 
Haiti Disaster Relief
Twelve Lakewood Fire District # 2 Paramedics will serve for two weeks in Haiti this August. This deployment will provide medical care for those impacted by the recent earthquake. They will divide their time between the Level 1 Trauma Center in Port-Au-Prince and the various aid stations located in remote areas throughout the region. In addition, team members will travel to outlying orphanages to provide whatever relief they can. The medics are planning to volunteer their time and expertise to the people of Haiti. Donations are needed to fund the expenses of this project.
Anyone interested in donating to this valuable effort on behalf of the Lakewood FD Paramedics, please send your contributions to:
Lakewood Fire District 2
Life Safety Charity Fund (LSCF)
10928 Pacific Hwy. S.W.
Lakewood, WA 98499 |
SDW Staff Earn Ambulance Coder Certification
The National Academy of Ambulance Coding offers an online course for individuals to become certified as ambulance billers. Leslie Sheridan and Jody O'Brien have each earned the title of Certified Ambulance Coder after completing this course, which included 30 hours of mandatory training and passing a comprehensive final exam. The course consists of 23 chapters covering topics such as anatomy, call intake, documentation, coding and claims submission as well as appeals, auditing, HIPAA and compliance.
At Systems Design, we strive to bring you billing services that are ethical, accurate and compliant. Ongoing quality education assures up-to-date expertise with the latest in ambulance billing. |
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Billing News...
Urban & Rural Bonus Payments
Begin July 6th
In our last Special Edition, we included information on the reinstatement of the urban, rural and super-rural bonuses for 2010 and we have been eagerly watching for those increased payments. Noridian, our local carrier, has been instructed by Medicare to implement the new payment rates by July 6th and we should start receiving the bonuses at that time.
These increases are retroactive to January 1st, 2010, so any claims from 2010 that are already paid will be automatically reprocessed for additional payment. |
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Events
Fall Conference
9/27-10/2/2010 |
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Systems Design Completes Move to Poulsbo
Our move to Poulsbo is 100% complete! Now that we are settled into our new building, we would like to extend an invitation to all of our clients to stop by and pay us a visit.
Our new physical address is:
19265 Powder Hill Place NE
Poulsbo, WA 98370
Our current mailing address (PO Box 3510, Silverdale, WA 98383) has not changed, and the toll free Phone Number for Patients remains 800-238-9398.
We would like to direct all of our Fire Department clients to utilize our administration phone numbers (800-585-5242 or 360-394-7020). This will enable us to keep the patient lines available to the patients and patient services personnel.
For a brief photo tour click HERE. |
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ON-TRIAL EMS Medical-Legal Workshop
HUGE SUCCESS The ON-TRIAL Workshop, held June 4th and 5th and presented by East Pierce Fire & Rescue and the Pierce County Fire Chiefs EMS Committee, was very well attended and appreciated by all. Systems Design was a proud sponsor of this event and our management team that attended the workshop was very impressed with the amount of information about documentation, liabilities of EMS organizations, and other important legal issues that were covered by knowledgeable guest attorney speakers Winnie Maggiore and John Murphy. Our thanks to the East Pierce Fire & Rescue Organization for all of the work to put this together. We look forward to the next one. |
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Sharing Information on Federal & State Standards
Red Flag Rules Delayed - Again
The Red Flag Rules, designed to detect and prevent identity theft, was scheduled to take effect on June 1st, 2010. The FTC has delayed enforcement of the rule until December 31st, 2010. We will keep you informed as more information becomes available.
Transports under the Involuntary Treatment Act (ITA)
ITA transports are transports that are paid by DSHS under the Involuntary Treatment Act. In Washington State patients transported for the following reasons can be considered ITA eligible: patients who are assessed as being 1) a danger to themselves; 2) a danger to others; or 3) gravely disabled. The assessment must be done by a Regional Support Network Designated Mental Health Professional (DMHP). The DMHP should give the ambulance supplier a signed form with backup documentation specifying why the patient should be detained. Using this form, our billing office can submit a claim for payment through DSHS even though the patient does not have any coverage. If you receive this form, please be sure to forward a copy with the billing information so we can collect these special funds. |
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Report on
Ambulance Billing, Coding & Compliance Clinic
In early April, staff from Systems Design attended the ABC3 conference in Las Vegas. The 2-day conference was lively and information-packed with great speakers and relevant topics. Of particular interest were the discussions regarding the federal government's emphasis on fighting health care fraud. More and more resources are being focused on auditing Medicare and Medicaid claims, looking for improper or fraudulent billing.
The conference gave us important information on how to remain compliant and how to prepare for the various audit processes. Systems Design continues to implement changes to keep current with the many regulations in this ever-changing industry. |
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Nostalgia... |  |
TYPE 18
GASOLINE TWO WHEEL, FRONT DRIVE STEAM FIRE ENGINE
American-LaFrance Fire Engine Company, Inc.
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