Victim of ‘denied payments’ from payers – for services to the patients?!

Do you require more help than others on medical billing, and coding? Well, improper/poor coding issues are quite common in healthcare setting, and this usually end in bad collection/revenue loss – which we should remain aware about!

 

Medical Billing and Coding

Everyday doctors/care providers manage N number of patients, but at the end – they get less paid for their services to the patients, by insurance companies/payers; this is a matter of concern in care facilities that lack proper billing/coding systems to manage daily activities.

Manual documentation/coding or billing has more chances of errors (than managing work with a system), during routine patient encounters; in your health organization, if you have been having similar kind of coding/billing issues for quite long, it is high time you had thought about companies for medical billing and coding services. Yes, you heard it right!

To bring down errors, to improve cash flow – you definitely require assistance from them; standardized reports from them will let you analyze your business in a better way, like never before.

Do not worry, if after repeated efforts – insurance companies are not paying you ‘just…’ for the services provided to patients, you both agreed upon, as these companies will help you resolve all the financial issues, and make you have every single dollar that you deserve, and worked for.

Improper coding can cost a lot to your business, please mind it; go for medical billing/coding software or service (medical billing coding specialist), whatever that you are comfortable with, to have faster payments (revenue generation) through electronic claim submission, for better health practice.

Stay connected with MedicExchange for various medical billing and coding requirements you have, to get addressed by – to reform your practice, for better revenue management!

Electronic healthcare systems: need of this hour!

For best possible patient care and treatment, health organizations require to change their old work-pattern they were up with; yes, we are talking about care facilities that still work with paper-based medical records/charts to treat on patients. It seems – they love TREES, or say, they do not?!!! What do you say?

 

Electronic Medical Record

Many doctors still rely on manual-labor (assistants) for dictations, and other medical coding/billing work; to err is human, and most of the work managed by men have been found ensuing in ‘bad-to-worst’ results. Who is to be blamed, here?

What will be the immediate outcome, if the prescription on paper from the doctor is not properly read by a pharmacist? Of course, the outcome will be – wrong drug delivery, and death of patient due to it. Who is responsible?!

Many health organizations that understood the importance of an EMR, and/or other integrated billing systems (that took a transition from papers) fare well, now! An EMR system streamlines everyday clinical and administrative activities, and help care providers manage patient data on real-time basis, like never before.

The well integrated systems (along health information system) facilitate swift data/information exchange and communication, and this speeds up healthcare delivery process.

Everything is time bound, and in comparison to paper-based records/charts, an electronic medical record is easy and fast to manage every-day work with; if you are managing your medical office/facility on papers, then it is high-time you had thought for a change.

Cost, and new-technology (acquisition) is a matter of concern that is making many think ‘twice’ for the migration (whether to, or not to); please note, to manage a ‘digital workspace’ is much easier than managing ‘paper-based workspace’, which you should understand now, for the better.

If you are confused over right type of vendor/company for electronic medical record, and other practice management software, then MedicExchange is here to help you with the decision.

Stay connected for different types of EMR systems that you require for your specialized medical practice!

E-Shop, for everything that your healthcare business requires!

It is fun buying things online – so easy and secure! Get to buy healthcare products and supplies – the way you want, without restrictions!

 

E-Shopping (Healthcare Products)

Healthcare sector is growing at a fast pace, with lots of companies/vendors offering variously priced medical equipment & supplies; it can be quite difficult for buyers (health organizations), at times, to make a right decision – on what is right for their business!

To keep a tab on increasing operating cost, care facilities have to make smart buying decisions; yes, rather going for high-priced products (and/or this and that we come across), many will prefer discount medical supplies.

Top-notch equipment manufacturers/brands (of great demand in the market) usually have products ‘on platter’ with high-price values, which would never fit the bill of any small-sized health organization. It is a common perception that ‘higher the cost, higher the quality’; please note that – this is a wrong conception, and you should come out of it!

Most of the decisions (majority of cases) that organizations make, it has been found that they generally stick with any one supplier (they come across, first), without feeling the need to check for alternatives/available options in the market.

