regulation Archives - Capko & Morgan

Does your staff treat patients well?
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Does your staff treat patients well?

medical practice business, patient satisfaction, patient service, PQRS, regulation

Does your staff treat patients well?

Healthcare reform is placing the relationship between the patient and the medical practice front and center in hopes of improving compliance and clinical outcomes. It’s all about strengthening the relationship between patients, their physicians and the entire practice and making patients feel valued. Although physicians are working hard to strengthen their relationship with the patients, the staff seems to fall short. In 2013 Capko & Morgan conducted a patient satisfaction survey that spanned five metro areas of the U.S. It revealed staff is falling short on making patients feel valued by their practices. 37% of the respondents felt the staff performed only adequately in terms of making them feel valued and respected, another 7% rated staff poorly, and suggesting there is much room for improvement. So what can you do to get staff on board with providing a better patient experience? Talk about it. Help staff understand that they are a reflection of the practice to every patient. It is an important role and they hold the key to making patients feel valued. Build in accountability. Schedule a customer service planning meeting with staff to collectively set some performance standard dealing with staff-patient interaction. New Patients: Every employee is expected to honor new patients and making them feel comfortable Get rid of the sign-in sheet. Introduce yourself and make a statement that welcomes them or thanks them for choosing your practice. Don’t just hand patients a clip board, explain why you need them to provide information and let them know you appreciate their cooperation. Thank them when they are finished. When rooming the new patient give some information about her new physicians to provide important reassurance that she is in good hands. All patients: Greeted with a smile and by name within one minute of arrival for a visit Kept informed of expected wait time in reception room and exam room Before ending the conversation with a patient ask “Is there anything I can help you with?” On the phone Staff will identify themselves by name. Callers will not be kept on hold more than 30 seconds without further communication

By Judy Capko|2022-01-01T22:52:12-08:00December 7th, 2013|

The Time is Now for ICD-10 Planning

Regulatory requirements that affect the medical practice are changing rapidly. While the primary focus may seem to be on EHR systems and meaningful use to obtain those stimulus funds, there are other mandatory system changes that need to be addressed now, starting with the conversion to ICD -10 code set. The new code set represents an important advancement in diagnostic coding and conversion to it is required. Limitations of ICD-9 include limited descriptive reporting and inability to adapt to advances in medical procedures and technology. The new system promises more flexibility and descriptive capacity. As a result, more accurate healthcare data reporting is expected. Due to the significant structural differences between the existing ICD-9 diagnostic coding system and ICD-10 coding system, the transition to ICD-10 code set is one of the critical areas of change for physicians in the near future. Medical practices will be required to adopt the use of the ICD-10-CM code set by October 2013. Since the new system is relatively complex, you’ll want to make sure your entire staff receives the training they need as early as possible. One potential benefit for doctors that “under code” is that more precise diagnosis and procedure codes will enable more accurate reimbursement. Additional benefits include an improved ability to measure health care services, reduce coding errors, a decreased for supporting documentation with claims, and the ability to use administrative data to evaluate medical processes and outcomes. October 2013 may seem a long way off, but given the magnitude of this conversion it is important to address this change now in order to avoid severe work disruption and delayed or lost payments. The first step in planning for the conversion to ICD-10 is to assess the organization’s readiness for adapting the new codes and understanding the impact of the change on your practice. Practice leaders should meet with billing system IT representatives and develop an implementation strategy, time-line and budget to accomplish the conversion. The timeline should include adequate time for testing the system and it should contain a plan for providing essential education and training for the team members.

By Joe Capko|2011-10-27T16:54:55-08:00September 9th, 2011|

Build Rock-Solid Financial Policies

The foundation for effective management of the revenue cycle is the practice's financial polices - so make yours rock-solid! They need to reflect the practice's culture and payment philosophy. This becomes more critical with the increase in high deductible insurance plans that place more responsibility on the patient. Here are some key factors in developing effective financial policies: Physicians need to agree on what their payment expectations are and let the manager enforce the policies. Include everyone involved in the process in the development of the financial policies and procedures. This often includes the scheduler, receptionist, data entry, coder, billing clerk, collection department and the manager. It is important to get their buy-in to develop policies that will work! Provide consistent training and support. Establish benchmarks for accurate patient registration, charge entry/payment cycle and error ratios, and days in accounts receivable. Provide adequate oversight to recognize when additional support is needed and to hold staff accountable to the standards outlined in the policy. Financial policies unify the practice and improve consistency in collection procedures To be effective, physicians and managers must define their expectations and clarify the processes necessary to achieve those expectations. Capko & Company a leader in medical practice management and marketing consulting. Judy Capko is the author of the runaway best-selling book: Secrets of the Best-Run Practices!

By Judy Capko|2022-01-01T22:52:54-08:00July 23rd, 2011|