RESUMO
Credentialing a physician for Medicare and private plans is a detailed and time-consuming process, but it must be completed before a plan will reimburse a practice's billed services. Assign a person with the right skills for this project, and insist on regular progress reports to be certain credentialing has been successfully completed. Submit credentialing applications three to six months ahead of opening your practice doors, moving to a new location, or merging with another organization. If you're considering outsourcing the credentialing process to a service, verify its reputation and work products with its customers.
Assuntos
Credenciamento , Medicare , Médicos , Humanos , Estados UnidosRESUMO
Many physicians and practice staff use short messaging service (SMS) text messaging to communicate with patients. But SMS text messaging is unencrypted, insecure, and does not meet HIPAA requirements. In addition, the short and abbreviated nature of text messages creates opportunities for misinterpretation, and can negatively impact patient safety and care. Until recently, asking patients to sign a statement that they understand and accept these risks--as well as having policies, device encryption, and cyber insurance in place--would have been enough to mitigate the risk of using SMS text in a medical practice. But new trends and policies have made SMS text messaging unsafe under any circumstance. This article explains these trends and policies, as well as why only secure texting or secure messaging should be used for physician-patient communication.
Assuntos
Segurança Computacional , Confidencialidade , Envio de Mensagens de Texto , Correio Eletrônico , Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act , Segurança do Paciente , Gerenciamento da Prática Profissional , Estados UnidosRESUMO
With the proper planning and preparation, nonphysician practitioners (NPPs) can improve physician productivity and increase patient access to the practice. A thorough training and orientation program is vital to optimizing the effectiveness and retention of an NPP. An organized approach to understanding payer reimbursement guidelines will ensure that his or her services are documented and billed correctly, and paid appropriately. And proper communication and marketing will go a long way toward building the NPP's patient base. This article offers seven proven ideas for getting an NPP off to a great start in any physician practice.
Assuntos
Assistentes Médicos , Administração da Prática Médica , Humanos , Reembolso de Seguro de Saúde , Marketing de Serviços de Saúde , Estados UnidosRESUMO
Destroying and disposing of data or devices that contain protected health information is an essential part of a practice's privacy and security procedures. It also is critical to managing financial risk and risk to your practice's reputation. Many practices, however, have not developed a policy or process for safely discarding the data, or the devices on which the data resides. This article covers five key action steps a practice can take to mitigate the risks involved in destroying and disposing of clinical and financial data.
Assuntos
Segurança Computacional , Prontuários Médicos , Política Organizacional , Administração da Prática Médica/organização & administração , Gestão de Riscos/organização & administração , Medidas de Segurança/organização & administração , Humanos , Medição de RiscoRESUMO
Attorney jokes are legendary among physicians. However, in today's healthcare climate physicians can benefit by having a collaborative relationship with a trusted legal partner--one who understands the business and regulations of medicine as well as the law.
