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FootZine,
Volume 27 |
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| This week there are Pearls, Gems, HIPAA,
Crystal-Clear coding, letters, questions, answers and news of
a great Podiatry PR event......read on! *_* Letters
*_* From: Carol Callahan, DPMre: Office Policy Manual We would like suggestions for reference(s) for an office policy manual. Thank you. Carol Callahan, DPM Advanced Foot Care Associates Fairfield, CT *_* *_* *_* From: Jenny Gilliland, PMAC re: AmeriGel Where can I purchase AmeriGel for patient home use after toenail surgeries? Any help is appreciated. Thanks and keep up the good work. Jenny Gilliland, PMAC *_* An Answer Already *_* From: Justice W. Anderson, V.P. of Sales Amerx Health Care Corp AmeriGel is currently available through podiatry distributors or directly from Amerx Health Care. The distributors who are currently carrying the AmeriGel Wound Dressing are Meyer Distributing and Surgical Supply. Amerx is presently talking with several other podiatry distributors about carrying the products but these two distributors are the only choices currently. You can, however, purchase the AmeriGel Wound Dressing directly from Amerx Health Care by calling 1-800-448-9599. We do not require credit applications and we extend billing terms. We have an introductory offer for those physicians who have not tried the product yet and we offer a 100% guarantee on all of our products. If you would like to go through a podiatry distributor, you can contact Meyer Distributing at 800-853-1490 or Surgical Supply at 1-800-523-0706. If you have any further questions, I can be reached via e-mail at jwa@amerxhc.com or toll free at 1-800-448-9599. Sincerely, Justice W. Anderson V.P. of Sales Amerx Health Care Corp 1150 Cleveland Street #410 Clearwater, FL. 33755 www.amerigel.com *_* Calendar
*_* The "Top 10 Best Walking Cities in
America" Award from APMA and Prevention Magazine will be
presented to Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels by key members of the
Washington State Podiatric Medical Association (WSPMA) on Saturday
morning, April 19th. After the 9:30 presentation, the Mayor
will join members of the Seattle-area podiatric community and the
public for a walk around Green Lake. The presentation will
take place at the South end of lake near the Aqua Theater. Sponsors for the event include "Shoes-n-Feet", "Super Jock 'n Jill" and TalkingRain water bottlers. Seattle-area podiatrists and staff are encouraged to take part in this great opportunity to promote our profession. FootZine's "Calendar" page is found at http://www.footzine.com/FZ_4.htm *_* Crystal-Clear
Coding Q & A *_* The Question:By Phillip E. Ward, DPM I have a patient that has a painful screw from previous foot surgery. The patient wants it removed. How do I code for it and what documentation is required? Linda Harr The Answer: The correct procedure code would be 20680 (removal of implant deep; e.g. pin, screw, plate). You would bill this code for each pin, screw or plate removed. There has to be a medical necessity for the removal, so the best diagnosis would be 996.4 painful internal fixation. For medical necessity it must be symptomatic, otherwise it is a non-covered procedure. The chart documentation should include both subjective and objective signs of pain related to the fixation devices. The date of injury goes along with that diagnosis and would be the date of the original symptoms related to the hardware. *_* *_* *_* The 2nd Question: What is the correct modifier for custom molded shoes? Wasn't it ZX? Jenny Gilliland, PMAC The 2nd Answer: The correct modifier will depend on where you practice and which DME carrier your claims go to. Crystal-Clear Coding tips by Dr. Ward are posted on the FootZine web site on this page: http://www.footzine.com/FZ_C.htm *_* FootZine
Feeture Article *_* Now that the magic date of April 14, 2003 has
arrived, let’s review where you should be in your compliance
effort right now.YOUR HIPAA CHECK LIST by Raymond F. Posa, MBA 1) You must have named a Privacy Officer 2) Your Privacy Officer must be fully versed in the requirements of HIPAA 3) You must have your Privacy policies written 4) You must have a Notice of Privacy Practices (NPP) written 5) You must have the NPP posted in an easily accessible area of your office 6) You must be handing out a copy of your NPP to all your patients and have them sign a form acknowledging receipt of the NPP 7) You must conduct formal training of your staff on your Privacy policies and document the training A word of caution: I have been seeing and hearing of practices copying pages from “canned” manuals. This is NOT sufficient to meet the requirements set forth in HIPAA. To anyone who is using the APMA HIPAA privacy manual, please read the very first page carefully. It clearly states “The Manual should be a tool to assist doctors of podiatric medicine in complying with the Standards for Privacy…”. The implication is that this is your starting point; it is not the finished product for your compliance effort. The Manual also goes on to state: “Simply possessing the Manual does not make you compliant with the regulations.” You need to do an audit of your practice and have a set of custom policies written. Your privacy officer can take a sample policy and customize it for your practice or have a HIPAA consulting firm come in to assist your privacy officer with the policies. Since the privacy officer is required to be fully versed in the requirements of HIPAA, it might be money well spent to have the privacy officer spend some one-on-one time with a consultant and master the fine points of HIPAA. By: Raymond F. Posa, MBA Technology Advisor to the American Academy of Podiatric Practice Management President, R. Francis Associates Any questions or comments can be addressed to Mr. Posa by E-mail: Rposa@Rfrancis.com You can review previous installments from Mr. Posa at http://www.footzine.com/FZ_H.htm *_* Pearls
