Update: We have moved the session up one week! Please note the new date!

With registrations piling up we are moving the Credit Card on File Webinar up to Tuesday, March 5th at 1 p.m. EST. If you want to improve your practice’s cashflow in just one hour sign up now as seats are going fast!

We had such a great response to our Credit Card on File Webinars that we are running another session, in addition to the Revenue Cycle Management Series that will start next month. We hope you will join us! Click here to register!

How to Cut Your Medical Practice’s A/R and Collection Costs in Just 60 Minutes.

We know patients are bearing more of the financial burden for healthcare, particularly in the form of High Deductible Health Plans (HDHPs), so it falls to the provider to collect the deductibles. How can you collect deductibles, co-pays and co-insurance, as well as electronically manage patient payment plans while reducing the associated labor and resource expense? Register for the Manage My Practice webinar that teaches you everything you need to know to spend less and collect more at time of service by implementing a Credit Card on File Program in your practice.

What is a Credit Card on File Program?

A Credit Card on File (CCOF) Program facilitates the collection of a credit or debit card from each patient and requires this card to be used for co-pays, co-insurance and deductibles. You have the option of collecting an estimate of what is due at time of service, and/or charging the credit card when the payer pays the claim.

What are the benefits of a Credit Card on File Program?

• Reduced days in accounts receivable.
• Improved cash flow.
• Elimination of statements.
• Electronic management of payment plans.
• Elimination of bounced checks.
• Elimination of the manual refund process and refund check expense.
• Reduced labor in daily reconciliation process.
• Elimination of cash drawers and change issues.
• Reduction or elimination of deposits.
• Facilitate faster check-in and check-out.
• Elimination of paper receipts.
• Elimination of collections expense.

This one-hour webcourse with accompanying materials is an incredible value at $59.95

What will I learn if I take this webinar?

1. Understand how a credit card on file program differs from traditional payment options offered by practices.
2. Learn the terminology and protocols of credit card processing – it’s not as mysterious as it seems!
3. Compare credit card processing fees and choose a vendor based on an informed analysis.
4. Utilize handouts to train staff and educate patients on the credit card on file program.
5. Successfully implement a credit card on file program.

What does the program include?

Purchase of this program for only $59.95 includes the live webinar, slide handouts, and a complete Action Pack of forms and templates in Word, including:
1. Worksheet for Credit Card on File Program Return on Investment (ROI)
2. Staff Script & Role Playing Suggestions for Staff Training
3. Sample Security Policy to Comply With PCI Guidelines
4. Credit Card on File Program Timeline Worksheet
5. Credit Card Program Comparison Worksheet
6. Patient Handout #1: Information About Our Credit Card on File Program & Discontinuation of Statements
7. Patient Handout #2: What is a Deductible and How Does It Affect Me?
8. Sample Patient Agreement for the Credit Card on File Program

Register Now!

• March 5, 2013 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern/ 12:00 p.m. Central/
  11:00 a.m. Mountain/ 10:00 a.m. Pacific – Click here to register!

You spoke and we listened – you asked for a comprehensive course on Revenue Cycle Management and we brought it to you!

This series is for anyone who wants to understand the medical practice revenue cycle from the very beginning to the very end: physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, advanced practice registered nurses, practice administrators, office managers, consultants, vendors, students, coders, billers and those who want a RCM foundation to enter the healthcare field. Anyone who wants to know more about how reimbursement in healthcare works in the medical practice will find this comprehensive series indispensable.

You won’t find this comprehensive course anywhere else except at Manage My Practice. Webinar leader Mary Pat Whaley, FACMPE, CPC has developed this program from 25+ years of experience in medical practice management and from requests she gets weekly for education on the revenue cycle management process.

The Complete Guide to Revenue Cycle Management – a Five Module Comprehensive Curriculum

Module I. The Foundation

• Payer Contracting
• Credentialing
• Payer Matrix
• Setting a Fee Schedule
• Understanding Medicare Part B

Module II. The Data Build

• Practice Management System Set-up
• Allowables
• Patient Demographics & Insurance Information
• Eligibility & Benefits
• CPTs, HCPCS, ICD-9

Module III. The Pre-Claim Process

• Collecting at TOS
• Documentation: Paper vs Electronic Medical Records (EMR)
• Physician Coding vs. Abstraction Coding
• The Superbill vs. Using the EMR to Bill
• Claim Scrubbing: The Three Gates

