Billingparadise, a California based provider of HIPAA compliant healthcare practice solutions, has launched Practice Portal services for providers. The service will benefit physician and patient alike, by offering a two-way secure communication to enhance delivery of care.
According to a recent Harris Interactive/Wall Street Journal survey, 74% percent of respondents said they would like the ability to communicate with their physician via e-mail, but only 4% of respondents currently use the technology. 62% of respondents stated that the ability to communicate via e-mail with their physician would impact their physician choice "to some extent" or "a great deal."
The portal allows patients to request for appointments, update or modify their records, obtain personalized medical information and view prescriptions. Portals are also being used refill and lab-tests requests; in addition to automated health alerts and patient-education through email.
By delivering information and services to patients across the continuum of care, a fully functional Patient Portal not only helps maintain a seamless communication flow with his doctor but also improves overall care team efficiency.
Practice portal can be integrated with the Billingparadise Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Software to provide a set of pre-defined functionalities for registered patients. These functions not only empower the patient with information available anytime of the day, but also reduce workload on the practice / hospital staff. Many experts believe that Practice Portals or Patient Portals will soon be an integral communication channel between patient and provider. In addition to enhancing online community presence, many clinics having portals have reported savings in man-hours and administrative costs over a period of time.
With the introduction of fully functional Practice Portal services, Billingparadise is one of the very few EMR vendors offering such a wide range of healthcare IT solutions and services – Integrated EMR and Practice Management Software, Patient Insurance Eligibility Check, Automated Patient Reminder, Medical Transcription services, Medical Billing System and Scanning and Indexing services.
With the increase in EMR adoption, patient portals will be the next step ahead towards increased revenues, enhanced care and improvement in patient-provider relationship.
Monday, December 3, 2007
An Introduction to Medical Billing
A growing number of professional, experienced health consultants and medical claim processors are needed in the country today. Health care is such a large and technologically driven industry that knowledge and procedures used today are likely to be seen as far outdated only a few years from now. To keep pace with all the various procedures, techniques, and technologies available and distinguish one from the other in a clear manner, definitions are made and coded for every kind of surgical procedure, diagnosis, and complaint. These definitions and codes help doctors ensure that they are compensated accurately for their services by the health insurance companies.
Medical billing is the process by which the needed data for completion of all the necessary forms (insurance cards, patient info, encounter forms, diagnosis, treatment, etc) is collected and processed for payment. This data is then entered into one of a variety of competing medical billing/patient accounting software programs. Medical billers are also responsible for following up using effective paperwork and time-management skills. Having been trained to understand an insurer’s EOB (explanation of benefits), the medical biller must review all claims for errors. If not all of a patient’s balance is covered by insurance, the medical biller has to decide if the balance will be written off or billed to the patient. The main job of the medical biller is to ensure that the physician or facility receives optimal reimbursement for services rendered. Weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly reports are often generated by the accounting software to show the client (physician, facility) whether they are losing or making money on various insurance contracts.
Besides the above main responsibilities, a medical biller must have or develop the following skills:
• Understand and be able to explain insurance terms and benefits to clients and patients
• Accurately read and complete claim forms
• Perform bookkeeping activities
• Bill insurance companies and patients promptly and accurately
• Handle everyday medical billing procedures
• Document all activities using the correct terminology
• Schedule appointments
• Follow-up with insurance companies and patients on unpaid bills
Medical billing is a growing opportunity to the ever-expanding health industry and many people are finding satisfying and well-paying careers working both at hospitals or small clinics and from home running their own medical billing small business.
Medical billing is the process by which the needed data for completion of all the necessary forms (insurance cards, patient info, encounter forms, diagnosis, treatment, etc) is collected and processed for payment. This data is then entered into one of a variety of competing medical billing/patient accounting software programs. Medical billers are also responsible for following up using effective paperwork and time-management skills. Having been trained to understand an insurer’s EOB (explanation of benefits), the medical biller must review all claims for errors. If not all of a patient’s balance is covered by insurance, the medical biller has to decide if the balance will be written off or billed to the patient. The main job of the medical biller is to ensure that the physician or facility receives optimal reimbursement for services rendered. Weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly reports are often generated by the accounting software to show the client (physician, facility) whether they are losing or making money on various insurance contracts.
Besides the above main responsibilities, a medical biller must have or develop the following skills:
• Understand and be able to explain insurance terms and benefits to clients and patients
• Accurately read and complete claim forms
• Perform bookkeeping activities
• Bill insurance companies and patients promptly and accurately
• Handle everyday medical billing procedures
• Document all activities using the correct terminology
• Schedule appointments
• Follow-up with insurance companies and patients on unpaid bills
Medical billing is a growing opportunity to the ever-expanding health industry and many people are finding satisfying and well-paying careers working both at hospitals or small clinics and from home running their own medical billing small business.
Medical Billing Outsourcing Versus In-House
There are many compelling reasons why medical billing outsourcing to a professional medical billing and coding company makes sense. A major problem with in-house medical billing services is the human one. Management, turnover, retraining and growth. Do you have the time and money for all of that? HRM (Human Resource Management) is the most compelling single reason why physicians and other medical service providers outsource their medical billing to a medical billing company that specializes in providing this service.
HRM problems come about from two areas, employee turnover and practice growth.
Reducing Employee Turnover With Medical Billing Outsourcing:
While your practice may be lucky by having people who have stayed with you through the years, the fact remains that they will, eventually, leave. Others are faced with an on-going turnover problem. In either event, once a medical billing specialist leaves, you are forced to fill the vacant spot right away or your cash-flow may be compromised. That often means hiring someone with lesser …or worse yet very little medical billing experience. Inexperienced medical billing specialist make errors ... errors that can cost your practice money or seriously delay your getting paid in a timely manner. Also, who will take the time to train your new medical billing specialist? Will you spend your time doing this? Or will you pay someone else to do it? Is that a good use of your time? Even if you still have other medical billing specialists, their use in training will take away from their time normally spent in helping to get you paid in a timely manner. Medical billing outsourcing avoids these problems all together.
