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March, 2011 - Vol 11, Issue 3 |
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Coker Publishes Latest Book: Complete Guide and Toolkit to Successful EHR Adoption |
Regardless of where you are in your journey on the road to EHR, the Complete Guide and Toolkit to Successful EHR Adoption will walk you through the process in a practical, easy-to-follow way, with proven strategies to ensure success. An EHR transformation will touch virtually every aspect of your practice and bring about an entirely new way of thinking and doing business. The benefits far outweigh the cost of doing nothing, which includes the risk of becoming technologically isolated from consumers, payers, and others in the health care community. Click here to read more and to order your copy today!
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Prepared for the ICD-10 Transition? | |
Tick tock. It's time to start the countdown to October 2013, the deadline for the new ICD-10 implementation. It may seem a long way off; however, it will be here before you know it. This transition is not just a mere software update; it is a complete transition from ICD-9 to ICD10 and from 4010 to the new 5010 affecting not only coding, but also billing and payments. Those organizations who properly prepare will move beyond compliance to competitive.
Please click here to complete a brief survey and watch for updates to see how your organization compares.
Our experienced associates can help your organization develop a comprehensive plan to get you prepared for future changes.
For more information, please contact us. |
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Welcome to the Coker Family! | |
Coker Group happily welcomes the following employees to the Coker Family:
David Julian, Manager Consultant
Jessica Norcia, Associate Consultant |
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Are YOU Ready to Collect Your EHR Incentive Dollars?
By Sue Hertlein |
Providers, could you use $44,000 or $63,750? All you have to do under the CMS EHR Incentives program is qualify for Meaningful Use!
The clock is ticking away on the electronic health records (EHR) incentives program timeline. You won't want to miss the opportunity to collect your incentive money from CMS, established under the HITECH Act of 2009. As a part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009, this is a one-time offer to receive payments from the federal government for automating your medical practice. And if you fail to do so, you not only miss out on receiving money, you may also be subject to future penalties.
The Medicare program deadline for you to receive the maximum award of $44,000 is October 1, 2012. Can you meet this deadline? If you currently have an EHR that is certified under the requirements of this program, you do not have to purchase a new system--you could qualify for monies with your current system. To see if your particular system is qualified under requirements for meaningful use, visit the Office of the National Coordinator website at http://onc-chpl.force.com/ehrcert.
CMS offers two EHR Incentives programs: one for Medicare and the other for Medicaid. You cannot participate in both during the same year. Let's look at the differences in these programs and the requirements.
"EP" = eligible professional
Click here to read the full article.
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HCIT Update: Update from HIMSS
By John Reiboldt | |
By now, all who attended the 2011 HIMSS Annual Conference are fully recovered from the event and probably weary of reading updates from the conference; however, while HIMSS is not the only authority on health care information technology (HCIT), it does offer a good glimpse as to what to expect over the next year. Here are some takeaways:
 iPad Domination: Having an HCIT application for the iPad® is no longer good enough; many companies are designing their whole systems around use on the iPad®. If Apple® is not considering having a booth at HIMSS next year, they should; though, maybe they will let their consumers market their products for them and never have to get involved. I think it is interesting that in my many years in healthcare and having been in hundreds of clinics and hospitals, rarely have I seen Macintosh® computers in use. When considering opportunity for growth, perhaps the single greatest opportunity is for Apple® to make a stronger play in the healthcare provider market and do for healthcare what they did for the music industry and mobile computing. Click here to read the full article.
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Coffee with Coker - a FREE monthly webinar! | |
Time: 11:30 a.m. EST
Speaker: Mark Reiboldt
Hospital/Medical Group Alignment Transactions
Mergers and acquisitions are strategic options to consider when facing economic pressure, market dynamics and decreasing financial alternatives. Healthcare providers in the current marketplace are being forced to explore alternatives that will allow their organizations to continue growing while achieving the financial stability that is needed. Transactions that align hospitals and medical groups are proving to be a viable option for many providers in working to increase market share and boost competitiveness through eeconomies of scale and strength in numbers. Whether the goal is to expand a physician group network, ancillaries or new service lines, or simply to achieve scale through the purchase of other entities, an M&A-focused alignment strategy is becoming a vital long-term growth objective for provider organizations throughout the country. This presentation discusses latest industry trends and key items to consider when aligning.
Knowledge Nuggets:
- Explore keys to success and learn to avoid mistakes
- Define offers that develop strong relationships among provider settings
- Anticipate changes and prepare for adjustments throughout the merger
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Physician Shortage Impact on Alignment
By Craig Hunter |
It's no secret we are in the midst of a physician shortage expected to last for at least the next 15 years. As a society, we are already feeling the impact of this in a variety of ways. This is especially true when private groups, particularly in rural markets, are no longer able to attract or retain physicians within their communities due to more attractive offers from practices/hospitals in other markets. In turn, this forces those physicians to practice longer hours in an attempt to continue to meet demand from their long-standing patients and referring physicians.
Over the last couple of years, with the continued decline in reimbursement and the downturn in the economy, many physicians are turning to their local hospitals to "address" their issues. While this was anticipated to impact medical and surgical specialties, it has now become a significant trend for a variety of reasons. Click here to read the full article.
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About Coker Group
Coker Group, a leader in healthcare consulting, helps physicians, hospitals, and other providers find answers and solve problems in management and business operations. Our consulting team members are proficient, trustworthy professionals with experience and strengths in various areas. Coker's staff includes seasoned individuals in finance, administration, management, operations, compliance, and information systems. Coker integrity is unquestionable.
The CokerConnection© 2011 is an electronic newsletter published monthly by Coker Group, copyedited by Kay Stanley and compiled for the internet by Trish Hutcherson. The articles and viewpoints presented in the CokerConnection© are for informational purposes only and not intended to constitute legal or financial advice. If legal, financial, or other professional advice is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. |
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