’t make the medical home model work on a practical basis without technology. But how to know what widgets are essential? Here’s your guide to the must-have technologies for your medical home practice.

Are networking sites like Facebook and Twitter privacy problems in need of a solution, opportunities to build community around your practice, or both? We help you navigate this brave new world of Web networking.