Many medical practices go through high turnover periods, while others find loyal people who dedicate many years to working for the same Physician. The human resource management cycle can be very difficult for a Physician to maintain. Once the medical billing specialist leaves, the Physician is left with no other option and is usually forced to hire another medical billing specialist who has very little experience. Ask yourself this question, when would you be the most worried; when your receptionist quits or when your medical billing specialist leaves? Do you really have the time to find a medical billing specialist who is experienced and reliable and can do the right job with the amount of attention your medical billing deserves? Medical billing outsourcing is a better solution.
Growing a Professional Practice:
As your business grows, your revenues will grow and so will the medical billing and coding workload. However, your employee costs are fixed costs, while your billings and receivables are not fixed. So, when your business has grown to the point where the workload overtaxes the current medical billing personnel, you will need to add another medical billing specialist … maybe more. That is an abrupt increase in fixed costs, because now you are - in effect - overstaffed, as the volume of the workload has not as yet caught up to your newly-expanded billing capacity.
Use medical billing outsourcing to change your medical billing expenses from a fixed cost to a variable cost and improve your ability to manage your business.
When you choose medical billing outsourcing, your costs vary directly with your medical billings. If your medical billings drop, your costs drop. If your medical billings go up, your costs do not rise disproportionately. This simple fact can make your business planning easier.
Less Paperwork and Lower Employee Costs With Medical Billing Outsourcing
If you do your medical billing internally, salary is typically only about 70-75% of your employee costs when you figure in payroll taxes, FICA and insurance. Not to mention that added paperwork cost of administering them. Plus, when your medical billing specialists are sick or on vacation, you’re still paying them for not working. When you outsource your billing by taking advantage of our professional medical billing specialists, the overhead and paperwork is ours, not yours.
• Medical Billing Specialist's Employee salary
• Medical Billing Specialist's Employee benefits
o Worker’s compensation
o FICA
o Healthcare insurance
o Vacation, sick leave, etc.
o Performance bonus
• Computer hardware purchase & maintenance
• Software purchase & renewal
• Clearinghouse fees
• Postage
• Stationery
• Physical (Office) Space
• Training and re-training
• Recruitment costs
• YOUR time
• YOUR opportunity costs
Reduce Errors and Receive Revenue Faster With Medical Billing Outsourcing:
Medical Insurers are always looking for ways to slow down paying you. It’s how they manage their cash flow. Anything that is miscoded can cause your bill to be rejected or its payment delayed significantly. When you outsource your medical billing to our medical billing specialists, you’ll not only be getting professional medical billing services, you’ll be benefiting from a degree of accuracy that would be difficult to match internally. At Medical Billing, each submission is reviewed by a supervisor to help ensure accuracy. That “extra level of eyes” is a luxury impractical with in-house medical billing.
Our Incentive, Your Control
When you take advantage of medical billing outsourcing, you improve your cash flow and collections and reduce the costs and headaches of employee problems. And we can even offer you a line of credit at Below-Prime through Medical-Finance.com
Call now for a free consultation. Let our Medical Billing Specialists show you how to keep more of the money you make. Outsourcing your medical billing services allows the money you get to grow in direct proportion to the direction your business is going.
HRM problems come about from two areas, employee turnover and practice growth.
Reducing Employee Turnover With Medical Billing Outsourcing:
While your practice may be lucky by having people who have stayed with you through the years, the fact remains that they will, eventually, leave. Others are faced with an on-going turnover problem. In either event, once a medical billing specialist leaves, you are forced to fill the vacant spot right away or your cash-flow may be compromised. That often means hiring someone with lesser …or worse yet very little medical billing experience. Inexperienced medical billing specialist make errors ... errors that can cost your practice money or seriously delay your getting paid in a timely manner. Also, who will take the time to train your new medical billing specialist? Will you spend your time doing this? Or will you pay someone else to do it? Is that a good use of your time? Even if you still have other medical billing specialists, their use in training will take away from their time normally spent in helping to get you paid in a timely manner. Medical billing outsourcing avoids these problems all together.
Many medical practices go through high turnover periods, while others find loyal people who dedicate many years to working for the same Physician. The human resource management cycle can be very difficult for a Physician to maintain. Once the medical billing specialist leaves, the Physician is left with no other option and is usually forced to hire another medical billing specialist who has very little experience. Ask yourself this question, when would you be the most worried; when your receptionist quits or when your medical billing specialist leaves? Do you really have the time to find a medical billing specialist who is experienced and reliable and can do the right job with the amount of attention your medical billing deserves? Medical billing outsourcing is a better solution.
Growing a Professional Practice:
As your business grows, your revenues will grow and so will the medical billing and coding workload. However, your employee costs are fixed costs, while your billings and receivables are not fixed. So, when your business has grown to the point where the workload overtaxes the current medical billing personnel, you will need to add another medical billing specialist … maybe more. That is an abrupt increase in fixed costs, because now you are - in effect - overstaffed, as the volume of the workload has not as yet caught up to your newly-expanded billing capacity.
Use medical billing outsourcing to change your medical billing expenses from a fixed cost to a variable cost and improve your ability to manage your business.
When you choose medical billing outsourcing, your costs vary directly with your medical billings. If your medical billings drop, your costs drop. If your medical billings go up, your costs do not rise disproportionately. This simple fact can make your business planning easier.
Less Paperwork and Lower Employee Costs With Medical Billing Outsourcing
If you do your medical billing internally, salary is typically only about 70-75% of your employee costs when you figure in payroll taxes, FICA and insurance. Not to mention that added paperwork cost of administering them. Plus, when your medical billing specialists are sick or on vacation, you’re still paying them for not working. When you outsource your billing by taking advantage of our professional medical billing specialists, the overhead and paperwork is ours, not yours.
