Medical Office Manager

Increasing profits

CMS to provide accelerated and advanced payments during patient surge

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, CMS will provide accelerated payments to requesting providers and advance payments to requesting suppliers, including physicians and non-physician practitioners, who submit a request to the appropriate Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) and meet the criteria: CMS intends to provide assistance first to those providers and suppliers … [Read more...] about CMS to provide accelerated and advanced payments during patient surge

MIPS 2020 payment adjustments in effect based on 2018 performance

In July 2019, each Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) eligible clinician received a 2018 MIPS Final Score and associated payment adjustment factor(s) as part of their 2018 MIPS performance feedback, available on the Quality Payment Program website. 2020 MIPS payment adjustments, based on each MIPS eligible clinician’s 2018 MIPS final score, will now be applied to … [Read more...] about MIPS 2020 payment adjustments in effect based on 2018 performance

5 ways to break down bureaucracies to get payer contracts

By Steve Selbst bio It is important to remember that payers are large companies, with protocols, policies and business practices. As with any large company, there are bureaucracies, and they are necessary to maintain the order and success of these organizations. Therefore, the first tip is to understand that to get contracted you need to identify the right department and … [Read more...] about 5 ways to break down bureaucracies to get payer contracts

How to assess the overall health of your medical practice

By Nick Hernandez  bio How do you know that your overall business is healthy? How do you know that the business processes you perform are working properly? Now, how would others in your practice know? Metrics are important for a number of reasons. For starters, if you don't know how well you are doing, how do you know what to keep doing and what to change? Words without … [Read more...] about How to assess the overall health of your medical practice

Getting that new patient info into EHR before appointment

Here are some reader tips for getting new patient information into the electronic health records prior to an appointment. They come from Tina Wheeler, Practice Manager for General and Laparoscopic Surgical Associates in Maryville, Il. This busy multi-physician general surgery office has four physicians and one nurse practitioner, with patients scheduled among these five … [Read more...] about Getting that new patient info into EHR before appointment

CMS releases 2020 Proposed Rule for the Quality Payment Program

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released its proposed policies for the 2020 performance year of the Quality Payment Program via the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). Key proposals for 2020 performance year of the Quality Payment Program include: Increasing the performance threshold from 30 points to … [Read more...] about CMS releases 2020 Proposed Rule for the Quality Payment Program

MIPS bonuses are easy to earn—IF you can get into the program

The Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced the results of 2018, Year 2 under the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). Bottom line: The total number of clinicians participating declined from 1.06 million to 916,058. However, the success rate of participants was higher with 97.6% earning an upward payment adjustment on their Medicare Part B claims … [Read more...] about MIPS bonuses are easy to earn—IF you can get into the program

Deadline to submit a MIPS Targeted Review Request is this month

If you participated in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) in 2018, your performance feedback, which includes your MIPS final score and payment adjustment factor(s), are now available for review on the Quality Payment Program website. The MIPS payment adjustment you will receive in 2020 is based on your final score. A positive, negative, or neutral payment … [Read more...] about Deadline to submit a MIPS Targeted Review Request is this month

Why you need an office policy on collecting fees

Most medical practices take time once a year to create new office goals or a business plan and, hopefully, to upgrade their policy manuals. And consideration of collecting on co-pays and deductibles needs to be an integral part of that business plan, according to Michael Glass, a medical consultant with Transworld Systems Inc. (TSI). Why bother with an office policy? The … [Read more...] about Why you need an office policy on collecting fees