Genius Focus Group- Warren (with goodies)

By Penny H, Genius blogster, news editor, & Focus Group participant

Wow, it was a whirlwind week last week.  It took me the entire weekend for my head to come back to earth and settle down.  Warren was a lot of fun!  The dynamic was a bit different in Warren because we had so many more people.  We also tried a different room setup, instead of rows of chairs and tables we were able to try a giant horseshoe of chairs and tables so that everyone could see each other and we could see them.  I think I can safely say that all of those who presented really liked it, and the comments coming back from you were that the layout was equally well-liked by you.  It seemed odd at first, having a giant space in the middle, but it really was much easier for all of us, to well, see all of us.   I just wanted to give a quick review with some tips for those that were there (or were not able to be there).  I'll also be giving you a link to download the printed materials we gave out (.pdf) so you can have it on your computer, or be able to print out more copies if needed.

Because we were closer to home (our home office), we were able to let you meet and interact with more of our Genius stars: we had Sherri, trainer and support supervisor extraordinaire with her dT and eT potpourri; Jessie, our fabulous trainer, showed you how to balance and split things out; Melody visited from GreenFlag to talk to you about how you can improve your AR bottom line and tell you about some tools to help; and I got to tell you about all of the government "stuff", and why you might need to start looking at an EHR program.

We got great feedback from you on our programs:  what you love and what you might love more if some tweaks could be made.  Rest assured that we all took copious notes and began to go through them immediately upon return to the office.  eTHOMAS versions 9 and 9.1 largely exist and are so amazing because of the previous feedback we’ve received from you.  We don’t just care here at Genius Solutions, we really care an extra lot, that’s one of the reasons we work so hard on these seminars and are so happy to get out to see and talk with you.

Here are some tips and highlights:

Tip #1:  Download the Focus Group handout materials HERE, in case you missed them, need an extra, or want one to view on your computer.  Please be patient, it is a large file and may take a few minutes to download depending on your internet speed.

GreenFlag AR Highlights
Cash flow is the blood of your business and you should both expect and demand prompt payment for services.  This includes everything from collecting co-pays up front, to billing out statements and following up in a timely manner:  do it now, do it often, and follow up.  It was stressed that medical collections are already at a disadvantage from other businesses in that you have to wait for insurance to pay first, putting your collections an additional 30-90 behind, before you even begin patient collections.

One of the important points that Melody brought up (that is especially crucial for doctors ) is that it should be about facts and numbers, not “feel”.  Rather than “I feel” or “think things are going ok”, or “I don’t want to offend my patients”, you need to be looking at the actual AR numbers, what is getting paid, how often, and why not.  One of “you” had a great suggestion that was really well received:  the doctor will call up the patient to follow-up and check in on them about 4 days after a visit or procedure; if the doctor is unavailable the office manager or staff was following up with the patient.  This shows a level of depth of care and keeps in their mind your service.  This office said since they began doing this that they find they don’t have many problems getting paid in a more timely fashion.  The patients are happy and they pay on time.

Tip #2:  Use “ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED”
(This is directly from Melody’s notes)
“One of the most difficult collection problems is tracking a client who has “skipped”.  Any statements or correspondence sent should have the words ‘Address Service Requested’ printed or stamped on the envelope.  The Post Office will research this information. And if they can locate a change of address on that person, they will send you form #3547n with the client’s correct address.”

Now, you can write on each envelop, or, from what Melody said, you can fill out a card at the post office and do this for all correspondence you send out from your office.

5010/ICD-10

• The new 5010 electronic claims format officially goes into effect January 1, 2012.
• The new ICD-10 codes officially go into effect October 1, 2013 (and per CMS – that is a locked in date, no further extensions).

Tip #3: http://www.cms.gov/ICD10 is your official source for all things ICD-10 or 5010 related.  Bookmark it!  Love it!  Use it!

EHR FAQs
So is it EHR or EMR?  For the most part the two terms are used interchangeably so toe-may-toe/toe-ma’-toe, basically just think e-records.

Do I have to have an EHR?  Well no one is going to come in today, stick a gun to your head and say “show me your EHR”, however with all of the new government regulations, coding changes, and mounting documentation requirements, you should begin to consider your EHR options sooner than later.

Tip #4: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”  Check out our guide to planning your EHR implementation: “EHR: plan the Implement, Implement the Plan.”

Genius Potpourri
Both eTHOMAS & dTHOMAS could benefit from better use of delinquent claims, Sherri gave some great options.  One of the newest is the ability to “check” the “editable” list when you run your delinquent claims in eTHOMAS.  How awesome is it to be able to work things all from one screen, or be able to work just one or two at a time, as you have time without printing out an entire report.

Tip #5: Check out the “Messaging” Tab in eTHOMAS, especially the “Genius on the Web” option, because “How to” videos can make your life soooo much easier.

THOMAS Tips & Tricks
Claims out of Balance (i.e. “CAS segments out of balance)?  How are you handling insurance over-payments, withholds, and credits & debits?  What about splitting claims?  Check out Jessie’s “how to”s for e and d THOMAS and then you’ll know (or at least know what you want to ask support about when you call in ;-)

Tip #6:  Don’t be afraid to call in to us at customer support for more information on any of these topics or to have a cheery support guru walk you through the ropes.  We really are here because we care.