| ~ Our Services ~ |
Medical Billing and Collections
Billing / EMR System Sales and Support
Contracting and Credentialing (Payers/IPA's)
Contract Review, Fee Schedule Analysis
New Practice Setup
Bookkeeping Services
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Our Mission
To optimize financial performance by combining personal integrity, innovative technology, and practical experience for the benefit of our valued physician clients.
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PDS Launches New Web Site - PracticeAnswers.com
PDS is very pleased to announce that our new PracticeAnswers.com web site is now operational and available for viewing.
Our goal is to make PracticeAnswers.com a valuable resource for tools and information that will enable physicians to manage their practices more effectively. Future plans for the web site include a portal that will allow PDS clients to log in and download complimentary fee schedules, payer contract reviews, superbill and hospital charge forms, coding information, etc.
We will also be including useful information on labor law, employee benefits, business insurance and liability issues, advantages and disadvantages of incorporating, as well as other topics of interest to medical practices.
We invite you to visit the new web site by clicking here and pass along any comments or suggestions you may have. Thank you!
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| Potential 30% Medicare Payment Reduction - Time to Re-think Your Participation Status?
Physicians again face a 23 percent cut in Medicare payments on Dec. 1, 2010, followed by an additional 6 percent cut on Jan. 1, 2011. Physicians need to prepare contingency plans in the event Congress fails to act to avert these looming cuts of nearly 30 percent.
There are three options available to physicians:
- Remain a Participating (PAR) Provider and accept Medicare's allowed charge as payment in full.
- Become a non-Participating (non-PAR) Provider, bill patients directly for the Limiting Charge, and collect about 9% more for unassigned claims.
- Opt out of the Medicare program altogether and become a private contracting physician.
Physicians will have until Dec. 31, 2010, to modify their status with the Medicare program, and will want to carefully weigh their options. The AMA has developed the "Know your options: Medicare Participation Guide" to help physicians evaluate their options and choose the direction that is right for their practice. The kit contains a detailed explanation of the three options, a helpful calculator and various sample materials to help physicians share information with existing, new, and prospective patients.
To view the AMA's Medicare Participation Guide in its entirety, please click here.
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Capitation Update - Sharp Community Medical Group
SCMG providers were previously instructed to bill CPT code 99024 Post-op follow-up visit with a charge of $0.00 or $0.01. Although the charge is denied as included in the global surgical allowance, many patients have co-pays that you are entitled to collect.
Effective for dates of service beginning 9/1/10, SCMG EOBs will reflect applicable co-pays with an adjudication description of "Denied incl in surgical allowance". For the Post-op (99024) charge to be processed correctly, an amount equal to or greater than the specialist's visit co-pay must be billed.
Please contact your SCMG Network Management Specialist if you have any questions.
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Surprising Results from 2009 EHR User Satisfaction Survey
More than 2,000 Family Physicians responded to an EHR survey conducted by the AAFP and its Family Practice Management (FPM) Magazine. The brief survey contained the following questions:
- Overall this EHR is easy and intuitive to use.
- Documenting care is easy and effective with this EHR.
- Finding and reviewing information is easy with this EHR.
- Ordering lab tests, referrals and imaging studies is easy with this EHR.
- E-prescribing is fast and easy with this EHR.
- This EHR provides useful tools for health maintenance (for instance, prompts, alerts and flow sheets).
- This EHR provides useful tools for disease management (for instance, disease-specific prompts, alerts, flow sheets and patient lists).
- E-messaging and tasking within the office is easy with this EHR.
- This EHR enables me to practice higher quality medicine than I could with paper charts.
- I have a good idea how much this EHR system is costing my practice.
- This EHR is worth the expense.
- Our EHR vendor provides excellent training and support.
- I am highly satisfied with this EHR system.
Responses were received on 142 separate EHR systems, 120 of which were used by 12 or fewer respondents and therefore excluded. The remaining 22 systems were used by 13 or more respondents and were the ones for which the survey reported its results.
Most major brands are represented in the final survey results and are EHRs most physicians will be familiar with. At the top of the list is e-MDs which scored very well in almost every category. Amazing Charts, one of the least expensive EHRs, scored surprisingly well, as did eClinicalWorks and Practice Partner. It's also worth noting that Allscripts MyWay scored near the bottom in nearly every category.
To view the full article and results of this very timely and informative EHR survey, please click here.
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Dear Friends & Valued Clients,
We hope you'll find this electronic newsletter to be informative, quick, and convenient. If you do, please feel free to share it with a friend or colleague by clicking on the Forward email link below.
Have a question, concern, compliment, or criticism you'd like to share? Please call or send me an email with your thoughts and suggestions.
Thank you!
Chris Burns, President chris@pdsmedical.com (619) 757-2200 x102 |
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