Happy 2013!

Wishing You a Prosperous &

Happy New Year!

 

Genius will be closed Monday December 31-January 1

Genius Closed Dec 24-25, 2012

Also note that we will be closing at noon, Friday, December 21st.

Christmas Holiday Time and Lights

For most people, no matter what their religious affiliation or preference, the Christmas time holiday season is the highlight of the year.  It may have varying significance to each, but all like to celebrate.  Hanukkah is a remembrance of faith, renewal, and restoration.  Kwanzaa is all about remembrance and celebration.  And Christian Christmas (about the baby Jesus, not Santa Claus) is about a brightness of hope and faith confirmed.  (Ok, Santa does some of that too.)

Christmas and lights, they’re as inseparable as peanut butter and jelly, turkey and Thanksgiving, or Easter and decorated eggs.  Lights are a powerful symbol to religions, individuals, and daily living.  Even as regular old daily objects, lights are special, necessary, and almost impossible to live without.  Maybe that’s why they’re even more effective as symbols. 



Lights help fear go away by illuminating the way. A star on the top of a tree doesn’t just represent the star of Bethlehem that showed the way to the Christ child, it is also a beacon that calls out and gathers in family to share and bask in its glow.  Colored lights twinkling are like looking up at the night sky while wishing, and a bright silvery moon is perfect for dreaming.  Any light in a dark or unfamiliar place gives hope.  As the sun comes up each morning and we feel its warmth we feel renewed and restored.  Lights are cheerful, joyful, bright, and gay.  They warm your thoughts and prepare the best ways.

Time for a Christmas holiday challenge…

Go out.  Look at the lights.  Feel the holiday vibe.  Enjoy everyone’s joy and share in all the best traditions (especially the foods!).  Maybe you’ll even decide to add a few new traditions to your own.  Most of all suck up all of the joy and the hope.  Recharge and renew yourself with peace, love, best wishes, and goodwill to and from all mankind.  Follow the festive holiday lights into your own bright new year.  And as always, our entire crew here at Genius Solutions wishes you and yours all the best this holiday season and for the New Year.

Adding & Expiring CPT codes in THOMAS

Recently we've received some inquiries from some of our behavioral health offices regarding letters they've received stating that there will be changes to their current CPT codes to be implemented in 2013.  Just because we've heard most recently from behavioral health offices, it does not mean that all of you won't need to change or update your CPT codes at some time in the near future (i.e. think ICD-10).



It is not unusual for CPT codes to change, expire, or get removed. 

If you need to modify, expire, or add new code files you need to:

• First, determine what codes in your system are changing or need to be changed.
• If there is a code that you need to change (even if it's a month or more away) you can add the new codes in to THOMAS.  You can also put the effective date of the new codes with them into THOMAS, so they don't accidentally get used before the effective date.
• You can also add an expiration date to the codes that are going to expire, so they don’t get used after the expiration date.

***NOTICE that you will ADD and EXPIRE codes - NOT DELETE them.

Got Compliance? What’s in your Office Manual?

As we are quickly approaching the end of the year and you are considering beginning or updating your office compliance manuals… These are some important items to be aware of, especially if you haven’t heard of them or were unsure what they really were.  These three items desperately need to be included in your office practices, policies, and compliance plan, or they could be devastating to both you and your office:  The Sunshine Act, The Medicare Enrollment Revalidation Initiative, and ACA Overpayments.  Also be advised, as each of the legal pages I read stated: the following are guidelines and best understanding.  For any actual legal advice particular to office and procedures, you should seek final guidance from your own legal guides.

 

Closed for Thanksgiving Weekend

Punctuation in THOMAS-New Medicare Errors

In the past it has been our practice to train users NOT to use punctuation in THOMAS, except in very specific places like the dashes used in phone numbers or social security numbers.  The reason was, because with electronic files being sent and read by computers many times those other keyboard characters meant something entirely different to the computer reading your file.  Sometimes they were even commands telling the other computer to do something.  Well, those days are changing.

If you haven't already seen this error, you may well soon-

PATIENT NAME AND MEDICARE NUMBER DO NOT MATCH

 

How to Make Sure You Keep More of Your Money

I’ve mentioned in the past that there is a great resource I recommend for current practice knowledge and chat- it is Physician’s Practice, which you can find at www.physicianspractice.com.  It doesn’t cost anything to sign up there, but it is well worth it for the office and coding tips and tricks alone.  I noticed a theme over the last month or so in their Practice Pearls e-mails and pulled a bunch of collected office wisdom for you.  I will post the articles I used at the end so you can go read them in their entirety.  Some come from this year’s MGMA conference in San Antonio, TX where they collected some current thoughts and discussion on meaningful use and best office practices.  This is all new and current stuff.

