In each issue on this page, we report on research from or relevant to the emerging urgent care marketplace. This month, we offer another look at data from the most recent annual survey conducted by UCA. (In early 2008, UCA revamped its annual survey in conjunction with researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard University, with the goal of assuring that the UCA Benchmarking Committee’s efforts produced a scientifically valid report.) In this issue: What …
Read MoreCoding for Complicated or Multiple I&Ds, Head CT, and Follow-ups— and When to Use CPT 99051
DAVID STERN, MD (Practice Velocity) Q. I notice that the code for complicated or multiple incision and drainage (I&D) procedures almost twice the reimbursement as the superficial I&D code. When can I code the code 10061 (Incision and drainage of abscess, e.g., carbuncle, suppurative hidradenitis, cutaneous or subcutaneous abscess, cyst, furuncle, or paronychia; complicated or multiple)? Anonymous A. The concept of multiple (i.e., more than one) is straightforward. The concept of complicated I&D is less …
Read MoreDisciplined Time Management Drives Your 2011 Marketing Plan
Discipline on the “sales side” involves two significant issues: time management and playing the numbers game. Time management is the essence of effective sales. It’s mathematical: carve out 20% more time for sales and your numbers go up by 20% or more. Monitor your time allocation through the maintenance of honest weekly time sheets. Do not drift away from this commitment; keep your timesheets going through both good times and bad, look for shortfalls on …
Read MorePreventing the “Delta Uniform,” or, Malpractice Reduction in the Urgent Care Center
John Shufeldt, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP A few years ago, I flew over to San Diego to watch the Red Bull Air Races. A friend of mine who is pilot occupied the right seat and another friend (also a pilot) was in the back of the plane seated with another friend. As we got closer to San Diego, I noticed that a thick inversion layer (dense fog) blanketed the coast. The lack of visibility required …
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Bridging the Management Divide: Understanding Physician Leadership
Urgent message: Physicians are trained for clinical care; administrators are trained for business management. These differences can create conflict regarding how healthcare is (and should be) managed. So what happens when the physician is the administrator? Trevor Rohm, MD, MS Introduction There is a philosophical division between physicians and healthcare management/administration. There are a variety of causes for this great divide, but understanding how physicians think, act, listen, and learn can provide invaluable insight into …
Read MoreDeveloping Data: November, 2010
In each issue on this page, we report on research from or relevant to the emerging urgent care marketplace. This month, we offer another look at data from the recent annual survey conducted by UCA. (In early 2008, UCA revamped its annual survey in conjunction with researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard University, with the goal of assuming that the UCA Benchmarking Committee’s efforts produced a scientifically valid report.) In this issue: What time …
Read MoreTime Management Skills and the Occupational Health Professional
“Time is money!” So true—and even more so when your raison d’être is to boost gross revenue in the shortest possible amount of time. Ironically, despite the pressure to produce, time management tends to be a virtually lost art in the world of occupational health sales—whether you are a sales professional or an urgent care clinician or office manager tasked with this crucial responsibility.
Read More‘Destruction’ Codes, Global Periods, Working with Provider Representatives, and Denial of G0431-QW
DAVID STERN, MD (Practice Velocity) Q. Our physician did a shave excision and sent it to pathology. It came back as malignant. She now wants to bill using the destruction codes of 17260-17286. We coders are trying to tell her that she needs to bill for the shave excision, because she documented clearly that she performed shave excision. What is the correct way to bill for this procedure? Name withheld A. Per CPT Assistant 2009: …
Read MoreThe Checklist – Part 3
John Shufeldt, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP (Dr. Shufeldt began a three-part discussion of the importance of procedural checklists in the September issue of JUCM. The first two installments are available at www.jucm.com). Billy was a cocky, disingenuous, trying-to-be aviator who had a hangar next to mine until he left in the middle of the night to avoid paying his overdue invoices. I like pretty much everybody, at least initially. Despite trying, I did not like …
Read MoreDeveloping Data: October, 2010
In each issue on this page, we report on research from or relevant to the emerging urgent care marketplace. This month, we relay data that track patient satisfaction with the emergency room based on time of day respondents arrived for treatment. Source: Pulse Report 2009: Emergency Department. Patient Perspective on American Health Care and Emergency Department Pulse Report 2007. Patient Perspectives on American Health Care. Press Ganey Associates, Inc. While these data do not …
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