Greetings
March 19, 2010 - Issue 3 |
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 MN Care Tax and Interest Reporting Change
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Since
transitioning to the mandated electronic remit process, some practice
management systems have not been able to post MN Care tax and interest payments
made by ChiroCare. To support more accurate and efficient claims handling in
your office, our system has recently been adjusted to post tax and interest
amounts as adjustments rather than a separate service. By eliminating the separate service, the claims posting issues experienced in some offces should be eliminated. Please note that
this change will not affect how the tax and interest information appears on
remits posted to ChiroCare Connect.
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Advisory Committee Update
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ChiroCare invited contracted providers to
participate on an Advisory Committee last summer. Participants are responsible
for offering input and advice on new clinical,
administrative and communication initiatives. Since last fall, the group has
met with ChiroCare executives by phone each month to discuss topics such as the
annual meeting, provider education seminars, Web site resources, and provider marketing support.
Advisory Committee members were
invited to participate in a short-term pilot of an online active home-care
instruction program in February. Feedback collected in February and March will help
determine the program's value and whether it will be made available to the full
network.
This month,
Advisory Committee members will participate in a pilot to collect patient
outcomes data as outlined in the 2009 third quarter Letter from the President. There is growing
demand on all fronts to report on results, as well as a need to increase consumer
engagement to improve health and lower costs. Having the ability to report on
patient outcomes heightens the credibility of chiropractic within the medical
profession, in our communities, and across patient channels. Once the pilot is
completed and resulting enhancements are implemented, ChiroCare will introduce
this essential initiative to the entire network.
The Advisory Committee members
will also be invited to work with ChiroCare to seek accreditation through the
National Council for Quality Assurance's (NCQA) low back pain program later
this year. The intent is to use Advisory Committee feedback to refine tools
developed by ChiroCare to help contracted providers complete this challenging
and rigorous accreditation process. Accredited status from NCQA is another way
to prove and report on the value chiropractic providers and ChiroCare's provider
network deliver.
If you would like to help
ChiroCare evaluate programs and contribute to continuously improving its value to
contracted providers, please apply to ChiroCare's Field Advisory Committee. To
apply, submit a completed application
to TAB.ERCK@chirocaremn.org. The
application has been posted to the Recent Updates page at www.chirocaremn.org for your convenience.
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Avoid Requests for Information
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ChiroCare's Utilization Management Committee notes
that some network providers are frequently asked to provide additional
information such as treatment and exam notes. These requests are disruptive and
time consuming for providers, and costly and disruptive to ChiroCare. To reduce
the volume of requests, the following guidelines are being provided: -
Provide current clinical information. The
"Date of Subjective Complaints" and the date of the "Objective Findings" should
be within one week of the initial treatment plan date listed. Since current
information is necessary to conduct a proper review, reports of clinical
information that date back to the patient's first visit will result in a
request for more recent information.
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Complete the "Treatment History" section. Without
an understanding of how much care the patient has received to date, additional
information will be requested.
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Communicate information about the patient's
initial level of disability and improvement to date. The field that
requests additional information supports medical necessity. An understanding of
the patient's condition at the start of care, as well as current presentation,
is necessary to determine if continued improvement will be achieved with
additional care.
If you have questions about how to complete the authorization forms,
please review the Chiropractic Treatment Plan Instructions available at ChiroCare Connect/Admin
Resources, or call provider services at (888) 638-7719.
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Meet the Board: Howard
Lecander, DC
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With more than 45 years of clinical experience, Dr. Lecander brings a
unique perspective to the ChiroCare Board. He became interested in the
chiropractic profession after serving as a Chinese interpreter for the Air Force
and returning from Korea in 1957. The success of chiropractic treatment for his
mother's spinal conditions and high blood pressure prompted him to apply his GI
Bill educational grant toward Northwestern College of Chiropractic.
Following graduation, Dr. Lecander owned and operated the Glenwood
Chiropractic Clinic in Glenwood, Minnesota for 20 years. After relocating, he
practiced at the West St. Paul Chiropractic Clinic and served as an associated
professor for Northwestern for several years. In 2005, he joined the Marty
Chiropractic Clinic in Burnsville where he currently practices.
The current Credentialing Committee Chair
joined the ChiroCare Board of Directors at its start in the 1980s.
"Participation with ChiroCare was an opportunity to help the profession be
included in managed care, the future of health care at the time," he says.
"Today, ChiroCare is working to advance chiropractic by focusing on the use of
outcomes data to help contracted providers grow their business. It's an
exciting part of my career."
Dr. Lecander has served in many professional
and civic leadership roles over the years including President of both the
College Alumni Association and the Northwestern College Board of Trustees,
Glenwood City Coucilman, and a member of the Jaycees. In addition, he has
received many accolades including the Community Leader of America Award and the
Minnesota Chiropractor of the Year Award.
In his spare time, he enjoys outdoor
activities such as hunting and fishing, as well as keeping current on political
events.
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Annual Report Distributed at
Meeting
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ChiroCare's 2009 Annual Report was distributed at the annual provider meeting held on February
25, 2010. The meeting included
brief presentations by several department chairs as well as ChiroCare's
President Bill Barrett, DC, and Chief Operating Officer Tab Erck.Following the presentation, ChiroCare Board members
and Executive Officers were available to discuss questions and concerns raised by
attending providers.
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Innovative Opportunity Being
Planned for Fall
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Plans for a thought-provoking, collaborative business meeting to be held
this fall are under way. There will be a panel discussion of prominent health
care industry leaders to give ChiroCare contracted providers a front-row seat
to a dynamic exchange of ideas and current thoughts about the future of health
care in the U.S. In addition, a variety of topical break-out sessions are
planned. Please watch upcoming newsletters for details and a "Save the Date"
notice.
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Find Remit
Information Quickly
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As a reminder, ChiroCare remits are available at ChiroCare
Connect for no charge. To obtain remit information, log in to ChiroCare
Connect, select the "Claim RAs" tab and enter the last six digits of the applicable
check number or a check date span. A link to ChiroCare Connect is available at
the bottom of ChiroCare's home page, www.chirocaremn.org.
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Fast Facts
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Feb 2010
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Performance Goal
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Average speed to answer the phone
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18 seconds
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Less than 30 seconds
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Volume of calls answered within 30 seconds
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90%
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Minimum of 80%
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Volume of all claims received
electronically*
*Per MN Statute 62J.536 all providers in MN
are to be submitting claims electronically as of 12/15/09
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88%
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Minimum of 90%
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