• Medical Billing Specialist's Employee salary
• Medical Billing Specialist's Employee benefits
o Worker’s compensation
o FICA
o Healthcare insurance
o Vacation, sick leave, etc.
o Performance bonus
• Computer hardware purchase & maintenance
• Software purchase & renewal
• Clearinghouse fees
• Postage
• Stationery
• Physical (Office) Space
• Training and re-training
• Recruitment costs
• YOUR time
• YOUR opportunity costs
Reduce Errors and Receive Revenue Faster With Medical Billing Outsourcing:
Medical Insurers are always looking for ways to slow down paying you. It’s how they manage their cash flow. Anything that is miscoded can cause your bill to be rejected or its payment delayed significantly. When you outsource your medical billing to our medical billing specialists, you’ll not only be getting professional medical billing services, you’ll be benefiting from a degree of accuracy that would be difficult to match internally. At Medical Billing, each submission is reviewed by a supervisor to help ensure accuracy. That “extra level of eyes” is a luxury impractical with in-house medical billing.
Our Incentive, Your Control
When you take advantage of medical billing outsourcing, you improve your cash flow and collections and reduce the costs and headaches of employee problems. And we can even offer you a line of credit at Below-Prime through Medical-Finance.com
Call now for a free consultation. Let our Medical Billing Specialists show you how to keep more of the money you make. Outsourcing your medical billing services allows the money you get to grow in direct proportion to the direction your business is going.
Overseas Medical Treatment (Medical Tourism): Consider the Options
It's hard not to be keenly aware that health care costs have skyrocketed - a week's stay in the hospital for a few tests and treatment WITHOUT ANY PROCEDURES can cost $15,000 or more![1] So, it's not surprising that an increasing number of people who need or want real treatment are looking elsewhere for a solution.
Where do they go? To places like India, Thailand, Panama, and Argentina. These countries have strongly emerging economies, and have correspondingly made significant investment in their medical capabilities. That translates to quality care - second to none - at reasonable cost. And, they're places where the economies are still emerging, which has a significant impact on costs.
These services have fallen under the rubric, "Medical Tourism" - the notion of combining the service of medical treatments with an opportunity to expand one's travel horizons.
And why not? Laparascopic, prostate, hernia repair, gastric banding, dental implantation, and other treatments can cost far less in say, India, than in the US - a tenth to a fifth as much. And treatment is quick - once you've made arrangements, you don't have to wait in interminable lines. Finances are just as easy. In most cases, a comprehensive quote is given before you even purchase your airline tickets. Billing is also comprehensive and usually taken care of with a credit card at the end of treatment.
What about the doctors? Are they competent? Very. In fact, the doctors you will see were very likely trained in the US at some point in their careers, or they have worked in the US, or they are participating very actively in the international medical community. So, yes, the doctors are quite competent - and they're up on the latest medical technologies and treatment. In some cases, they are even leading their respective fields.
Finally, when all is said and done and your treatment is completed, you can visit the faraway places that most only dream of or read about - hospital facilities typically have connections with tour companies at discount rates to fill or at least pique your wanderlust. It's a great side-benefit!
So, is medical tourism right for you? If you're not insured and the cost of a medical procedure is looming over your head, or if your insurance won't cover a procedure you need or want because it's classified as an 'elective' procedure, you're a prime candidate for investigating treatment overseas.
As always, you should investigate your options and requirements as they apply to your situation. (One place to do this is by participating in a forum we have set up for just such a purpose - see the link in the resource box. The forum is free to all, you just need to join to participate.) Treatment overseas adds one more choice to your set of options - an option that can greatly reduce costs, and give you the opportunity to explore another part of the world, while you're at it!
Where do they go? To places like India, Thailand, Panama, and Argentina. These countries have strongly emerging economies, and have correspondingly made significant investment in their medical capabilities. That translates to quality care - second to none - at reasonable cost. And, they're places where the economies are still emerging, which has a significant impact on costs.
These services have fallen under the rubric, "Medical Tourism" - the notion of combining the service of medical treatments with an opportunity to expand one's travel horizons.
And why not? Laparascopic, prostate, hernia repair, gastric banding, dental implantation, and other treatments can cost far less in say, India, than in the US - a tenth to a fifth as much. And treatment is quick - once you've made arrangements, you don't have to wait in interminable lines. Finances are just as easy. In most cases, a comprehensive quote is given before you even purchase your airline tickets. Billing is also comprehensive and usually taken care of with a credit card at the end of treatment.
What about the doctors? Are they competent? Very. In fact, the doctors you will see were very likely trained in the US at some point in their careers, or they have worked in the US, or they are participating very actively in the international medical community. So, yes, the doctors are quite competent - and they're up on the latest medical technologies and treatment. In some cases, they are even leading their respective fields.
Finally, when all is said and done and your treatment is completed, you can visit the faraway places that most only dream of or read about - hospital facilities typically have connections with tour companies at discount rates to fill or at least pique your wanderlust. It's a great side-benefit!
So, is medical tourism right for you? If you're not insured and the cost of a medical procedure is looming over your head, or if your insurance won't cover a procedure you need or want because it's classified as an 'elective' procedure, you're a prime candidate for investigating treatment overseas.
As always, you should investigate your options and requirements as they apply to your situation. (One place to do this is by participating in a forum we have set up for just such a purpose - see the link in the resource box. The forum is free to all, you just need to join to participate.) Treatment overseas adds one more choice to your set of options - an option that can greatly reduce costs, and give you the opportunity to explore another part of the world, while you're at it!
Spotlight: The Top Ten Fastest Growing Allied Health Careers
According the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the health care field is the largest industry in the United States today—employing over 13 million wage and salary workers in 2004. Of the twenty fastest growing occupations today, eight of them are in health care. It is anticipated that 20% of the new jobs created between now and 2014 will be in the health care industry—and most of these jobs require four years or less of college.
Many of these jobs will be in the area of health care referred to as Allied Health. The term Allied Health is used to identify a cluster of health professions and covers as many as 100 different jobs (but not physicians and nurses). What are the Allied Health careers anticipating the most growth? While all Allied Health careers can anticipate growth in the coming years, these ten careers are all expected to grow over 25% each year—meaning that these careers will provide the greatest long-term job security. This top ten list includes educational requirements and average salaries.
