July 20, 2009 |
Issue No. 1 | |
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Tricare Auth Update
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Active duty members can choose Tricare Prime or Tricare Prime Remote. All specialty care must be coordinated through their primary care manager. Patients should not be seen without an authorization from Tricare.
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Scheduler Training
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Scheduler classes will be held on-line Wednesday July 28th and Monday August 3rd. If you haven't already, contact Rachel to sign up.
rachel@ipcbilling.com
(616) 459-6867
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Newsletter Archive
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Want to read a back issue of
IPC's newsletter?
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Red Flag Rule
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Effective August 1st! Click here to read more about Red Flag.
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Greetings!
This issue contains
CMS' plans for rate changes in 2010 and computer tips for
protecting against viruses. Don't miss the important information in the
side bar at left including a Tricare insurance update and scheduler
training information.
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| CMS Proposed 2010 Changes |
This month the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
(CMS) announced proposed changes to policies and payment rates for services to
be furnished in 2010. Of primary concern to specialists is the proposal to stop
paying for consultation codes. Instead, providers will have to use an existing
E/M service code. This will result in lower reimbursement for these services. CMS
is also proposing to reduce payments that require the use of expensive
equipment. On the flip side, other proposed changes are expected to increase
payments to primary care and geriatric specialists between 6 and 8 percent. A
proposal that will have a modest impact for specialists and help promote
payment equity is to allocate the portion of Medicare's payment for
professional liability insurance to those physicians who have the highest
malpractice costs. More measures will be added to PQRI and resulting incentive
payments will remain at 2% of the total estimated allowable charges for the
period. CMS is also proposing a new process for group practices to be
considered successful electronic prescribers. For more information on the
proposed rule, please see: http://www.federalregister.gov/inspection.aspx#special
A Fact Sheet providing more information about the
e-Prescribing Program and PQRI proposals can be found at:
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/apps/media/fact_sheets.asp
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| Anti-Virus Software |
Early last year the number of viruses, worms and Trojans in circulation topped one million. No longer are we worried about viruses written by amateurs that caused annoying pop-ups, sluggish response times or hard drive crashes. Now modern viruses are written by professionals and often underwritten by criminal organizations. These viruses attempt to stay invisible so their botnets can steal information for as long as possible.
Your first defense against such malicious software is your anti-virus program, which helps prevent, detect and remove such malware. When anti-virus software scans a file for viruses, it checks the contents of a file against a dictionary of virus signatures [the Blacklist]. Once the program finds a virus signature it attempts to quarantine, repair or delete the virus code. Because new viruses are being created each day, it is very important to update your anti-virus software. Some antivirus software runs in real-time while others must be manually updated.
It is true that an anti-virus programs can sometimes slow your PC's response time. Nevertheless, your anti-virus software needs to be enabled at all times. Be careful which anti-virus software you choose. Some antivirus software programs are actually malware, such as the notorious WinFixer. There are legitimate free antivirus programs available, such as the basic AVG. For business purposes, however, I recommend buying and installing a reputable software package such as Symantec (Norton), McAfee or Kaspersky on each PC and laptop in your office. If malware is detected and can't be quarantined, call your tech support person immediately. It is best to leave malware eradication to the experts.
Next issue we will discuss the importance of having a Firewall and some of your configuration options.
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| About Us |
If you have any questions regarding this newsletter, you can contact us at:
Mary Ellen Duffy med@ipcbilling.com Patricia Nevala pat@ipcbilling.comor call us at 616-459-6867 or 800-606-1455
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to your staff and peers.
Innovative Practice Concepts, LLC -- A full service medical billing company
Your Bottom Line is our Top Priority!
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