As the healthcare industry undergoes substantial changes—among them an aging patient population, the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the shift to electronic medical records—there is an understanding that these adjustments cannot smoothly occur simultaneously throughout the industry. In other words, where one hospital or medical facility may have the resources to implement changes rapidly, another …
Best Practices for EMR Implementation
Healthcare organizations often have troubles maintaining their patient volume and profitability because there has been a trend of decreasing reimbursements and growing amounts of regulations. However, with the right planning, your organization can grow profitably through value-based payment models. Here are a few tips and best practices for implementing an EMR: Choose a long-term partner. You want to work with …
How Healthcare Reform Affects Revenue Cycle Operations
Now that we’re several years into the major healthcare reforms brought about by the Affordable Care Act, we can get a better sense of how those reforms have affected revenue cycle operations in the last few years. Healthcare Finance News put together a report on these issues last year, and many of those issues are still playing a big role …
What Comes After ICD-10 Implementation?
There’s been a lot of debate this year about the upcoming deadline for ICD-10 implementation. People in favor of ICD-10 continually note how the current ICD-9 code set is extremely limited and that here is a great need for data that is more robust. People against ICD-10 have several main arguments, including the expenses and complications associated with implementation and …
Current Best Practices for Healthcare Billing and Collection
In today’s healthcare world, it’s more important than ever for providers to make sure they are carefully following all of the best practice guidelines for billing and payment. Every year, uninsured hospital patients build up $49 billion in medical debt. In the United States, there is more money spent per person on healthcare than any other country in the world. …
What to Expect: Modifications to Meaningful Use from 2015 through 2017
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently proposed a brand new rule for HER Incentive Programs to align the objectives and measures of State 1 and Stage 2 with the proposals in place for State 3. This rule would be just a small part of a larger effort across the entirety of the Department of Health and Human Services …
How to Plan for ICD-10 Implementation
As many health care professionals and executives know, progress has been slow on the transition to ICD-10, the latest medical classification list. This process has largely taken a backseat to other priorities for health care organizations, including electronic health records and the reduction of expenses. However, with the ICD-10 conversion date set for Oct. 1, 2015, it’s important to develop …
Providers have the Power to Provide a Customer Service Experience Patients are Looking For
Howell Consulting Group is committed to doing health care differently. The provider-patient relationship continues to be a cornerstone of healthcare. From the time the patient walks through the doors to the time the patient exits the building, there should be a satisfactory experience for both the patient and the provider. There’s an old adage that still rings true – your first …