1. Medical Assistants These Allied Health professionals perform administrative and clinical tasks to keep the offices of physicians, podiatrists, chiropractors, and other health practitioners running smoothly. The duties of medical assistants vary from office to office, depending on the location and size of the practice and the practitioner’s specialty. Medical assistants perform many administrative duties, including answering telephones, greeting patients, updating and filing patients’ medical records, filling out insurance forms, handling correspondence, scheduling appointments, arranging for hospital admission and laboratory services, and handling billing and bookkeeping.
As the health care industry expands because of technological advances in medicine and the growth and aging of the population, more Medical Assistants will be needed. In fact, this is anticipated to be the fastest growing career through 2014.
Education Requirements: Most Medical Assistants complete postsecondary programs that last either one year, resulting in a certificate or diploma, or two years, resulting in an associate degree.
Salary: The average salary for Medical Assistants is $24,610.
2. Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians These Allied Health professionals assist physicians in diagnosing and treating cardiac (heart) and peripheral vascular (blood vessel) ailments. Cardiovascular technologists may specialize in any of three areas of practice: invasive cardiology, echocardiography, and vascular technology. Cardiovascular technologists specializing in invasive procedures are called cardiology technologists. Technologists prepare patients for cardiac catheterization and balloon angioplasty. During the procedures, they monitor patients’ blood pressure and heart rate with EKG equipment and notify the physician if something appears to be wrong. Technologists also may prepare and monitor patients during open-heart surgery and during the insertion of pacemakers and stents that open up blockages in arteries to the heart and major blood vessels.
Rapid employment growth is expected for Cardiovascular Technologists as the population ages, because older people have a higher incidence of heart problems and use more diagnostic imaging. Employment of vascular technologists and echocardiographers will also grow as advances in vascular technology and sonography reduce the need for more costly and invasive procedures.
Education Requirements: The majority of Cardiovascular Technologists complete a 2-year junior or community college program, but 4-year programs are increasingly available.
Salary: The average salary for Cardiovascular Technologists is $38,690 .
3. Diagnostic Medical Sonographers Also known as ultrasonographers, these Allied Health professionals use special equipment to direct nonionizing, high frequency sound waves into areas of the patient’s body. Sonographers operate the equipment, which collects reflected echoes and forms an image that may be videotaped, transmitted, or photographed for interpretation and diagnosis by a physician.
As the population grows and ages, increasing the demand for diagnostic imaging and therapeutic technology means incredible growth in this field. Additionally, sonography is becoming an increasingly attractive alternative to radiologic procedures, as patients seek safer treatment methods, further increase the demand for sonographers.
Education Requirements: Colleges and universities offer formal training for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers in both 2- and 4-year programs, culminating in an associate or a bachelor’s degree. Two-year programs are most prevalent.
Salary: The average salary for diagnostic medical sonographers is $52,490.
4. Physician Assistants These Allied Health Professionals practice medicine under the supervision of physicians and surgeons. Physicians Assistants are formally trained to provide diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive health care services, as delegated by a physician. Working as members of the health care team, they take medical histories, examine and treat patients, order and interpret laboratory tests and X rays, and make diagnoses. Physicians Assistants may be the principal care providers in rural or inner city clinics, where a physician is present for only 1 or 2 days each week
Employment of Physicians Assistants is expected to grow much faster than average, ranking among the fastest growing occupations, due to anticipated expansion of the health care industry and an emphasis on cost containment, resulting in increasing utilization of Physicians Assistants.
Education Requirements: Physicians Assistants must complete accredited, formal education program and pass a National exam to obtain a license. Physician’s Assistant programs usually last at least 2 years and are full time.
Salary: The average salary for physician assistants in full-time clinical practice is $74,264.
5. Respiratory Therapists and Respiratory Therapy Technicians These Allied Health professionals—also known as respiratory care practitioners—evaluate, treat, and care for patients with breathing or other cardiopulmonary disorders. Respiratory Therapists assume primary responsibility for all respiratory care therapeutic treatments and diagnostic procedures, including the supervision of respiratory therapy technicians. Respiratory therapy technicians follow specific, well-defined respiratory care procedures under the direction of respiratory therapists and physicians
Job opportunities are expected to be very good, especially for respiratory therapists with cardiopulmonary care skills or experience working with infants. But all areas of Respiratory Therapy expect substantial growth due to the jump in the numbers of the middle-aged and elderly population—a development that will heighten the incidence of cardiopulmonary disease—and because of the expanding role of respiratory therapists in the early detection of pulmonary disorders, case management, disease prevention, and emergency care.
Educational Requirements: An associate’s degree is required for entry into the field. Most programs award associate’s or bachelor’s degrees and prepare graduates for jobs as advanced respiratory therapists.
Salary: The average salary for respiratory therapists is $43,140.
6. Athletic Trainers These Allied Health professionals help prevent and treat injuries for people of all ages. Their clients include everyone from professional athletes to industrial workers. Athletic trainers are often one of the first heath care providers on the scene when injuries occur, and therefore must be able to recognize, evaluate, and assess injuries and provide immediate care when needed. They also are heavily involved in the rehabilitation and reconditioning of injuries.
Job growth for Athletic Trainers is expected to be extensive, and will be concentrated in health care industry settings, such as ambulatory heath care services and hospitals.
Educational Requirements: A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university is required for almost all jobs as an athletic trainer.
Salary: The salary of an athletic trainer depends on experience and job responsibilities, and varies by job setting, but the average salary for athletic trainers is $33,940.
7. Surgical Technologists These Allied Health professionals, also called scrubs and surgical or operating room technicians, assist in surgical operations under the supervision of surgeons, registered nurses, or other surgical personnel. Before an operation, surgical technologists help prepare the operating room by setting up surgical instruments and equipment, sterile drapes, and sterile solutions. They assemble both sterile and non-sterile equipment, get patients ready for surgery, and transport patients to the operating room. During surgeries, Surgical Technologists also observe patients’ vital signs, check charts, and assist the surgical team with putting on sterile gowns and gloves.