Module IV. The Post-Claim Process

• Write-offs, Denials and Appeals
• Daily Reconciliation Process
• Patient Collections and Payment Plans
• Refunds
• Recoupments

Module V. Monitoring

• Monthly Reports
• The Practice Dashboard/Snapshot Report
• Strategies for Improving Revenue
• Benchmarks for Staffing
• Revenue Cycle Compliance and Auditing

Also Included! Action Pack – Handouts in Word/Excel

1. Contract Reference Matrix
2. Contract Review Template
3. Fee Schedule Worksheet
4. Medicare Resources
5. Allowable Cheat Sheet
6. Write-off Approval Form
7. Daily Reconciliation Form
8. Refund Request
9. Monthly Report List
10. Sample Snapshot Report
11. Sample Revenue Cycle Compliance Plan

Here’s what one attendee wrote about a recent Manage My Practice Webinar “Information was right on! Great examples and real life experiences.”

5-Week Course for $799.00 (Two Options)

Option One : Every Tuesday for Five Weeks – March 12, 19, 26, April 2, and April 9

Click Here To Register!

Module I: Tuesday, March 12 @7pm ET for 90 minutes

Module II: Tuesday, March 19 @7pm ET for 90 minutes

Module III: Tuesday, March 26 @7pm ET for 90 minutes

Module IV: Tuesday, April 2 @7pm ET for 90 minutes

Module V: Tuesday, April 9 @7pm ET for 90 minutes

——————–

Option Two: Every Thursday for Five Weeks – March 14, 21, 28, April 4 and April 11

Click Here To Register!

Module I: Thursday, March 14 @1pm ET for 90 minutes

Module II: Thursday, March 21 @1pm ET for 90 minutes

Module III: Thursday, March 28 @1pm ET for 90 minutes

Module IV: Thursday, April 4 @1pm ET for 90 minutes

Module V: Thursday, April 11 @1pm ET for 90 minutes

——————–

Mary Pat Whaley, FACMPE, CPC has 25+ years managing physician practices of all sizes and specialties in the private and public sectors. She is Certified Professional Coder, is Board Certified in Medical Practice Management and is a Fellow in the American College of Medical Practice Executives. Mary Pat has been providing free information and resources to physicians, care providers and medical practice executives since 2008. For questions about “The Complete Guide to Revenue Cycle Management” webinar, contact Mary Pat at (919) 370-0504.

A Manage My Practice Webinar:

Starting a Credit Card on File Program

in Your Practice

We know patients are bearing more of the financial burden for healthcare, particularly in the form of High Deductible Health Plans (HDHPs), so it falls to the provider to collect the deductibles. How can you collect deductibles, co-pays and co-insurance, as well as electronically manage patient payment plans while reducing the associated labor and resource expense? Register for the Manage My Practice webinar that teaches you everything you need to know to spend less and collect more at time of service by implementing a Credit Card on File Program in your practice.

What is a Credit Card on File Program?

A Credit Card on File (CCOF) Program facilitates the collection of a credit or debit card from each patient and requires this card to be used for co-pays, co-insurance and deductibles. You have the option of collecting an estimate of what is due at time of service, and/or charging the credit card when the payer pays the claim.

What are the benefits of a Credit Card on File Program?

• Reduced days in accounts receivable.
• Improved cash flow.
• Elimination of statements.
• Electronic management of payment plans.
• Elimination of bounced checks.
• Elimination of the manual refund process and refund check expense.
• Reduced labor in daily reconciliation process.
• Elimination of cash drawers and change issues.
• Reduction or elimination of deposits.
• Facilitate faster check-in and check-out.
• Elimination of paper receipts.
• Elimination of collections expense.

This one-hour webcourse with accompanying materials is an incredible value at $59.95

What will I learn if I take this webinar?

1. Understand how a credit card on file program differs from traditional payment options offered by practices.
2. Learn the terminology and protocols of credit card processing – it’s not as mysterious as it seems!
3. Compare credit card processing fees and choose a vendor based on an informed analysis.
4. Utilize handouts to train staff and educate patients on the credit card on file program.
5. Successfully implement a credit card on file program.

What does the program include?