Sales and marketing professionals (good at their work) are always there to win over their clients/customers on this and that – ‘products and supplies’, as this is what they are there for – TO MAKE YOU BUY THINGS, FROM THEM (no matter, even if you do not want that product – they will sell it to you); health organizations that directly deal with any of these smart men usually end up paying more, for things they can get cheaply, otherwise! FORCED BUYING – how satisfied you are with this sort of dealing?

If you are a prime decision maker in a health organization, and were confused over right kind of supplier/company that you should go after, then we say “stop worrying about it any further, as MedicExchange is here to assist you on everything”. Yes, we mean it!

We are talking about medical supply shops (online) from some of top-rated companies/vendors from the healthcare segment (NO FORCED SELLING/BUYING – please mind it); now, without any third-party support/intermediaries, get to buy online medical supplies, the way you want, and keep your cost under control.

We have powered E-shops of many industrial players in diverse healthcare products/supplies, for you to gain on – ALL UNDER one common domain; different medical supply stores from them will let you shop online – 24x7x365, without any restriction – of time, or location. You can surf like a free bird, and pick what you want, and leave the rest…!

Get to find everything you want (products – new and used/refurbished) with a single ‘power click’ of button; select two and more products, compare/evaluate their attributes, pricing, shipping details and other, to make a favorable decision, for the purchase.

Easy online shopping, secured transaction, hassle-free return policies are some of your benefits…!

Explore MedicExchange, to know about all the companies/vendors – that have medical supplies online for you, to take advantage of.

Refurbished medical equipment: to rejuvenate your medical practice!

Ownership of any equipment (read: healthcare/medical) has nothing to do with productivity/efficiency of the user; yes, no matter whether the product is new or old (or, the user has taken it on rent/lease), if the user is good at it (using), he/she can definitely do justice with it, no matter what!

 

 

Refurbished medical equipment

Many often say – we lacked this and that, and this is why we are less productive; it is like we never care for alternatives, available to us!

Healthcare organizations that have limited funds for new and expensive medical equipment and supplies can always go for used/refurbished equipment to work with their patients; it is not about value, or newness of the system/tool that matters – but it is always about the human-skills in utilizing the tool, to achieve anything.

Being a prime decision maker in a care-facility, if shortage of equipment and supplies have shown over the health outcome – then go for companies/vendors that are ruling the segment of used and refurbished medical devices. Please note, ‘quality’ is not a synonym (ONLY) to ‘NEW products’…!

Rising healthcare cost is a matter of concern for many – and if you were unable to keep a tab on the operating cost, then get assisted by some of top-notch medical equipment suppliers and distributors for a wide-range of refurbished/certified healthcare products and solutions.

MedicExchange is a global platform, which the healthcare community uses to come across companies and markets, for healthcare products and services; we are occupied in business with suppliers and vendors of both new and pre-owned medical equipment, which health organizations can gain on.

Go for some of top-notch industrial leaders in used and refurbished medical supplies, to minimize down-time at your facility, for better health outcomes.

Stay connected with MedicExchange for details about companies/vendors, to benefit from.

Incentive Payments: for meaningful use of EMR

Some are doing it plainly for incentives, and other are to avoid getting penalized by! Well, we are talking about electronic medical records!

 

Federal incentives

Yes, there are many health organizations that have adopted an EMR, but not the advanced one to manage all the activities that the technology is meant for; for others that lack enough funds for a shift (from paper to electronic world) should not worry any longer.

If to jump from paper-based work culture to the electronic one is difficult for you due to any reason, then there are many to help you with the initiative.

Health insurers and many other have joined the race, and are contributing for organizations/care providers that lack ‘financial power’ for an electronic medical record!

So, if you are still using paper files and charts to manage every-day work in your facility, then it is high time you thought for a change; new technology can be a matter of concern, and we presume you perhaps are even worried about the training; please calm down, as there are companies ready to help you out with everything – whether software implementation, training, this and/or that, in a seamless manner.

Everything is time-bound in healthcare; no wait time for your patients, please – it would be better if you have proper system in place to address all of them ‘on time’, every time they are in for a medical service!

