JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP I work with a non-physician professional in the emergency department. She is very intelligent, practical, and always helpful. There is only one small issue: many of her posts on her Facebook page are overtly anti-patient. She frequently rants about the stupid patients, how “bad” the clientele we treat act and how, ultimately, they get what they deserve. Despite her obvious intelligence, she has not realized that what she posts …
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Competitive Analysis to Stand Above the Crowd
Urgent message: Providing high-quality care and good service is not necessarily enough to attract and keep patients, especially if those patients can take their pick from among several urgent care centers. More and more, urgent care operators need to be aware of how their competitors operate. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc Practice Velocity All too often, urgent care entrepreneurs operate in a vacuum. They feel that if they offer a well-appointed facility with good signage, …
Read MoreDeveloping Data: March, 2011
In each issue on this page, we report on research from or relevant to the emerging urgent care marketplace. This month, we offer one more snapshot of data presented in a Health Affairs article entitled Many Emergency Department Visits Could Be Managed at Urgent Care Centers and Retail Clinics,1 in which prescribing trends in the urgent care setting are compared with trends in other settings, such as the emergency room and retail clinics. Below, we …
Read MoreCoding Concerns: Versajet Debridement, Time Frame for New/Established Patients, Detailed Exams, Denial of S9088, –57 Modifier, and Billing for Injections
DAVID STERN, MD (Practice Velocity) Q.How do I code when using Versajet to debride an ulcer? A.For Versajet debridement, you should report CPT code 97597 (removal of devitalized tissue from wound(s), selective debridement, without anesthesia (e.g., high-pressure waterjet with/without suction, sharp selective debridement with scissors, scalpel, and forceps), with or without topical application(s), wound assessment, and instruction(s) for ongoing care, may include use of a whirlpool, per session; total wound(s) surface area less than or …
Read MoreInnovation in Occupational Health Marketing
In a recent episode of the popular television show Mad Men, super ad man Don Draper opined to his up-and-coming colleagues that “marketing is all about innovation.” He’s right. But the best-laid plans often sink into the abyss of the “same old, same old.” After all, if marketing is about distinguishing one’s organization from its competitors, why not rely on the tried and true to punctuate the difference? This reasoning is flawed, however; marketing should …
Read MoreAccountable Care Organizations, Where do Urgent Care Centers Fit?
JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP Under the Affordable Care Act, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will pioneer a number of new projects which affect the delivery of healthcare in the United States. Among these projects, the most ambitious is the proliferation of the Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). Other initiatives include pay-for-performance (P4P) and quality improvement agendas proffered by organizations responsible for accreditation, all focusing on clinical delivery pathways or “care paths.” The …
Read MoreDeveloping Data: February, 2011
In each issue on this page, we report on research from or relevant to the emerging urgent care marketplace. This month, we continue looking into data brought to light in Many Emergency Department Visits Could Be Managed at Urgent Care Centers and Retail Clinics,1 an article that (as the title implies) compared the capabilities and usage of urgent care centers vs. other immediate-care options the U.S. It may be most valuable to the urgent care …
Read MoreSay ‘Arrivederci’ to Printed Materials
An interesting title for a book addressing the impact of the electronic information age might be The End of Paper. Look around. Daily newspapers are dramatically down in circulation and shutting down at a rapid rate. That 20-volume encyclopedia that used to sit on your parents bookshelf? No mas. Those written assignments at every school level? A thing of the past. Seems like a no brainer. Out with the paper and in with the electronic …
Read MoreLike Super Good Written, Verbal and Non-verbal Communication and Stuff
JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP I will begin this short essay by admitting that I am not always the best or most appropriate in terms of my style or manner of communication, which is no news to my two relatives who make up half the readership of these articles. I have also learned over the years to take most things with a grain of salt (particularly if it is followed by a shot of …
Read MoreCoding for Intravenous Infusion, Fees for S9083, Morgan Lens Irrigation, and UB-04 Revenue Codes for Urgent Care
DAVID STERN, MD (Practice Velocity) Q.I had a patient come in who needed IV fluids and monitoring for five hours. We found the CPT codes 96360 (intravenous infusion, hydration; initial 31 minutes to 1 hour) and 96361 (each additional hour…) to use for the IV hydration therapy. However, my doctor cannot believe how low these codes are reimbursed by his health insurance. We did bill an office visit in addition to the IV. Is this …
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