By Susan Crawford Founding Editor Dear Readers: Medical Office Manager’s first issue came out in November 1987. And now after 26 years as your editor, I have retired. This is a good time to look at the issues and conundrums you as manager have faced during all that time and to congratulate you on a job well done. The changes have been staggering. You have kept up with them … [Read more...] about Editor watches staggering changes in medical office management
Increasing profits
Don’t let the office get caught in Medicare’s pay cuts
e-scripting, EHRs, and value modifiers Medicare has been offering a lot of incentives for technology use and quality measures. But those same incentives have their dark side – payment cuts for noncompliance. Here are the three cuts to be dodging right now. And along with them is the unavoidable 2% cut brought about by sequestration. #1: the 2% cut on e-scripting Most imminent … [Read more...] about Don’t let the office get caught in Medicare’s pay cuts
Sequestration: another 2% cut on doctors’ payments
Sequestration. It began March 1, 2013. And it is hitting doctors’ payments by 2%. As to what managers need to do to meet the payment reductions, the financial experts are all advising essentially the same things: get the copays and deductibles up front, and set up a credit-card-on-file for as many patients as possible. The sequester specifics are these: The 2% … [Read more...] about Sequestration: another 2% cut on doctors’ payments
Keep safe from the Recovery Audit Contractors and the courts by making the corrections correctly
What flaws are the Recovery Audit Contractors searching for in records? Illegible documentation, incomplete documentation, unidentified providers, wrong dates of service – and evidence of improper corrections. To help offices stay safe, the government has set out guides for making corrections so the records pass muster with the RACs. Those same guides will also ensure the … [Read more...] about Keep safe from the Recovery Audit Contractors and the courts by making the corrections correctly