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 …
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 MoreDeveloping Data: September, 2009
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. Here, we present some of the data from this landmark survey, to which 436 urgent care centers responded. In this issue: What clinical staff is working in urgent care centers?
Read More25 Sales and Marketing Pearls
This month’s column provides some easy-to-execute sales and marketing tips that we have found helpful in moving a clinic’s occupational health initiative forward: Sales Skills and Techniques Use euphemisms to convert negative phrases into positives. “You have a problem” should be “You have an opportunity.” “You have a high injury rate” becomes “if we can help lower your injury rate, it would result in lower workers’ comp costs.” Orchestrate clinic visits to make …
Read MoreEntrepreneurism—Or, How Not to Turn a Lot of Money into a Little
Throughout history, entrepreneurs have faced harsh critics. From Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice through Oliver Stone’s movie Wall Street (“greed is good, greed works.” etc.) entrepreneurial efforts are cast in a dim light. To paraphrase Lifebook founder Job Butcher, though, “no other social system can compete with the free market, entrepreneurial system in terms of productivity, raising living standards, and creating prosperity … Yet, despite its overwhelming contributions, some elements of society still associate profit-making …
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Creating a Web Presence to Raise Awareness of Urgent Care
Urgent message: A robust – and effective – advertising campaign needs to take full advantage of all available media, with special consideration of online opportunities. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc In the past, advertising was a simple proposition; nearly everyone attached the same network television, read the same city newspapers, and searched for businesses in the Yellow Pages. But in recent years, such “mass marketing” has yielded to new marketing channels targeting the lifestyles and …
Read MoreManaging Summer Lacerations in Children
Proper Use of 99051, and the Status of S9088
Q. Can I bill the CPT code 99051 (Services(s) provided in office during regularly scheduled, weekend, or holiday office hours, in addition to basic service) for the purpose of getting a denial? Can I bill a Medicare patient for the 99051 code if I have an advanced beneficiary notice (ABN) completed? Anonymous, Texas A. This is a very interesting question, and I am sure it will generate significant controversy. In regard to your question about …
Read MoreDeveloping Data: July/August, 2009
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. Here we present some of the findings from this landmark survey, to which 436 urgent care centers responded. In this issue: How much time do patients spend in urgent care centers, on average? These data support – and, perhaps just …
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