Purchase of this program for only $59.95 includes the live webinar, slide handouts, and a complete Action Pack of forms and templates in Word, including:
1. Worksheet for Credit Card on File Program Return on Investment (ROI)
2. Staff Script & Role Playing Suggestions for Staff Training
3. Sample Security Policy to Comply With PCI Guidelines
4. Credit Card on File Program Timeline Worksheet
5. Credit Card Program Comparison Worksheet
6. Patient Handout #1: Information About Our Credit Card on File Program & Discontinuation of Statements
7. Patient Handout #2: What is a Deductible and How Does It Affect Me?
8. Sample Patient Agreement for the Credit Card on File Program

The Webinar will be offered live at three different sessions for your convenience.

• February 5, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern/ 9:00 a.m. Central/
  8:00 a.m. Mountain/ 7:00 a.m. Pacific – Click here to register!
• February 6, 2013 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern/ 12N Central/ 11:00
  a.m. Mountain/ 10:00 a.m. Pacific – Click here to register!
• February 7, 2013 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern/ 3:00 p.m. Central/ 2:00 p.m. Mountain/ 1:00 a.m. Pacific – Click here to register!

The fine folks at Intuit have now put their free Webinar, “Meaningful Use: Gearing Up For Stage 2” online for replay for anyone who didn’t attend the live version last week. In the program, speaker Elizabeth Woodcock (superb!) of Woodcock and Associates talks about the steps that a practice can take now to prepare to take advantage of CMS Meaningful Use payments in the future.

“In the meantime, I would argue, patients are clamoring for improved access to their physicians’ offices. I would recommend taking this momentum that we have related to meaningful use – where we’ve seen patient engagement, and the new proposed rules that are really focused on patient action – and we use this momentum to turn this challenge into an opportunity for the practice. Self-service technology, like a portal, can be the key to turning your challenge into this opportunity.”

The program is an excellent listen, and is a great way to get you thinking about Stage 2 for those who have not yet started!

Listen to the recording here.

At last, here is what all the shouting’s about!  A new website and a new book all in one day.  Just for kicks, I interviewed myself about these changes.

Q: Mary Pat, why all the changes all at once?

A: I didn’t start out to publish a book and redo my website all at once, it just happened that way.  My site has been online for almost  a year and a half now and after spending lots of time on the web, I knew I wanted to make some changes to my site – clean it up a little, and hopefully make it easier to read and navigate.

Q: What about the book?

A: I’ve been working on the book for about 9 months, and every day I have been reading about practices struggling with less reimbursement and more expense. Medfusion asked me to do a webinar on patient collections and I thought it was a perfect time to get the book completed.

Q: Why an eBook?

A: I decided on an eBook because that’s what I prefer.  I like information on a specific topic and I like to be able to get to it immediately.  More of a cookie-sized topic, than a cake.  I love big business books full of information, but it takes me forever to read them.  I wanted something that a manager could see, buy and start using all in the same day.

Q: You mentioned a webinar for Medfusion – when is that happening?

A: The webinar was November 17th and is archived on the Medfusion website so you can listen to it whenever you want.

Q: I see you’ve added a new tab called “Vendor.”  What’s that all about?

A: I’ve been wanting to give my readers access to vendor names in categories and now seemed like a good time to do that.  Right now there are 6 categories: Employee Background Check, Eligibility Products, External Financing, Creditworthiness Products, Payment Portals, and Special Resources.  As time goes on I will add more categories so readers can access vendors in a certain category in one place.

Q: Are these vendors that you are recommending?

A: No, these are vendors that I’ve checked to make sure they have the service or goods that fit in the category, but I’ve not screened the vendors for my readers at all.  Maybe down the line I’ll have some sort of feedback on vendors, but for now, I’m just listing them.

Q: Why didn’t you put the vendors in your book?

A: Because the field is always changing and vendors are coming and going all the time.  I don’t think that the print medium is the right place for listing vendors for such a fluid and changing market as healthcare.

Click here to view “The Smart Manager’s Guide to Collecting at Check-Out.”

I was intrigued to interview the man behind the upcoming free webinar “Lean Six Sigma for the Medical Practice.”  Frank Cohen, former Physician Assistant, Hospital CEO, and Consultant of 20 years is the Senior Analyst of MIT Solutions, Inc., and the host for this and other webinars that I think many healthcare managers will be interested in.

Cohen specializes in data mining and statistical modeling for medical practices.  His website www.mitsi.org describes their services this way:

MIT Solutions, Inc. has been leading the health care industry in the development of decision support and business intelligence tools for medical practices since 1992. Our sole purpose is to help the practice staff work faster, smarter, make more money and improve compliance. At MIT Solutions, we develop products and services that transform the way you do business.

