The Smart Medical Practice

There a couple of confusing things about immunization coding as it relates to medical billing.  First, there are different codes for the vaccine and the administration. That’s because some vaccines are provided by states for children, and the physician is paid only for the administration. Second, Medicare was not initially developed to provide preventive care,

As technology improves and healthcare reform rolls along, many physicians and practice managers are asking their medical billing companies for advice on electronic record systems. Some practices are moving from paper to digital; others are unhappy with their current system and want to upgrade. Most know that they want their patient records to work well

Injury causes are important and about to get more so, but they still come after the type of injury when coding. This taxonomy has caused confusion in some organizations, resulting in rejected claims. In ICD-9, when submitting an injury claim, the injury must be listed first, and the cause listed second. This order will remain

Hiring a medical billing company makes sense for many practices, but it’s important to ask the right questions so your practice makes the right choices. Here are some essential questions to ask the companies you’re considering. Here are some essential questions to ask the companies you’re considering. 1. How long have you been working in

With the advent of ICD-10, there are plenty of opportunities out there for medical billing companies to gain new clients.  But we understand that every minute spent marketing is time away from customers and claims. The good news is that social media and digital publishing mean getting your message out is easier and less expensive

As a medical billing company, you’ve helped your clients with thorny practice management issues for years. Today, competition is intense and seems more ferocious each day. Fortunately, you can offer your clients Care Relationship Management, a service to help them grow and strengthen their patient relationships. All while boosting your bottom line.  Physicians don’t spend

Imagine enterprise software that’s  easy to install and access — exactly what cloud-based applications are about. Instead of purchasing servers and software and hiring IT experts to install and support them, you subscribe to a software service and pay a monthly fee. This model is similar to your cell phone or internet connection. There are

The ICD-10 changeover is a year away, and pundits are ramping up their rhetoric. True, there’s a lot of work to be done, but looking at the facts is always helpful. Here are 10 things that will be true starting October 1, 2014: Claims will be denied if they include an ICD-9 code. Because it already

Medical coding is an exciting career with a lot of room for growth. However, the field comes with a unique set of challenges, including a high volume of work and complex guidelines. As a result, many medical coders are entering the field without any prior experience.  While it’s normal to make mistakes when you’re starting

Although HIPAA has been in effect for 24 years, confusion remains about some aspects. The passing of the HITECH act in 2009 added a few wrinkles and brought this issue back to the forefront. Do you know the difference between HIPAA and HITECH? The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act(HIPAA), sets the standard for protecting