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In today’s world of advanced technology with a focus on improving the health care industry, many times private medical practices can feel overwhelmed and seem to struggle at keeping up with the big guys.  While everyone in the medical industry is hustling to provide quality care to everyone for a reasonable cost, it can be difficult to keep up with the changing economic landscape.  One major factor in the healthcare reformation includes the implementation of electronic health records.

When the electronic health records first became widely used they were met with skeptics and the die-hard paper file keepers. Once the systems were in place, it didn’t take long for even the naysayers to realize they were very efficient.  While some smaller practices felt they were too little to require this type of record keeping operation, it became more apparent the time and even money that could be saved while their workflow was also improved.  More details on that later, but first let’s look at what is an ideal solution for private practices.

No matter what size your practice may be, you will benefit from using a full-service medical billing company to help with your cash flow and show you a return on investment for your electronic medical record transition. Many are discovering that the eClinicalWorks® billing system offers an excellent solution to meet the needs of your organization.  A full service medical billing company such as EMR Billing Solutions specialized in working with the eClinicalWorks® Electronic Medical Record system.  Using a billing company that has an abundance of experience in business operations and the healthcare industry can provide the very best medical billing solution for your organization.

EMR Billing Solutions knows just how you feel, since they are not trying to be the biggest medical billing company, but rather the best revenue cycle management solution for eClinicalWorks® users. Some companies boast of trying to be the largest, while our focus is on proficiency using the best medical billing solution for eClinicalWorks®.

A recent press release for Healthcare Finance News revealed how a small town healthcare provider selected eClinicalWorks® for their system because it is one of the strongest and most sophisticated EMR system available. They also are known for using award-winning technology that is continuously being improved.  If you decide to use this and employ a dedicated eClinicalWorks® expert like EMR Billing Solutions to handle your billing needs and stay on top of the latest updates you will experience what we alluded to earlier..

The mission of EMR Billing Solutions is to make your life and your practice easier, more efficient and save you money on the service that you need the most.  To learn more about how you can benefit from the most effective, reliable and timely service to meet your needs contact us.

EMR Billing Solutions believes that telecommunication technology is advancing the future of medicine by increasing access, improving care, and reducing costs. As always, we are here to keep you informed of any changes that may affect you or your practice.

New insurance exchange policies in 2014 should include coverage for telemedicine services, as determined by the HHS Secretary. In 2015, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will begin to use the Medicare fee schedule for grander payments to physicians that will provide high-quality care associated with cost.  For example, the quality of care will be measured on all levels, including telecommunication devices like remote monitoring, online communications, and so on.

The American Telemedicine Association has made a number of requests for telemedicine in 2015.  Some of those requests include the addition of CPT codes for Telehealth, including codes that Medicaid already covers.  There is also a request for a select number of “interpretative services” regarding remote cardiac and remote diabetic retinopathy that will be included in the definition of a “physician service.”  After an analysis of the benefits in telemedicine, there are requests for an increase in Telehealth in Dermatology and Wound Care, too.

Lastly, any professionals who are participating in the Medicare HER Incentive Program may undergo payment adjustments beginning Jan 1, 2015. CMS is now determining payment adjustments based on meaningful use data submitted prior to 2015. To avoid payment adjustments in the future, you must demonstrate meaningful use every year under either Medicare or Medicaid.

The SGR controversy began in 1997, when Congress approved the Sustainable Growth Rate formula.  It was designed to determine physician fees under the federal Medicare program.  Since 2001, SGR has mandated reductions in physician fees, and Congress continues to step in and extend their pay.

However, EMR Billing Solutions is concerned about the possible 24 percent reduction in Medicare fees that will take place if Congress does not alter the current policy. As expected, the Senate has responded by scheduling another vote.  Along with the House of Representatives, they are developing a final legislation to repeal and replace SGR. Nevertheless, the House has approved another temporary fix, which extends a “patch” on SGR for another year.

The Current SGR Proposal Details include:

• Combining three quality Medicare payment programs to reward providers who meet required performance levels
• Improving Senior care with assurance for providers
• Physician-established Clinical Care Guidelines, aimed to reduce careless spending and improve overall patient care
• A Technical Advisory Committee to analyze and advise Physicians who develop alternative payment models
• 0.5% fee increase for Medicare Physicians till 2014 ends
• Increases in Medicare payments to hospitals and ambulances in rural areas
• Instituting two new Mental Health Grant Programs that would obtain $60 million over four years to advance outpatient treatment
• Push back the deadline on the new ICD-10
• Postpone the new inpatient “two-midnight rule” for hospitals to March 2015

At EMR Billing Solutions, we take the future of medicine very seriously, and it is our goal to keep you informed.

Earlier this year, President Obama signed off on the Patient Protection and the Affordable Care Act. Today, EMR Billing Solutions tells you how Healthcare Reform is affecting larger and smaller companies.

Most Healthcare Reform laws focus on expanding access to health-care coverage. Major expansions and incentives are in place for the new laws, including incentives for private insurances, public programs, new additions to the health-care cooperatives and exchanges, and further expansion on individual and employer requirements.

Healthcare Reform Changes in 2014:

• Maintain state-based health-insurance exchanges that offer individuals the option to purchase qualified health-insurance coverage.
• Small Businesses must generate Small Business Health Option Programs (SHOP), for businesses with 10 employees or less.
• Instill new requirements for individuals who have qualifying health-insurance coverage, or who face a penalty that is phased in over a period of time.
• Assessments for Large Companies with over 50 employees that do not offer coverage, and have one full-time employee who receives premium tax credit – $2,000 per full-time employee – disregarding the first 30 employees from the assessment.
• Penalties for Large Companies with over 50 employees that offer coverage and have one or more full-time employees receiving a premium tax credit -$3,000 for each premium tax credited employee. The total penalty depends on the amount the company must pay if no insurance coverage was offered.
• Compose an essential health-benefits package that contains a comprehensive set of services that cover 60% or more of the actuarial value, including the covered benefits and limits on cost sharing

We all know ICD-10 is approaching. As of October 1, 2014 the ICD-9 code sets that are used to report medical diagnoses and inpatient procedures were replaced with the ICD-10 sets.

Why is this transition taking place? Because the ICD-9 procedures limited patient data, pertaining to their medical conditions and hospital inpatient procedures. ICD-9 is also 30 years old; its terms are outdated, and inconsistent with current medical practices. The overall structure of ICD-9 puts limitations on the amount of new codes that can be created, and most categories are already full.

The downside of the implementation is that many industry experts anticipate that medical practices will require at least six months of cash reserves in order to survive the cash flow crush. Due to this vital prediction, EMR Billing Solutions has created a special team of experts, including professionals in international economics, medical billing, healthcare reform and operations. These experts will analyze and identify bottlenecks that our clients may face (if any) during the rollout of ICD-10.

Our team of experts concluded that our clients should rest easy, as there is very little to worry about with this new change. The apparent issue that could hinder your organization’s ability to survive the ICD-10 rollout is your provider’s inability to process coding requests. However, EMR Billing Solutions can easily identify any errors associated in provider’s notes with ICD-10. Once implemented, the healthcare providers will have improved options that ICD-10 codes can use to insure accurate charting, coding, and prompt payments.