First off – Verify, Check, double-check, and Confirm.

BCBSM (Michigan) Edit for MR and RRMR

Over the last couple of weeks we've been getting calls about BCBS Michigan edits regarding Medicare, RR Medicare, DMERC etc.

***********************
Per BCBSM:

"Effective 9/28/2012, Medicare implemented new front-end edits for
all Medicare Part B and Medicare DMERC professional claims. The edits are triggered by Medicare for claims reporting a Group Name in
Loop 2000B SBR04. Edits are returned on 277CAW and 277CAM reports and 277CA transactions:

A8 663 IL Entity's Group Name
A8 732 IL Information submitted inconsistent with billing guidelines"

***********************
Michigan THOMAS clients must take out what they have in plan name and group name for MR (Medicare) and RRMR (Rail Road Medicare) policies only, to comply with the Medicare guidelines.

If you have additional questions, or have done this and are still receiving these edits, please call support.

October First Friday Conference Call

There will NOT be a 10/5/2012 Genius Solutions First Friday of the Month Conference call.  We hope to have one on November 2nd.

Florida Seminar Rescheduled

Due to circumstances beyond our control, we are rescheduling the Genius Solutions healthcare seminar in Pensacola, Florida From Oct 9, 2012, to Friday, February 1, 2013. All of the rest of the times, location, and information are the same. Please mark your calendar for the new date and get ready to visit with us in February. We are looking forward to visiting with you!

We will post an updated flier and send out a new e-mail as soon as the Florida seminar reschedule has gone through the final approvals.

Genius Healthcare Office Solutions Presents: The 2012 Florida Seminar

   

Genius Healthcare Office Solutions:
The 2012 Florida Seminar

Oct 9th - Register Now!
9am - 5 pm
$99.00 Per Person
@ Crowne Plaza
200 E. Gregory St.
Pensacola, FL 32501
850.433.3336

More Information
586.751.9080 or seminars@geniussolutions.com
Topics Include:

• Office Compliance Plans
• Best Office Practices
• ICD-10
• Tech Talk
• THOMAS Tips & Tricks
• And More!

Meaningful Use Stage 2 – Yes, it is here, for better or worse

Meaningful Use Stage 2 (also known as 2014 Edition Standards & Certification Criteria (S&CC)Final Rule) is in the bag so to speak.  The next stage has been officially finalized and will be hitting your computer (and your EHR programs) over the next couple of years.  First off the new name (2014 edition) clues you into the first change- Stage 2 is going into effect one year later than previously decided per the original ARRA documentation.

URGENT: WPS J8 MAC Medicare change starts at 2:00 Thursday 7/12/2012

This is for MICHIGAN - as part of the J8 Medicare WPS for Mich Part B BCBSM has announced they will stop taking Medicare claims with the current payor id on Thursday July 12 at 2pm.Claims sent after 2pm will reject with P935 PAYER ID FOR MEDICARE IS INVALID.

You must be using 5010 TODAY or you WILL NOT BE PAID!

Per BCBSM (MI) As of today you will begin receiving REJECTIONS FOR ANY CLAIMS NOT SENT IN THE 5010 FORMAT.

Most of you have been and are using the 5010 format already. If you have not switched over you need to visit our 5010 webpage immediately- http://www.geniussolutions.com/5010/

• Back up your THOMAS data
• Update your THOMAS

And, 

• Follow the instructions on the 5010 page, BEFORE you call, so we can best assist you.  http://www.geniussolutions.com/5010/

---

The rejections you will begin seeing IF YOU ARE NOT USING 5010 will be as follows:

Rejected v4010 claims will return on 277CA reports with the
following edits:

• A3 493 P620 PAYER NOT ACCEPTING CLAIMS IN VERSION 4010(Professional)
• A3 493 F620 PAYER NOT ACCEPTING CLAIMS IN VERSION 4010(Institutional)

Rejected claims will need to be resubmitted in v5010 format.

Genius Healthcare Office Solutions: The 2012 Seminar

   

Focus on 5010 and much more!

Join Genius Solutions and your fellow healthcare office-in-arms experts for a special 1-day seminar to discuss all of the current, hot healthcare office topics. Learn new THOMAS tips and tricks and learn about ways that you can protect your office better. Also, prepare to discuss upcoming and new items such as 5010, ICD-10, and how easy it can be to implement a compliance program in your office.

June 26th at the Troy Marriott in Troy, MI


9am-1pm
Only $50 (per person)

More Information?
Call us at 586-751-9080
Fax questions to us at 586-751-9230
e-mail , and fill-out-and-fax-this-form, if you would like to join us for this seminar.

