Practice Management

Most urology practices evaluate their staffs' performance at least annually. The physician manager or office manager meets with the employees and evaluates their productivity and achievement of goals.

Patients' rights, regulatory reform, and research funding are still underconsiderationWashington-With a 5.5% decrease in Medicare reimbursement rates now inplace for 2002, urologists and other specialty groups are hoping to convinceCongress to quickly reduce those cuts and act on other issues importantto them, as well.

Make sure vendors have experience with urology practices and are HIPAAcompliantIn the new age of medicine, electronic medical records (EMR) systemswill transform the way you practice. Last month, I discussed the benefitsof EMR and its ability to facilitate many of the goals common to all practices-efficiency,correct coding, Medicare and HIPAA compliance, and improved outcomes. Inthis column, I will discuss how to select an EMR system, including productfeatures, vendor support, and cost.

As of January 4, the final Stark II rules became effective. These federalregulations will have a profound effect on the relationship between urologypractices and the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Their impact extends farbeyond lithotripsy, which has been the primary concern of many urologists,to virtually every aspect of their practices. Practices that have not conformedto the requirements of these new regulations are exposed to financial penaltiesand other severe sanctions.

It's time to add electronic medical records, or EMR, to the list of buzzwordscommon in medical practices today. This new technology, although in itsinfancy, has the opportunity to facilitate many of the goals common to allpractices-efficiency, correct coding, Medicare and HIPAA compliance, andimproved outcomes. We are in a new age of medicine, and EMR technology willtransform the way you practice.

Q Can you please clarify the tax ramifications associated with long-termcare insurance?

Attention to reimbursement, billing/collection, and accounts receivablewill boost cash flow

Oak Park, IL-Cunningham Group has launched a new insurance plan thatoffers complete protection to medical practices, hospitals, clinics, andother health care providers that bill Medicare and Medicaid. The new plan,called MediKey, takes the guesswork out of coding and protects medical earningswith special low-cost billing errors and omissions (E&O) insurance availableto those who enroll in the compliance plan. This combined approach enablesproviders to qualify for the E&O insurance at a favorable rate, thecompany says.

Washington-A sweeping new proposed federal regulation dealing with hospital outpatient compensation would change Medicare payments for specific medical procedures and tighten rules governing new technology payments, a move that could adversely affect urologists. The regulation from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS) would apply to services furnished on or after January 1, 2002.

If you thought your electronic nightmare was over when the Y2K scare came and went with hardly a glitch, think again. There's another acronym that all of us in health care will have to contend with in the next few years: HIPAA, or the Healthcare Information and Portability and Accountability Act.

Bothell, WA-Data Critical Corp. offers the PocketChart handheld tool for patient charting, billing, and filing. With the product, physicians can create complete, legible documents using simple point-and-tap menus to record all elements of a patient encounter, the company says.