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FootZine,
Volume 87 |
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For the first time in 14 years,
the Medicare Part B deductible will be increasing in
January 2005. This means that the
patients seen in our offices next year will have a
$110 deductible to meet out of pocket before
Medicare will pay any part of their bill. We
all have some patients who seem surprised every year
when told that their charges from January (or
February or April) were applied to their deductible,
and that they owe the allowed amount themselves.
They always question why they have to pay the
doctor $100, and if Medicare won't pay it, then
their supplement ought to. It may be even
harder to convince them that they now owe a
(slightly) larger amount, and that the additional
$10 is not an error on our part. In years past, when office fee increases have been planned, I have always tried to give patients advance warning, such as "When you come in next time, the new fee for your care will be XX.xx". That does away with "sticker shock" at the time care is rendered, giving the patient time to make the mental adjustment prior to the next visit, to protest (as many will), or even put off making the next appointment, before the higher charge is incurred. Similarly, I would suggest starting to prepare our patients now for the higher deductible that will be effective when they come back next year. That way they won't be surprised at the front desk or with their next statement that they owe $10 more than anticipated. Explaining that we have just found out about this increase, which originates not with us but with Medicare, and that we wanted them to be aware of this change that will affect them, lets us be "the good guys" this time. It may also save a lot of questioning phone calls. ~ Gayle *_* "There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance." - Socrates (469 BC - 399 BC) *_*
*_* Letters
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From: Jeffrey Frederick,
DPM, FACFASre: Medicare Training (Volume 84) Learning the ropes on billing and coding, rules and regulations can be very difficult and time consuming. CMS offers help in this area by providing free references and coding materials for new doctors and billers. By going to their "medlearn" website: www.cms.hhs.gov/medlearn and registering you will be able to order helpful materials. I would suggest beginning with ordering the following books: Medicare Resident and New Physician Guide, Reference Guide for Medicare Physician & Supplier Billers. These books are free of charge as long as you register with the site. Another very valuable resource is The American Academy of Podiatric Practice Management Seminars. During these meetings, doctors, office managers and assistants can network with each other along with attending lectures addressing billing. This is an invaluable resource! Dr. Jeffrey Frederick, DPM, FACFAS jfrederick@aappm.com (248) 443-0400 Trustee, American Academy of Podiatric Practice Management Chairman, Insurance Committee, Michigan Podiatric Medical Association Diplomate, American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians *_* *_* *_* From: Jeffrey Frederick, DPM, FACFAS re: Question for AAPPM (Carla-Ruth Poma, Volume 86) The American Academy of Podiatric Practice Management would encourage a new practitioner to seek the advice from a certified medical biller. Perhaps the doctor in question mis-understood advice that was being given. The Academy believes education is paramount in success. Learning from and benefiting from a certified medical biller would be high on the priority list from the Academy. Dr. Jeffrey Frederick, DPM, FACFAS jfrederick@aappm.com (248) 443-0400 Trustee, American Academy of Podiatric Practice Management Chairman, Insurance Committee, Michigan Podiatric Medical Association Diplomate, American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians *_* *_* *_* From: Deb, PMA re: Needed Materials for Studying for Certification Exam Dear Gayle, Myself and two other ladies from our office, are going to be taking the certification exam in Chicago in April. Can you help us out with what will be expected of us to know for the exam? What books do you suggest we use for study guides? Any little "pointers" would be deeply appreciated. Thanks Gayle, Deb PMA *_* *_* *_* From: Emily Chavis re: Certification Hello Gayle, Will you please tell me on how I can be a Certified Podiatry Assistant? I need as much information as I can get. Thanks, Emily Chavis *_* *_* *_* From: MW re: Practice Valuation Hi, Is there a general rule of thumb I can use when looking to purchase a practice? It seems that most Podiatrists are asking for one year's gross , but many friends tell me it should be the Net income stream instead. Can you shed some light on this issue for me? MW
*_* Networking
*_*
Dr. Peter Lallas of Lakeshore
Clinic, Totem Lake/Kirkland WA. Needsexperienced Podiatric MA. Very busy practice, Fridays off, benefits and negotiable pay DOE. Primarily back office, patient care. Contact Debra/Nurse Manager 425-825-6529 Notices of positions wanted or positions available, as well as other "classified" information, are welcome. They are posted at the FootZine web site's Networking page. Have a look at http://www.footzine.com/FZ_6.htm
*_* FootZine
Feeture Article
*_*
The Question:Crystal-Clear Coding Q & A by Rick Horsman, DPM, and Scott Schroeder, DPM Gayle -- Looking for the new Medicare codes for billing Diabetic foot care. The url I was given, http://cms.hhs.gov/, led me to a Medicare site but I couldn't find anything. Any help you or the list can give me will be much appreciated. Thanks! Holly Mollo Centre Footcare State College, PA The Answer: Gayle, I will assume that Molly is looking for policies and codes for providing routine foot care to persons with diabetes, with the specific policies for Pennsylvania. I would direct her to her own Medicare carrier's website, which should have the latest policies. It would do her no good to review national policies, when they are clarified and codified by her own carrier. If she is asking regarding wound care, same issue, and same directive. If asking regarding the diabetic therapeutic shoe bill, I would direct her to her regional DMERC carrier website. As you know, HHS gives national policy directives; but individual carriers have the authority to determine exactly how that will be implemented for their states. That makes a world of difference in required diagnosis and procedural coding, "linking" of codes, etc. Rick Horsman, DPM Crystal-Clear Coding tips are posted on the FootZine web site on this page: http://www.footzine.com/FZ_C.htm
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A report from a cardiology
conference held in Germany last month provided
further evidence of what I have been sure of for a
long time - that chocolate is indeed
good for you! This report joins recent studies
showing that chocolate is high in flavonoids and
also releases seratonin, making chocolate-lovers
feel justified in their indulgences.Cardiologists at Athens Medical School in Greece wanted to see the effect chocolate has on the functioning of the “endothelial cells” in the walls of the blood vessels. It is believed that those cells are affected by oxygen damage, and reflect the overall health of the cardiovascular system. The study concluded that "During the chocolate session, endothelial function was improved, whereas during the placebo day there were no such changes.” And, “The favorable effects of dark chocolate lasted for three hours at least." The benefits noted were seen only after consuming dark chocolate, and they did caution against over-doing. It all sounds reasonable to me! More details on this report are available at: http://www.comcast.net/News/HEALTHWELLNESS//XML/1500_Health__medical/2b2c9771-b1b8-4b5c-972e-9ef3a49b0fde.html *_* "Strength is the capacity to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands - and then eat just one of those pieces." - Judith Viorst, poet, author, and chocoholic *_* Your news is always welcome, so feel free to write! ~ Gayle
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2004 Gayle S. Johnson. All Rights Reserved. or click
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