Because the number of surgical procedures is expected to rise as the population grows and ages, job prospects for Surgical Technicians are extremely good.
Educational Requirements: Surgical technologists receive their training in formal programs offered by community and junior colleges, vocational schools, universities, hospitals, and the military.
Salary: The average salary of surgical technologists is $34,010.
8. Clinical laboratory Technologists These Allied Health professionals—also referred to as clinical laboratory scientists or medical technologists—perform most of the clinical laboratory tests that play a crucial role in the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of disease. Clinical laboratory personnel examine and analyze body fluids, and cells. They look for bacteria, parasites, and other microorganisms; analyze the chemical content of fluids; match blood for transfusions; and test for drug levels in the blood to show how a patient is responding to treatment. Technologists also prepare specimens for examination, count cells, and look for abnormal cells in blood and body fluids.
In the coming years the number of job openings in this field is expected to continue to exceed the number of job seekers, particularly as the volume of laboratory tests continues to increase with both population growth and the development of new types of tests.
Educational Requirements: Medical and clinical laboratory technicians generally have either an associate degree from a community or junior college or a certificate from a hospital or a vocational and technical school. The usual requirement for an entry-level position as a clinical laboratory technologist is a bachelor’s degree with a major in medical technology or in one of the life sciences.
Salary: Average salary for medical and clinical laboratory technologists is $45,730.
9. Medical and Health Services Managers Health care is a business and, like every other business, it needs good management to keep it running smoothly. These Allied Health professionals—also referred to as health care executives or health care administrators—plan, direct, coordinate, and supervise the delivery of health care. Medical and health services managers include specialists and generalists. Specialists are in charge of specific clinical departments or services, while generalists manage or help manage an entire facility or system. Increasingly, medical and health services managers will work in organizations in which they must optimize efficiency of a variety of related services—for example, those ranging from inpatient care to outpatient follow-up care.
As the health care industry continues to expand and diversify, job opportunities for Medical and Health Services Managers will be especially good in offices of health practitioners, general medical and surgical hospitals, home health care services, and outpatient care centers.
Educational Requirements: A master’s degree in health services administration or business administration is the standard credential for most positions in this field. A bachelor’s degree is adequate for some entry-level positions in smaller facilities, at the departmental level within health care organizations, and in health information management.
Salary: The average salary for medical and health services managers is $67,430, but can go as high as $117,990.
10. Dietitians and Nutritionists These Allied Health professionals plan food and nutrition programs and supervise the preparation and serving of meals. They help to prevent and treat illnesses by promoting healthy eating habits and recommending dietary modifications. Dietitians also manage food service systems for institutions such as hospitals and schools, promote sound eating habits through education, and conduct research.
The increasing emphasis on disease prevention through improved dietary habits, along with the growing and aging population, will boost the demand for meals and nutritional counseling in hospitals, residential care facilities, schools, prisons, community health programs, and home health care agencies. Public interest in nutrition and increased emphasis on health education and prudent lifestyles also will spur demand, especially in management.
Educational Requirements: Dietitians and nutritionists need at least a bachelor’s degree in dietetics, foods and nutrition, food service systems management, or a related area.
Salary: The average salary for dietitians and nutritionists is $43,630.
Automated Medical Office Receptionist is Everyone’s Good Friend
--------------------------------------------------------------
If you run a medical practice, you know that an automated medical office receptionist can be everyone’s good friend!
She can be good helper to doctors as a low-cost backup receptionist that works 24/7. She can be well-liked by patients as they no-longer hit voice mail box or being put on hold. Medical office staff will also be happy to have her onboard as she relieves them from trivial, repetitive tasks such as making reminder calls and making patient appointments.
Patients are under enough stress with their problems or fears without having to hold on waiting for a busy receptionist to come back to them. From being interesting, that music rapidly gets irritating and stressful: not good for a doctor’s practise. How often does your practise miss calls because your telephone lines are busy? You might have several lines or just the one; there will always be a time when an important call cannot get through to you.
It might be a call for emergency treatment from one of your favored patients, or simply a call for an appointment from a potential patient recommended to you by someone else. In either case, it would not be good for you if they could not get through. You can lose you money because of it.
How about in the evening, or at night? You might have an answer service, but would it not be better if that was personalized to your practice, and any really urgent calls filtered through to you? If you were a patient, would you like to be put on hold when you had to make an urgent appointment, or even worse, had a condition that needed urgent treatment? As a doctor even, would you like your patients to be put on hold or have to speak to a voice mail and leave a message, putting them under even more stress hoping that you will call back?
An automated medical receptionist will handle all of these situations without affecting your normal reception arrangements. Such services are designed to be the backup to your usual receptionist, and cut in only when the caller cannot get an immediate answer: on busy, no answer or voice mail message. Your automated backup receptionist handles the call while your regular receptionist is away from the desk or after hours.
From the point of view of the patient, they will love it to be was passed over to such a service if they called their doctor and got a busy message, or had been on hold for two or three minutes. That is a long time when you stop and look at the second hand going around a clock face! If I was calling to cancel and reschedule an appointment, and I had to wait too long, I would just put the phone down and not show for the appointment.
How much money do you lose monthly for no shows? It can be a major cost for some doctors. With an automated system, you cut down the number of no shows dramatically because the system automatically contacts everybody with an appointment to remind them of it. They can no longer ‘forget’ for you have given them a reminder the day or so before – you choose when.
Many of these jobs will be in the area of health care referred to as Allied Health. The term Allied Health is used to identify a cluster of health professions and covers as many as 100 different jobs (but not physicians and nurses). What are the Allied Health careers anticipating the most growth? While all Allied Health careers can anticipate growth in the coming years, these ten careers are all expected to grow over 25% each year—meaning that these careers will provide the greatest long-term job security. This top ten list includes educational requirements and average salaries.
1. Medical Assistants These Allied Health professionals perform administrative and clinical tasks to keep the offices of physicians, podiatrists, chiropractors, and other health practitioners running smoothly. The duties of medical assistants vary from office to office, depending on the location and size of the practice and the practitioner’s specialty. Medical assistants perform many administrative duties, including answering telephones, greeting patients, updating and filing patients’ medical records, filling out insurance forms, handling correspondence, scheduling appointments, arranging for hospital admission and laboratory services, and handling billing and bookkeeping.
