Who Are Your Patients
A Quick Demographic Study by AJ Riviezo, MBAA new practice was asking for some information about patient demographics. To that end, I combined the demographic data of three large phlebology practices. None of these practices specifically target Medicare members as… Read More
How to Make Life More Complicated/United Health Care Changes
by Cheryl Nash Many of you may have received a letter from United Healthcare recently detailing some significant modifications to their coverage guidelines. With the main topic of discussion being documentation this month, I feel this is an opportune time… Read More
The Impact of Documentation on Your Practice
by Cheryl Nash We’ve all heard it and we all have to do it. Documentation: The necessary evil. For a phlebology practice, each new year seems to bring more lengthy requirements and requests for records. From Ultrasound Reports to History… Read More
Shooting While Blindfolded
Effective February 15, 2010, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida will no longer pay for ultrasound guidance when performed with sclerotherapy. Their medical director seems to believe that there is no clinical reason for using ultrasound guidance. They appear… Read More
Benefit Mis-quotes and Predetermination
Our friends at CIGNA have developed a few interesting nuances over the past year. Most of these new issues create denied claims and can leave you and the patient scrambling for a resolution. Self-funded riders. We have seen a number… Read More
How Not to Feel like a Drug Rep
The single easiest and cheapest form of advertising available is the Lunch and Learn with primary care physicians, podiatrists, and specialty physicians. It also appears to be the most despised form of advertising by the physicians with whom I work…. Read More
Annual Data ReviewLooking Forward by Looking Back by AJ RiviezzoWith the end of the year, it is a great time to assess how you have been performing and to establish some performance goals. This first section is one quick way… Read More
An Update…
by Cheryl NashAs of this writing, the actual rates have not been released. However it appears that the proposed 20% decrease has been reversed. It is also projected that ablations will show an approximate 1% increase. Until the final release… Read More
It is all about…. ME!
by AJ RiviezzoAll too often professional organizations like Physicians, Attorneys and Accountants spend a good bit of their marketing dollars talking about themselves. How good they are, what sort of equipment or state of the art something or other. But… Read More
Consultation Codes are Going Away
by AJ Riviezzo and Cheryl NashThe consultations codes are 99241 through 99245 (sometimes known as 9924X). These codes will not be invalid but will pay zero beginning the first of the new year with Medicare as the payer. Many commercial… Read More