September 18, 2015 - The DO Family Newsletter  
Silverfest Alumni Weekend 

Sep 12 - Last weekend, Silverfest Alumni Weekend brought MSUCOM alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends together for a fun-filled weekend of golf, reminiscing, CME credit, tailgating and Spartan football.

MOA Board members participated in the outing, sponsoring a foursome in the tournament, which supports student scholarships and the MSUCOM Alumni Association. Members also joined in the pre-game festivities at the Silverfest tailgate, sponsored by MOA, to show their Spartan spirit. That "spirit" paid off as the Spartans beat the Ducks from the University of Oregon in a nationally televised game. Go Green!

AMOA Featured at Driver Safety Showcase

Sen. Coleman Young II tests his skills on the AMOA's Distracted Driver Simulator
Sep 16 - A beautiful, sunny day led to a record turnout as the Coalition Protecting Auto No-Fault (CPAN) hosted the annual Driver Safety Showcase at the Michigan State Capitol. The event featured a wide variety of organizations committed to promoting driver safety. The Advocates for the Michigan Osteopathic Association (AMOA) were once again on hand with their Distracted Driver Simulator. 

AMOA's Dana Borenitsch said "It's great to be back again. We have been all over the state with our program and being on the Capitol lawn is such an honor." The simulator challenges drivers to navigate typical driving scenarios while attempting to use a phone to text or make a phone call. The results are predictable. Driving and texting simply do not mix. Fortunately the simulator shows the hazards without real-life consequences. The AMOA offers their Distracted Drive Simulator program for various groups. Look for their next appearance Nov. 6-8, at the 11th Annual Autumn Scientific Convention in Grand Rapids.
Industry Trend: Probe Audits and Data Mining
      
Nobody wants to be audited. Nobody has time to be audited. Unfortunately that is the reality healthcare providers face; external audits can be initiated at any time.
 
Currently, we are seeing providers from various specialties and in multiple states, receiving probe audit letters from their respective MAC. The letters are identifying these providers as being high utilizers of a particular E/M code when compared to their peers. Being a high utilizer does not automatically mean there is a problem. The services could be medically necessary, appropriately documented, and coded correctly. If they are not correct, what was just a probe audit can turn into a much larger audit and the MAC will require the provider to refund the over payments.
 
So what should providers do? Either implement or continue to maintain an effective compliance plan which includes auditing and monitoring is the first step. The goal is not to change your coding and billing practices to fit in to a particular pattern. The goal is to provide medically necessary services to the patients, document those services appropriately, and receive correct reimbursement for the services rendered. If that happens to send up a flag when data mining occurs, so be it.
 
Nobody wants to be audited. Nobody has time to be audited. Being audited should not create fear and anxiety. Being audited should just be business as usual and a minor inconvenience. Make sure any audits you face are just that by keeping tabs on your documentation and coding through internal auditing and monitoring.

By: Laura Lovett, CPC, CPMA, CPC-I, CANPC, CEMC, Data Integrity and Compliance Consultant, The Rybar Group, Inc.
 
Laura Lovett is a Data Integrity & Compliance Consultant for The Rybar Group, specializing in the area of Professional Service Coding, Auditing and Education. She can be reached at 810.853.6173 or via email at: LLovett@therybargroup.com
For Physician Services, click HERE. 
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MBPA Hosts Health Care Reform Conference

The Michigan Business & Professional Association (MBPA) will host the Health Care Reform Conference on Thursday, September 24th at Oakland University. The event will feature Matthew Rae, the Senior Policy Analyst, Health Care Marketplace Project from the Henry J. Kaiser Foundation, and Nick Lyon, the director of the Michigan Health and Human Services (MHHS). 

The event will include presentations and discussions regarding health care reform and how it affects your business. The MOA's Michael Weiss, DO, F.A.C.O.O.G. will be a panelist in the session, "The ACA: Put Into Perspective." 

Register online at michbusiness.org or contact Natasha at 888.277.6464
November 6-8, the Michigan Osteopathic Association will return to beautiful Grand Rapids for the 2015 Autumn Scientific Convention at the Amway Grand Plaza. 

Attendees - For more information on CMEs and the agenda, click HERE
Science Research Exhibits - Currently accepting submissions, click HERE.
Exhibitors - Exhibitor registration is open! For more information, click HERE.

Connecting to MOA Members

The Michigan Osteopathic Association (MOA) is in the process of updating the records of our MOA members. It is good to acknowledge that we have had a huge number of members updating their contact information. This allows us to better communicate events, benefits and issues that affect you, your practice and your community. 

As a member, you have login access to the MOA website (www.domoa.org) to manage your contact information. We encourage members to add, or update, their mail addresses. But we also realize some members prefer regular mail. You can update that information as well. 
 
To access your membership information and to renew your dues now, click HERE
 
If you have any questions, please contact: 
Devona Jameson
517.347.1555 Ext. 109
The ICD-10 Deadline is October 1st
ICD-10 CMS Video
CMS Video on ICD-10 FAQs

The deadline for the ICD-10 changeover is less than two weeks away and many physicians still have questions. We have created a page on the MOA website with links to resources to address questions and provide background to the coding program. The page features a brief video with highlights of the changes, as well as links to more information on the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) website. The page also includes a Countdown Clock as a reminder of the approaching deadline. 

To visit the MOA, ICD-10 webpage, click HERE
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AOA 2012-2015 CME Cycle will end December 31, 2015

This is a friendly reminder that the AOA 2012-2015 CME cycle will end on December 31, 2015. In order to view your complete CME activity report, please log in to your AOA account at the AOA website: www.osteopathic.org
The Michigan Osteopathic Association (MOA) is committed to helping you meet your CME requirements.

OMED 2015
October 17-21, 2015, Orlando, FL
www.osteopathic.org/omed

MOA 11th Annual Autumn Scientific Convention
November 6-8, 2015, Grand Rapids, Michigan
17 AOA Category 1-A Credits anticipated
www.domoa.org/gr2015

MOA 117th Annual Spring Scientific Convention
May 12-15, 2016, Dearborn, Michigan
Watch for further details, coming soon

If you are not a current MOA member, become a member now and
register for MOA conventions at a discounted rate.
Please visit www.domoa.org for more information.

For further assistance, please contact the MOA CME Department at (800) 657-1556 X112
The MOA Pulse is a member benefit for sharing news and events. If you have any news items you would like to share, or if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact:
Todd Ross
Manager of Communications
Michigan Osteopathic Association
517/827-0615
Michigan Osteopathic Association | 800.657.1556 | www.domoa.org