What can YOU do for YOU?
I know this may sound like a funny way to start a column. It’s a bit confrontational perhaps, maybe even a little insulting. Why is this guy calling me out on the carpet here? What did I ever do to him? I have been involved in organized medicine for almost 10 years, at varying levels of responsibility. If I learned one thing alone the way, it is this: If you want id one, you better …
Read MoreCoding for I&D, DTaP, and Procedures Included in the E/M Code
Q. An urgent care that I do billing for has presented a question I would like your input on. A sales rep has stated that urgent care centers are now administering DTaP in urgent care, and, if so, what is the difference between the reimbursement of the Td (90714) and the DTaP (90715)? Lynn Gray, Eastern Hills Medical Billing, Cincinnati, OH A. Patients may use urgent care centers when they have difficulty getting timely appointment …
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80-year-old man suffering lower back pain
The patient is an 80-year-old man who presents with a two-week history of low back pain. He is hemodynamically stable and has a normal neurological exam. His personal medical history reveals hypertension, for which he is being treated. Blood pressure is 140/80, pulse 63. View the x-ray taken and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be.
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Man presents with foot pain after falling from ladder
The patient is a male who presents complaining of pain in his feet. He claims he fell from a ladder. He declines to provide further details, except to say that the distance he fell was not high. View the x-ray taken and consider what your diagnosis and next steps would be.
Read MoreManaging Employee Performance: A Path to Clinical and Business Excellence
By Marty Martin, PsyD, MPH, MA Imagine a patient who walks into an urgent-care center feeling as many patients do – sick, tired, and irritable. But as soon as the patient arrives, the receptionist greets him warmly and with respect. As the patient sits down in the waiting room, the receptionist lets him know how long the wait might be. When the receptionist invites the man back to the treatment area, he is greeted warmly …
Read MoreMarketing on a Shoestring Budget
Heard the adage, “You’ve got to spend money to make money?” Of course you have, and chances are you subscribe to that notion. Well, not so fast. You should spend money on marketing your occupational medicine services, but you can spend it judiciously. Only so much new business can be generated from direct sales; new business must be supplemented with business that is generated through marketing activities that do not rely on face-to-face communication. If …
Read MoreA Tale of Two Applicants
John Shufeldt, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP It was March, and third-year residents all over the country were sending out applications for employment. It was, as Charles Dickens penned, the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the applicant’s spring of hope, most had everything before them’ James and Ashley were no exception. James, from a prestigious East Coast family practice residency, learned during his first …
Read MoreThe Case of a 53-Year-Old Female with Headache and Eye Pain
Headaches are both common and challenging, accounting for 4% of ED visits and comprising the eighth most-common complaint seen by primary care physicians. This frequency can create a false sense of security, as there are numerous life-threatening etiologies hiding in the “haystack.” In this month’s case, our patient was a bounceback on her first visit, having previously seen her PCP and an urgent care doctor. In addition to a brief discussion of headaches and their …
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Assessing Patients in the Wake of Motor Vehicle Accidents
Urgent message: Patients presenting to urgent care in the wake of a motor vehicle accident have self-selected their treatment setting. However, it is imperative to maintain vigilance for potentially serious and even life-threatening injuries that may not be apparent. Gloria I. Kim, MD and Jill C. Miller, MD According to the National Center for Health Statistics, motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) accounted for nearly 5 million ED visits in 2006. The diverse injuries may be temporary, …
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