As the health care industry expands because of technological advances in medicine and the growth and aging of the population, more Medical Assistants will be needed. In fact, this is anticipated to be the fastest growing career through 2014.
Education Requirements: Most Medical Assistants complete postsecondary programs that last either one year, resulting in a certificate or diploma, or two years, resulting in an associate degree.
Salary: The average salary for Medical Assistants is $24,610.
2. Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians These Allied Health professionals assist physicians in diagnosing and treating cardiac (heart) and peripheral vascular (blood vessel) ailments. Cardiovascular technologists may specialize in any of three areas of practice: invasive cardiology, echocardiography, and vascular technology. Cardiovascular technologists specializing in invasive procedures are called cardiology technologists. Technologists prepare patients for cardiac catheterization and balloon angioplasty. During the procedures, they monitor patients’ blood pressure and heart rate with EKG equipment and notify the physician if something appears to be wrong. Technologists also may prepare and monitor patients during open-heart surgery and during the insertion of pacemakers and stents that open up blockages in arteries to the heart and major blood vessels.
Rapid employment growth is expected for Cardiovascular Technologists as the population ages, because older people have a higher incidence of heart problems and use more diagnostic imaging. Employment of vascular technologists and echocardiographers will also grow as advances in vascular technology and sonography reduce the need for more costly and invasive procedures.
Education Requirements: The majority of Cardiovascular Technologists complete a 2-year junior or community college program, but 4-year programs are increasingly available.
Salary: The average salary for Cardiovascular Technologists is $38,690 .
3. Diagnostic Medical Sonographers Also known as ultrasonographers, these Allied Health professionals use special equipment to direct nonionizing, high frequency sound waves into areas of the patient’s body. Sonographers operate the equipment, which collects reflected echoes and forms an image that may be videotaped, transmitted, or photographed for interpretation and diagnosis by a physician.
As the population grows and ages, increasing the demand for diagnostic imaging and therapeutic technology means incredible growth in this field. Additionally, sonography is becoming an increasingly attractive alternative to radiologic procedures, as patients seek safer treatment methods, further increase the demand for sonographers.
Education Requirements: Colleges and universities offer formal training for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers in both 2- and 4-year programs, culminating in an associate or a bachelor’s degree. Two-year programs are most prevalent.
Salary: The average salary for diagnostic medical sonographers is $52,490.
4. Physician Assistants These Allied Health Professionals practice medicine under the supervision of physicians and surgeons. Physicians Assistants are formally trained to provide diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive health care services, as delegated by a physician. Working as members of the health care team, they take medical histories, examine and treat patients, order and interpret laboratory tests and X rays, and make diagnoses. Physicians Assistants may be the principal care providers in rural or inner city clinics, where a physician is present for only 1 or 2 days each week
Employment of Physicians Assistants is expected to grow much faster than average, ranking among the fastest growing occupations, due to anticipated expansion of the health care industry and an emphasis on cost containment, resulting in increasing utilization of Physicians Assistants.
Education Requirements: Physicians Assistants must complete accredited, formal education program and pass a National exam to obtain a license. Physician’s Assistant programs usually last at least 2 years and are full time.
Salary: The average salary for physician assistants in full-time clinical practice is $74,264.
5. Respiratory Therapists and Respiratory Therapy Technicians These Allied Health professionals—also known as respiratory care practitioners—evaluate, treat, and care for patients with breathing or other cardiopulmonary disorders. Respiratory Therapists assume primary responsibility for all respiratory care therapeutic treatments and diagnostic procedures, including the supervision of respiratory therapy technicians. Respiratory therapy technicians follow specific, well-defined respiratory care procedures under the direction of respiratory therapists and physicians
Job opportunities are expected to be very good, especially for respiratory therapists with cardiopulmonary care skills or experience working with infants. But all areas of Respiratory Therapy expect substantial growth due to the jump in the numbers of the middle-aged and elderly population—a development that will heighten the incidence of cardiopulmonary disease—and because of the expanding role of respiratory therapists in the early detection of pulmonary disorders, case management, disease prevention, and emergency care.
Educational Requirements: An associate’s degree is required for entry into the field. Most programs award associate’s or bachelor’s degrees and prepare graduates for jobs as advanced respiratory therapists.
Salary: The average salary for respiratory therapists is $43,140.
6. Athletic Trainers These Allied Health professionals help prevent and treat injuries for people of all ages. Their clients include everyone from professional athletes to industrial workers. Athletic trainers are often one of the first heath care providers on the scene when injuries occur, and therefore must be able to recognize, evaluate, and assess injuries and provide immediate care when needed. They also are heavily involved in the rehabilitation and reconditioning of injuries.
Job growth for Athletic Trainers is expected to be extensive, and will be concentrated in health care industry settings, such as ambulatory heath care services and hospitals.
Educational Requirements: A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university is required for almost all jobs as an athletic trainer.
Salary: The salary of an athletic trainer depends on experience and job responsibilities, and varies by job setting, but the average salary for athletic trainers is $33,940.
7. Surgical Technologists These Allied Health professionals, also called scrubs and surgical or operating room technicians, assist in surgical operations under the supervision of surgeons, registered nurses, or other surgical personnel. Before an operation, surgical technologists help prepare the operating room by setting up surgical instruments and equipment, sterile drapes, and sterile solutions. They assemble both sterile and non-sterile equipment, get patients ready for surgery, and transport patients to the operating room. During surgeries, Surgical Technologists also observe patients’ vital signs, check charts, and assist the surgical team with putting on sterile gowns and gloves.
Because the number of surgical procedures is expected to rise as the population grows and ages, job prospects for Surgical Technicians are extremely good.
Educational Requirements: Surgical technologists receive their training in formal programs offered by community and junior colleges, vocational schools, universities, hospitals, and the military.
Salary: The average salary of surgical technologists is $34,010.