Cohen is a significant player in the healthcare improvement world for several reasons.  He worked with the AMA in 2008 to introduce the first Payer Report Cards, which focused on how quickly and accurately payers reimburse physicians for medical services.

The report card compared Medicare and seven national commercial health insurers on the timeliness and accuracy of claims processing and was based on a random sample drawn from 3 million claims.  According to the AMA report, UHC ranked lowest in contract compliance with a rate of 62% of claims correctly paid per contract.  Aetna ranked higher with 71% correctly paid and 98% of Medicare claims were correctly paid.  You can review the payer report card here.  Knowing how hard it can be to ensure that claims are paid correctly in the typical medical practice makes the feat of collating and analyzing the data on this scale impressive.

Cohen also developed CMPA, or Comprehensive Medical Practice Analysis, which includes analyses of Procedure Code Compliance, Provider Productivity, Modifier Analysis, E & M Code Utilization Review, Correct Code Initiative (CCI) Compliance, Fee Analysis, EOB-Based Reimbursement Analysis, Procedural Cost-Accounting/Break-Even Analysis, Managed Care Contract Analysis, Relative Value Scale Studies, and Statistical Modeling by Location by Physician.

Cohen’s website hosts an array of valuable downloads available for managers to use.  Here are some examples:

• Comparison of GPCI values by Location – CY2009 vs. CY 2008
• Comparison of RVU values by procedure code – CY 2009 vs. CY 2008
• Physician Compensation Model Using Work RVUs
• RBRVS Calculation Template – 4th Quarter, 2009

Like most of us, Cohen has an interest in how medical practices can continue to meet the burden of increasing costs and shrinking reimbursements.  He looked to the dual programs of Six Sigma and Lean to reveal ways for practices to eliminate wasted time, energy and resources and promote efficiencies in the practice.  Cohen writes:

…I obtained my Six Sigma Black Belt certification and more recently, certification as a Lean Six Sigma (LSS) instructor. Over the past few years, I have struggled with developing a process improvement model that is specific to medical practices only, vetting a host of different tools to eliminate those that have little or no application in our vertical market and customize others to work specifically within a physician’s office. I started applying these to some projects in the past couple of years and am very excited about this model and encouraged that this is one of the best ways to optimize profitability for physicians.

Cohen is providing an introduction to his Lean Six Sigma for medical practices through a free webinar on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Eastern.  Webinars are a wonderful way to spend a little time and no money to learn something.  You need a phone for the audio and a computer for the video and chat functions.  I’ve signed up and I hope to “see” you there.

I just participated in my first webinar and really enjoyed discussing the 2008 MGMA Annual Conference with colleague Marshall Maglothin and FierceHealthcare.com Editor-in-Chief Anne Zieger.  Click here to register with FierceHealthcare and launch the webinar.  My part starts at about 16 minutes.

Let me know what you thought about the conference.

©Travis Manley/Dreamstime.com

Here’s some information you probably already knew, but might have forgotten. After ten minutes of a presentation, the majority of an audience (your staff, your docs, your board, your referrers) tune out, or rather, their brains turn off. BusinessWeek’s Carmine Gallo recently wrote about John Medina’s book Brain Rules and the ten-minute rule.

If you want to hold people’s attention, I recommend you introduce some sort of engaging device at or shortly before each 10-minute increment of your presentation. This device doesn’t have to be complicated. A simple story will suffice, as will a review of the past 10 minutes. In my presentations, I often tell a relevant story, or better yet, show a video clip that is relevant to the previous discussion. If you’re presenting via Webinar software (BusinessWeek, 4/18/08), you can use a tool to push a poll or a question to your audience. Again, be sure to plan these exercises at 10-minute intervals. – Carmine Gallo

Some things I’ve used successfully to break up relatively dry information in staff meetings:

• short dance break to wake everyone up ( James Brown’s ‘I Feel Good” is a classic favorite)
• passing out party hats to everyone to announce a special event (can get silly)
• visual interest slides at intervals – optical illusions (the gorilla on the basketball court is a classic but I don’t know if it’s available for groups unless you buy the DVD)
• telling a tasteful joke if you can deliver it well – I personally can’t tell a joke to save my life
• teach desk exercises to stave off stiff necks and sore backs
• show pictures or movies from the last staff event, holiday party, etc.

Read the complete article here and let me know what you do to keep people from tuning you out.