 *Click Here for the brochure.*

May 2012- 1st Friday of the Month Call

Genius Solutions First Friday of the Month Conference Call is scheduled for May 4th, 2012 at 10:00 am EST More details?  http://tinyurl.com/GSmedicalFB

**Don't forget to LIKE us on our new Medical Facebook page while you're there!

April 2012- 1st Friday of the Month Call

Genius Solutions First Friday of the Month Conference Call is scheduled for April 6, 2012 at 10:00 am EST More details?  http://tinyurl.com/GSmedicalFB

Genius Healthcare Solutions 2012 Seminars!

We had a great time out in Mt. Pleasant on Monday with you and are looking forward to visiting with you on April 26th in Grand Rapids (if you aren't signed up yet - please do so soon- available spots are limited).

We will be adding some new dates for Florida and in Michigan- Warren, Downriver, and probably Traverse City over the next few months.   So keep checking back.

As for those of you that were in Mt. Pleasant.  I promised you some pdf materials.  I will have those up and posted later today.  Shoot me a quick e-mail about Mt.Pleasant and I'll send you the link.  Also if you needed any information on upcoming NACC seminars, EHR, etc.  let me know and I'll shoot you links for that information as well.

Penny
penny1 @ geniussolutions.com (Just pull out the spaces.)

5010 Extensions, Implementation, & the 1st Friday of the Month Call

First off, let me just say that here at Genius, we recommend that you send ALL of your electronic claims in the new 5010 format as soon as possible. We believe THOMAS works well with everything in 5010 and there is no reason to delay.

We received word from BCBSM yesterday that they were going to extend the dual (4010/5010) sending environment past the March 31, extension date (following an extension given my CMS recently). They did not say how long this extension would be and it DOES NOT apply to Medicaid claims that are ONLY being accepted in the 5010 format with NO EXTENSION beyond March 31.  It is also not clear to us if they will take Medicare DMERC CEDI after April 1 (two weeks ago, our Mark T was verbally told they would not).

Please visit http://www.geniussolutions.com/5010 for near daily updates to the 5010 FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions).  There is now a video, along with step-by-step instructions on the page to help you as well.

You control whether you send 4010 or 5010!  You should be sending 100% 5010 claims as soon as you can, if you are not already doing so.

We recommend the following steps:

1. You read through the instructions on the Genius 5010 page
2. Backup
3. AutoUpdate
4. Set your system to 5010
5. Begin sending claims in the new format as soon as possible
6. You need to set your 5010 indicator in THOMAS to Y

Mark hosts our regular "First Friday of the Month Conference Call" every month and is a great place to check in for current information and updates.  April 6 at 10:00 am is this month's scheduled time.  This is a great chance to talk about the latest information, your concerns,  and answer some questions. Look for an email invitation sometime next week with the call-in details.

5010 - You should be doing it now!

Since 3/31/2012 was the last deadline for mandatory 5010 electronic claims, you should be doing 100% 5010 now. Genius believes everything is working well in THOMAS including commercial claims. We have heard of few problems.  The few that are having problems are payors trying to get things set up at their end to handle 5010 claims- including Health Plus (in MI), some DME, and the occasional other insurance company (& you can do an "exception" to 5010 billing for just those insurance companies that are still requiring 4010 only for now).

Pay cuts and ICD-10 Updates

The last month has seen some more sitting around by the government, whether it is for good or ill will take time to tell.  Two big issues were touched: the Medicare pay cuts and ICD-10.  To say they were addressed would be a misnomer. 

5010 & ICD-10: Are They the Good Fight?

picture fun from icanhascheezburger.com

I could just have easily written this comic for what many of you might consider "unnecessary paperwork", but alas it is all a necessary evil in today's health care landscape and the best I can do is inform and inject some humor. So let's chat for a moment.

Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011

picture fun from icanhascheezburger.com

Signed into law on December 23, 2011 (right before the holiday hiatus in Washington D.C.) the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011  extends, amongst other things, the 27.4% Medicare cut that was once again hanging over your heads.  The extension is for two months- January and February of 2012.  The President is trying to get everyone to pass a measure that would stall this again, for the rest of the year.  There are several concerns:

5010: Working Hard to Serve You

5010 is here!  

You may have noticed as you’ve called in over the past month that our phone lines have been really busy.  Where you were able to get straight through to support in the fall, now you are finding yourself back up at the front desk to leave a message.  As much as you are concerned about 5010, ICD-10, Medicare payments, stimulus payments etc., we are concerned about each and every one of the thousands of you.  We appreciate your patience as we all (customers, vendors, clearinghouses and payors) work to migrate claims over to the 5010 format.  We are furiously returning calls as quickly as possible.  We are working very closely with BCBSM here in Michigan and with many other clearing houses around the country to work through the many items that come up daily as everyone makes the 5010 switch.