8. Clinical laboratory Technologists These Allied Health professionals—also referred to as clinical laboratory scientists or medical technologists—perform most of the clinical laboratory tests that play a crucial role in the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of disease. Clinical laboratory personnel examine and analyze body fluids, and cells. They look for bacteria, parasites, and other microorganisms; analyze the chemical content of fluids; match blood for transfusions; and test for drug levels in the blood to show how a patient is responding to treatment. Technologists also prepare specimens for examination, count cells, and look for abnormal cells in blood and body fluids.
In the coming years the number of job openings in this field is expected to continue to exceed the number of job seekers, particularly as the volume of laboratory tests continues to increase with both population growth and the development of new types of tests.
Educational Requirements: Medical and clinical laboratory technicians generally have either an associate degree from a community or junior college or a certificate from a hospital or a vocational and technical school. The usual requirement for an entry-level position as a clinical laboratory technologist is a bachelor’s degree with a major in medical technology or in one of the life sciences.
Salary: Average salary for medical and clinical laboratory technologists is $45,730.
9. Medical and Health Services Managers Health care is a business and, like every other business, it needs good management to keep it running smoothly. These Allied Health professionals—also referred to as health care executives or health care administrators—plan, direct, coordinate, and supervise the delivery of health care. Medical and health services managers include specialists and generalists. Specialists are in charge of specific clinical departments or services, while generalists manage or help manage an entire facility or system. Increasingly, medical and health services managers will work in organizations in which they must optimize efficiency of a variety of related services—for example, those ranging from inpatient care to outpatient follow-up care.
As the health care industry continues to expand and diversify, job opportunities for Medical and Health Services Managers will be especially good in offices of health practitioners, general medical and surgical hospitals, home health care services, and outpatient care centers.
Educational Requirements: A master’s degree in health services administration or business administration is the standard credential for most positions in this field. A bachelor’s degree is adequate for some entry-level positions in smaller facilities, at the departmental level within health care organizations, and in health information management.
Salary: The average salary for medical and health services managers is $67,430, but can go as high as $117,990.
10. Dietitians and Nutritionists These Allied Health professionals plan food and nutrition programs and supervise the preparation and serving of meals. They help to prevent and treat illnesses by promoting healthy eating habits and recommending dietary modifications. Dietitians also manage food service systems for institutions such as hospitals and schools, promote sound eating habits through education, and conduct research.
The increasing emphasis on disease prevention through improved dietary habits, along with the growing and aging population, will boost the demand for meals and nutritional counseling in hospitals, residential care facilities, schools, prisons, community health programs, and home health care agencies. Public interest in nutrition and increased emphasis on health education and prudent lifestyles also will spur demand, especially in management.
Educational Requirements: Dietitians and nutritionists need at least a bachelor’s degree in dietetics, foods and nutrition, food service systems management, or a related area.
Salary: The average salary for dietitians and nutritionists is $43,630.
Automated Medical Office Receptionist is Everyone’s Good Friend
--------------------------------------------------------------
If you run a medical practice, you know that an automated medical office receptionist can be everyone’s good friend!
She can be good helper to doctors as a low-cost backup receptionist that works 24/7. She can be well-liked by patients as they no-longer hit voice mail box or being put on hold. Medical office staff will also be happy to have her onboard as she relieves them from trivial, repetitive tasks such as making reminder calls and making patient appointments.
Patients are under enough stress with their problems or fears without having to hold on waiting for a busy receptionist to come back to them. From being interesting, that music rapidly gets irritating and stressful: not good for a doctor’s practise. How often does your practise miss calls because your telephone lines are busy? You might have several lines or just the one; there will always be a time when an important call cannot get through to you.
It might be a call for emergency treatment from one of your favored patients, or simply a call for an appointment from a potential patient recommended to you by someone else. In either case, it would not be good for you if they could not get through. You can lose you money because of it.
How about in the evening, or at night? You might have an answer service, but would it not be better if that was personalized to your practice, and any really urgent calls filtered through to you? If you were a patient, would you like to be put on hold when you had to make an urgent appointment, or even worse, had a condition that needed urgent treatment? As a doctor even, would you like your patients to be put on hold or have to speak to a voice mail and leave a message, putting them under even more stress hoping that you will call back?
An automated medical receptionist will handle all of these situations without affecting your normal reception arrangements. Such services are designed to be the backup to your usual receptionist, and cut in only when the caller cannot get an immediate answer: on busy, no answer or voice mail message. Your automated backup receptionist handles the call while your regular receptionist is away from the desk or after hours.
From the point of view of the patient, they will love it to be was passed over to such a service if they called their doctor and got a busy message, or had been on hold for two or three minutes. That is a long time when you stop and look at the second hand going around a clock face! If I was calling to cancel and reschedule an appointment, and I had to wait too long, I would just put the phone down and not show for the appointment.
How much money do you lose monthly for no shows? It can be a major cost for some doctors. With an automated system, you cut down the number of no shows dramatically because the system automatically contacts everybody with an appointment to remind them of it. They can no longer ‘forget’ for you have given them a reminder the day or so before – you choose when.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
The Importance Of Medical Coding
The health care industry is growing extremely rapidly, each year that passes there is more of a demand for medical services, medical supplies, medical testing, and rehab. Because of this demand there is much more jobs that are available.
Medical coding is one of those jobs that need many positions filled. Medicaid, Medicare and insurance companies have put many new strict guidelines that need to be followed so that the doctor's can get paid. So this is why it's important that an experienced individual fill these positions.
If you are not sure what a medical coding job entails then let me explain. Medical coders are responsible for reading the doctor's notes and transferring the patient's information using codes into the patient's medical records. If the patient had a special procedure done, then it would need to be put into a code in his/her medical chart. Another example, if the patient came in for a pap smear then it needs to be in her medical chart. These codes are universal alphanumerical. These codes are the first step to billing and if they are incorrect then they will be charged the wrong amount.
If you wanted to start a career in medical coding then you would want to take courses and get a certificate. I say it that way because it is not uncommon for people without a certificate in this field to get a job, but it will be harder and you wouldn't get paid as much.
