DAVID STERN, MD (Practice Velocity) Q.For uninsured patients, how much discount should be given—70% off charges? Particularly in California. A.It would be extremely rare to offer such a big discount to self-pay patients. It would be unadvisable for the following reasons: Unless your fee schedule is ridiculously high, you could not operate profitably at these Discounts should be given not for being self-pay, specif- ically, but for paying in full at time of You will …
Read MoreFear as a Factor in Occupational Health Sales
Avoidance, sometimes even more than appeal, appears to be a very real part of decision making at every level. Given sufficient probing, most sales prospects harbor inner fears that can be successfully addressed. Buyers of occupational health services have two basic motivations: helping their parent company save money, and making their own life easier. Most occupational health sales presentations emphasize the former: reduce injury/illness incidence and associated lost work time, save the employer money, and …
Read MoreDeveloping Data: July/August, 2008
As an emerging distinct practice environment, urgent care is in the early stages of building a data set specific to its norms and practices. In Developing Data, JUCM will offer results not only from UCA’s annual benchmarking surveys, but also from research conducted elsewhere to present an expansive view of the healthcare marketplace in which urgent care seeks to strengthen its presence. In this issue: What is the relationship between wait times and the comfort …
Read MoreChoosing the Right Fee Schedule— and the Right Resource
DAVID STERN, MD (Practice Velocity) Q.My office has started to provide urgent care. Should these services be reimbursed at a higher price than for our family practice services? Is there a different fee schedule? Question submitted by Nicole Phelps, First Health Medical, Fresno, CA A.Here is the scoop on coding and reimbursement for urgent care: Some payors will pay more for urgent care services over primary care services, but you will almost cer- tainly need …
Read MoreToward a Happier World: The Art of Patient Service
Customer service is a trendy theme in virtually every business these days. However, the gap between “woulda, shoulda, coulda” and reality is invariably significant. Simply put, the concept of customer service is given universal lip service, but it is rarely incorporated into the fabric of an urgent care clinic. An effective patient service program requires five core elements: planning, training, execution, evaluation, and reward/recognition. Planning Your program should have a well-designed plan that addresses train- …
Read MoreToward a Happier World: The Art of Patient Service
JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP Customer service is a trendy theme in virtually every business these days. However, the gap between “woulda, shoulda, coulda” and reality is invariably significant. Simply put, the concept of customer service is given universal lip service, but it is rarely incorporated into the fabric of an urgent care clinic. An effective patient service program requires five core elements: planning, training, execution, evaluation, and reward/recognition.
Read MoreBankruptcy: When BK Doesn’t Mean You Can Have It Your Way
JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP My favorite movie—other than Wedding Crashers, of course—is It’s a Wonderful Life. I watch it every Christmas. One of the most memorable scenes is where Uncle Billy misplaces the envelope containing the deposits. Once George realizes the gravity of the situation, he confronts Uncle Billy: “Where’s that money, you stupid old fool? Where’s that money? Do you realize what this means? It means bankruptcy and scandal and prison, that’s …
Read MoreDeveloping Data: June, 2008
As an emerging distinct practice environment, urgent care is in the early stages of building a data set specific to its norms and practices. In Developing Data, JUCM will offer results not only from UCA’s annual benchmarking surveys, but also from research conducted elsewhere to present an expansive view of the healthcare marketplace in which urgent care seeks to strengthen its presence. In this issue: What three commonly prescribed medications are believed responsible for one …
Read MoreProper Coding for Skin Tag Removal, Workers Comp Issues, and Off-Hour Visits
DAVID STERN, MD (Practice Velocity) Q.Are you able to bill the following two codes together with a modifier: 17110 (Destruction [e.g., laser surgery, electrosurgery, cryosurgery, chemosurgery, surgical curettement], of benign lesions other than skin tags or cutaneous vascular proliferative lesions; up to 14 lesions) 17111 (15 or more lesions)? – Question submitted by Julie Briggs A.These are mutually exclusive codes. You can use 17110 if the physician destroys 14 or less benign lesions (usually warts). …
Read MoreBuyer Self-interest as a Factor in Occupational Health Sales
Avoiding something negative rather than buying on appeal appears to be a very real part of buyer decision-making. Indeed, with sufficient probing, most prospects harbor inner fears that can be successfully addressed during the sales process. Buyers of urgent care occupational health services generally have two motivations: helping their company save money and making their own life easier. Most occupational health sales emphasize the former: reduce injury/illness incidence and associated lost work time and save …
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