Every satisfied patient will bring in more ‘money’ for your business; go digital, and get to reform your care facility for better health outcomes.

If you are confused over the right kind of EMR vendor for your business, do not worry – as MedicExchange will help you out with it; stay tuned for various EMR companies/vendors, to benefit from.

Prescribe online, for faster delivery and time management!

Do you have an incorporated e-prescription system, in place? Do you still prescribe on paper…?!

 

e-Prescribing

There are health organizations that have adopted an EHR, but not many of them prescribe online for their patients; the result – wait time for patients!

For Federal incentive (2 different programs – Medicare and Medicaid), healthcare professionals require to show they are meaningfully using an EHR, i.e. send prescriptions online, to the pharmacy department – either through cloud systems, or by other means. (How fast a cloud network could be, in such?)

More and more emergency departments across different parts in the United States are adopting CPOE (computerized physician order entry systems) for this and that; to keep operational costs down, health organizations prefer for cloud based systems, as many find it difficult to manage on-site system/software, which consumes a lot of their time and money!

Cloud systems, on the other can be accessed with a subscription fee, which many are comfortable with; yes, we are talking about e-prescription – well, to qualify for Federal incentives, you definitely require CPOE, to show the meaningful use; if your staff does not use CPOE to prescribe drugs in most of the cases, you may miss the benefits.

Through an e-prescription system, care providers/medical professionals can easily prescribe new drugs/medications, authorize refills, receive drug denials (prescribed ones) from the formulary/pharmacy, by the health plan, and other associated; through the technology, doctors even get to prescribe lower-cost good-quality drugs/medicines to patients, which are most preferred by them/patients, at the first place.

Add e-prescribing software in your existing platform (electronic health records), and get to streamline your workspace, for better health outcomes.

Stay tuned with MedicExchange for companies/vendors for CPOE systems, and other related!

Want to improve healthcare revenue cycle?!

Does all medical encounters make you have quick and easy money? What do you do to minimize healthcare costs/expenses, and to optimize revenue?!

 

Healthcare revenue management

It is a common scenario in healthcare setting: care providers treat a lot of patients, provide them medical services on this and that, but at the end, do not get timely paid by insurance companies/payers. Are you a victim of one such – have you ever realized, why it happens to you?!

You may wonder, what it is that your organization lacks, which hinders you make revenue; if you are dangling over the edge, with this issue – then leave your worries aside; there are companies/service providers that will manage your business for you, and you can have more time for your patients, to cure and treat them, nicely!

Inaccurate coding on various medical notes/procedures at time can bring in big issues – which you should remain aware about, if not; professionals skilled in medical coding and billing should be opted for, in such cases, as many do not understand their importance in a healthcare practice.

Were you trying hard to improve revenue cycle, and failed on it – you should think now of professionals/service providers to help improve the bottom line of your business; it can be quite difficult for to capture, process/audit all the procedures, to enhance the income, and we understand it; electronic charge capture (at point-of-care) is one that many prefer to go after.

If insurance companies have negotiated with you on certain terms, and you are not paid ‘just’ for everything you discussed along, you definitely require somebody to assist you on this issue, as they will check for all variances involved, and let you have clear picture of the business, to make valuable decisions!

No unclaimed bills/denied payments for you, any longer – get paid for all your services, on negotiated terms and conditions!

If you are searching for companies for (specialized) medical billing and coding services, then MedicExchange can help you out on everything! For more details, stay connected!

PET scan, and inoperable lung cancer!

PET scan is feasible for medical prognosis in patients with inoperable lung cancer that have most aggressive tumors: a study report

 

(Courtesy: Mitch Machtay, MD, of the Seidman Cancer Center at University Hospitals)

PET scan_lung cancer

Physicians can now easily determine patients that require specific cancer treatment, to manage their medical condition. Lung cancer is one of the prime cause of deaths in the United States.

Unlike other imaging methods (computed tomography etc.) for detailed body structure, a PET scan brings out physiologic processes in organs; chemical activity and metabolic changes in cancer cells can be observed through PET scan; regions of greater intensity through scan let care providers find/locate the disease easily.

