The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released new Medicare rules last week. The final decision carries several changes in Medicare's approach to evaluation and management (E/M) services, slated to take effect in 2021. As we reported in August, CMS reversed course on their earlier...
The ECRI Institute, a non-profit patient safety organization, recently released a report on risk in the ambulatory care setting. Most patient safety and risk analyses tend to focus on inpatient facilities, while the vast majority of patient care occurs in outpatient venues. The report examines...
ICD-10 is certainly a comprehensive diagnosis reporting system (to say the least). We explored the always-fascinating section known to coders as "External causes" and found some examples we really hope you don't need to report any time soon! Fall is the time of year for hot...
Health systems and private practices alike are increasingly turning to technology to bolster patient engagement efforts. Online EHR- linked portals provide your patients an unprecedented level of access to not only their own health data, but also increases their level of access to your practice....
The world of physician billing and coding can feel like it’s moving at the speed of light. Keeping your practice’s revenue flowing smoothly and efficiently means staying on top of payer guidelines and coding changes throughout the year. Falling behind can lead to significant income...
We’re coming up on performance review time here at speroMD, and we’d like to share some of the lessons we’ve learned over the years. Medical practices are unique, but there are many elements, especially those that are related to human resources, that should be treated the...
With the rise of value-based care, practices have the option to join accountable care organizations (ACOs). CMS describes ACOs as groups of doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers, who come together voluntarily to give coordinated high-quality care to their patients. Both public and private payers...
Negative reviews are difficult to read and crafting an appropriate response can be extremely challenging. It’s best not to respond immediately - in the end, an upset patient deserves a thoughtful and measured reply, even if their complaint may not. Before posting the response, have someone...
An article in Becker’s pointed us to a study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine analyzing the impact of hospital integration of physician practices on patient out-of-pocket spending in combination with an examination of quality measures. Researchers from Rice University and the Baylor College...
Have you ever calculated the payor mix for your practice? Your practice’s payor mix is a measurement that allows you to look at what percentage of your total business is attributed to a particular reimbursement source, whether managed care, government payors, or self-pay. Having a diverse payor...