There are many codes that you would be responsible to know, as well as many strict guidelines that you would need to know. If you made one mistake, that you may think is a small little mistake, can cause the doctor a large sum of money that they cannot get because you put the wrong code in. So you can see the importance of having an in-depth knowledge of these standardized medical codes.
Completing the medical coding course can take you anywhere from 3 months to one year. It all depends on how much time you have to devote to completing the courses. But it's a short period of time when you can get your certificate and begin potentially making a starting salary of $31,000. That's a good starting salary wouldn't you say? There are plenty of online courses that you are able to take and complete it at your own pace - Drexel or Allied Medical School are two good schools.
The courses you will take will teach you medical terminology, anatomy, medical procedures and much more. All of these courses are very important to complete the duties of a medical coder, and for them to complete them accurately.
Medical coding is one of those jobs that need many positions filled. Medicaid, Medicare and insurance companies have put many new strict guidelines that need to be followed so that the doctor's can get paid. So this is why it's important that an experienced individual fill these positions.
If you are not sure what a medical coding job entails then let me explain. Medical coders are responsible for reading the doctor's notes and transferring the patient's information using codes into the patient's medical records. If the patient had a special procedure done, then it would need to be put into a code in his/her medical chart. Another example, if the patient came in for a pap smear then it needs to be in her medical chart. These codes are universal alphanumerical. These codes are the first step to billing and if they are incorrect then they will be charged the wrong amount.
If you wanted to start a career in medical coding then you would want to take courses and get a certificate. I say it that way because it is not uncommon for people without a certificate in this field to get a job, but it will be harder and you wouldn't get paid as much.
There are many codes that you would be responsible to know, as well as many strict guidelines that you would need to know. If you made one mistake, that you may think is a small little mistake, can cause the doctor a large sum of money that they cannot get because you put the wrong code in. So you can see the importance of having an in-depth knowledge of these standardized medical codes.
Completing the medical coding course can take you anywhere from 3 months to one year. It all depends on how much time you have to devote to completing the courses. But it's a short period of time when you can get your certificate and begin potentially making a starting salary of $31,000. That's a good starting salary wouldn't you say? There are plenty of online courses that you are able to take and complete it at your own pace - Drexel or Allied Medical School are two good schools.
The courses you will take will teach you medical terminology, anatomy, medical procedures and much more. All of these courses are very important to complete the duties of a medical coder, and for them to complete them accurately.
WHAT TO CONSIDER WHILE CHOOSING A MEDICAL BILLING COMPANY
Medical Billing Service is a great solution for some practices and a disaster for others. Why it becomes a disaster and why most of the physician failed to opt a better medical billing service. What makes the disparity? Your certain requirements, needs and the selection criteria you use, are critical in deciding the right medical billing company. Further than, you need to appraise the presentation of any medical billing service you consider and recognize exactly what services you're purchasing. Here is course of actions you may need to consider when deciding a medical billing service. Besides, these guidelines, probabilities of disaster can be reduced when you decide to turn over your billing function to a third party (medical billing service provider). What a billing service can do - Identify your needs and requirements
Identifying your needs and requirements before deciding, whether outsourcing your billing would help your practice or not; make sure first what a medical billing service can offer you. Typically medical billing companies provide following services and solutions:
-Data entry support for patients, these may include demographic and billing information of a patient, charges for a particular service, receipts and adjustments.
-Production and creation of patient statement and let them inform through emails.
-Collection and tracking of payments from third parties as well as from patients.
-Record submission services, both electronic and paper based medical records of patients. -Exclusion of inactive account.
-Making and creation of management report.
Understand what a Billing Service can do? Before deciding whether outsourcing your billing would help your practice, be sure you know what a billing service can offer you. Different firms provide different services and equipment, but they typically include the following:
-Data entry of patients' demographic and billing information, charges, receipts and adjustments;
-Production and submission of claims, both electronic and paper-based;
-Production and mailing of patient statements;
-Collection and tracking of payments from third parties and patients;
-Purging of inactive accounts;
-Production of management reports;
-Installation of computer terminals and printers so the practice can perform queries, update records, schedule appointments, and generate demand reports, demand statements and super bills.
-Identify your needs and wants
Next, carefully document the specific functions and characteristics of your current billing system. These include how the system tracks patient demographics, how it handles data entry, how it generates paper and electronic claims, its collection features, its ability to generate standard and customized reports -- and everything else you find important. Think about what you like about your current system, what you don't like and what features you wish it had. Then use that information to develop a list of the features you want from a Billing Service system.
Identifying your needs and requirements before deciding, whether outsourcing your billing would help your practice or not; make sure first what a medical billing service can offer you. Typically medical billing companies provide following services and solutions:
-Data entry support for patients, these may include demographic and billing information of a patient, charges for a particular service, receipts and adjustments.
-Production and creation of patient statement and let them inform through emails.
-Collection and tracking of payments from third parties as well as from patients.
-Record submission services, both electronic and paper based medical records of patients. -Exclusion of inactive account.
-Making and creation of management report.
Understand what a Billing Service can do? Before deciding whether outsourcing your billing would help your practice, be sure you know what a billing service can offer you. Different firms provide different services and equipment, but they typically include the following:
-Data entry of patients' demographic and billing information, charges, receipts and adjustments;
-Production and submission of claims, both electronic and paper-based;
-Production and mailing of patient statements;
-Collection and tracking of payments from third parties and patients;
-Purging of inactive accounts;
-Production of management reports;
-Installation of computer terminals and printers so the practice can perform queries, update records, schedule appointments, and generate demand reports, demand statements and super bills.
-Identify your needs and wants
Next, carefully document the specific functions and characteristics of your current billing system. These include how the system tracks patient demographics, how it handles data entry, how it generates paper and electronic claims, its collection features, its ability to generate standard and customized reports -- and everything else you find important. Think about what you like about your current system, what you don't like and what features you wish it had. Then use that information to develop a list of the features you want from a Billing Service system.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)