Through the technology, care providers can customize treatment for patients with advanced lung cancers, in a better way; the study encompassed patients with stage III lung cancer that had PET scans, before, and after combined treatment course of radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

In comparison to normal cells, cancerous cells absorb sugar molecules at a higher rate, and show up clearly on PET scans; researchers evaluated FDG (radioactive sugar molecule) uptake in cancer, i.e. how swiftly the tumors absorb radioactive sugar molecules.

Researchers found that patients with higher level of FDG uptake in post treatment scan had more aggressive tumors with likelihood of recurrence. The recurrence rate of cancer was estimated to be more in patients with higher FDG uptake rates than the standard uptake value; such patients usually have lower survival rate than others.

For more details about the thread, and other blogs and stories, stay connected with MedicExchange!

MRI scan, safe on patients with implanted cardiac devices: study

Patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) and/or cardiac pacemakers should no longer worry going for MR imaging, for various medical conditions that they have: a study report

The study overruled following concerns: movement of device inside the body (due to MRI electromagnetic radiation/waves); device heating up, and affecting/burning tissues; device malfunctioning etc.!

 

Cardiac pacemaker

With specific procedures require to be followed – patients with newly implanted cardiac devices can definitely undergo MR imaging (securely), for cancer and other disorders/irregularities. (Courtesy: Johns Hopkins University)

Defibrillators help to restore normal rhythm of the heart, during fibrillation of heart muscles; on the other, the battery-powered cardiac pacemaker, embed under skin provides normal heartbeat (timed electrical pulses) stimulating the muscle, during specific heart conditions.

For specific MRI procedures – pacemakers produced in 1999 (or later), and defibrillator in 2000 (or later), with cardiologist and other skilled professionals to program the device, to make it MRI-safe, and observe the heart rhythm during the scan, will do!

Of various patients (with implanted cardiac devices – either cardiac pacemaker or defibrillator) that were studied by, no significant issues were reported after they have had MRI done (except for less than 1% of subjects).

Researchers did both during MRI examination: turned the device off, and turned down the sensitivity of the equipment to electromagnetic fields; study authors found the device being set again (reset to default settings), and/but this did not cause harm to any of the patients with implanted cardiac devices that were scanned through.

No patient was required cardiac device replacement, as the devices were re-programmed after the process (MRI) was successfully done on all of them.

Experts say, during an MRI, the study required skilled nurse and Electro-physiologists to tackle any emergency, and due to extra resources required for it, not all care facilities would be able to manage the process (MR imaging) on patients with implanted cardiac devices.

Heart devices compatible with MRI (nowadays) are widely available from various manufacturers; stay tuned with MedicExchange for details about companies/vendors with MRI-safe cardiac devices, and other related!

Get motivated, for an EHR…!

Thanks to American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus), passed by Federal Government in 2009, healthcare professionals can get to benefit through various incentive programs, associated with EHR adoption.

 

Electronic health record

For all care facilities/professionals that are meaningfully using electronic health records, this is their time for these financial incentives (Medicaid, and Medicare); if you have not yet digitized your healthcare setting with an electronic medical record, then you have the time to go for it.

Adopt an EHR, and get to enjoy a safe and effective work-space for improved productivity/efficiency, to better quality of care and treatment; decide, you want incentives through EHR adoption, or prefer to get penalized by?!

Please not, penalties and incentives vary for both the programs – Medicaid, and Medicare that a medical professional is eligible for. You cannot qualify for both the programs, at a time, as can go with any one.

Under Medicaid (care for the needy) program, there is no penalty, and maximum incentive payment is $63,750 (over 6 years), per eligible professional; besides, with the Medicare program, be prepared with the penalty of payment reductions (1%-5%; 1% increase every year), if are not found meaningfully using EHRs by 2015; on the other, the maximum incentive for eligible professionals under this program is $44,000 over 5 years.

So, what are you thinking about? Do not delay, and just go for it – digitize your care unit, for incentive benefits, and to better health outcomes!

For details about various EMR Companies that you could go for, stay connected with MedicExchange!