of Practice Management
*_* SO YOU WANT TO BE A LEADER?…..YOU MUST
FOLLOW THESE RULES…by John Guiliana, DPM, MS A leader teaches through example not through words (He/she arrives at work on time/first to arrive, exemplifies the work ethic, demonstrates the empathy and compassion that the staff must follow) A leader praises their team and awards for accomplishment (He/she always looks to catch people doing something right) A leader gives credit, yet never desires it (He/she guides the staff but allows them to make their own decisions that affect their work and then gives them ALL the credit even though they perhaps could not have done it without the leader's help) A leader earns trust, never demands it (A leader earns trust by being honest and caring. Complete breakdown in trust will occur when a leader demonstrates an act of dishonesty or speaks disparagingly about another staff member in public. The staff soon believes that their leader may be dishonest in dealing with many things… or perhaps is speaking poorly to others about ME too) A leader demonstrates good decision making skills (A leader makes decisions that are in the best interest of the ENTIRE organization and thoroughly strives to understand all of the possible ramifications of their decisions) A leader has dissected their own character…they know their strengths and are able to admit and cope with their weaknesses. (A good leader is always secure enough to ask for help in areas of weakness) A leader responds well to criticism (A leader realizes that criticism is part of the job…they not only accept it but they have the ability to look at it objectively to see if anything can be learned) A leader is an expert communicator (A leader replaces demeaning phrases such as "that's not right" or "no, do it this way" with empowering statement such as "perhaps you may want to do it this way"… A leader knows their organization. They recognize and respect that each person has their own individual characteristics, needs, strengths and weaknesses. A leader never needs that symbolic "pat on the back" but realizes that everyone else does. A leader is capable of putting aside all personal issues as they recognize the importance of peace and harmony on organizational productivity. OBVIOUSLY, BEING A LEADER IS DEMANDING. IF IT WERE EASY….WE WOULD HAVE AN ORCHESTRA WITH ALL CONDUCTORS AND NO PLAYERS! STILL WANT TO BE A LEADER?….IF SO, YOU MUST LIVE BY THESE RULES! Dr. Guiliana's articles and Pearls can be found on the FootZine web site on the "Feeture Article" page: http://www.footzine.com/FZ_P.htm *_* Gems
of Practice Management *_* We are both currently in the process of
interviewing for an assistant in each of our offices. Now we
know why there is Valium, stress balls and cruises (and Loony
Farms). There is no secret formula or magic pill to ensure
success in hiring a high-quality assistant, but by all means you can
reduce your risk by considering the following.by Hal Ornstein DPM, FACFAS and Lynn Homisak, PRT "Take me away to the Loony Farm…NOW!" Check out the candidate in reception area while they are waiting for the interview to observe their nature and interaction with patients. Hire attitude, train for skills During the interview, role play: "What would you do if…?" "How would you handle…?" "What was your favorite/least favorite part of your last job (co-worker at any job)?" "Who was your favorite boss and why?" "What are your long-term goals?" Do not use yes and no questions. Avoid personal questions- they are illegal. Have them sit with your staff while they’re working as part of the second interview. If you are considering hiring a particular person and it just doesn't feel right, trust your instincts. DON'T DO IT! If possible obtain a simple written personality test that easily identifies if the candidate will work well with your current staff. (Information on obtaining this test will be given in a future FootZine) Make your expectations crystal clear. You get what you pay for. Pay well; this is one of the most important investments in your office. Often more important than pay is reinforcement and appreciation, especially reflected early on in the relationship. Provide a job description, office procedures manual, and employee manual on day one. TRAIN, TRAIN, TRAIN! May the force be with you, and just be sure the walls are padded! Previous "Gems" can be found on their own pages of the FootZine.com web site, at http://www.footzine.com/FZ_90.htm *_* *_*
*_* Next week will be a short one for me as I head
off to the Washington State meeting at Ocean Shores, WA.
There's a possibility that there won't be enough time to get
material assembled before I go. But my inbox will be open, and
there will be more to share with you the next week.....so go ahead
and write!~ Gayle *_* *_*
*_* Copyright 2003 Gayle S. Johnson, PMAC All
Rights Reserved. Gayle S. Johnson, PMAC |
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