Financial penalties for HIPAA violations. How real are they? How about a recent $4.3 million civil penalty faced by Cignet Health of Prince George’s County, Maryland; or the also recent…
Nursing Home Floor Plans: Optimizing Valuable Space with Improved Circulation
A well-conceived nursing home floor plan requires thoughtful consideration. An astute design will position your facility for success. As an architectural firm specializing in nursing homes, we’re often asked how we…
Medical Accounts Receivable: Monitoring and Measuring Performance
One of the most common issues we confront when called to perform a physician billing department assessment, or a more broad-based medical practice analysis, is the lament: “Why aren’t we…
Disaster Preparedness – A Must for Every Nursing Home and Assisted Living Facility
Over the past several days, I’ve watched the tragic events unfold in Japan as a result of the massive earthquake and resulting tsunami. The images-photos and videos, served as a…
Three Financial Strategies for your Medical Practice that are “Like Money in the Bank”
A question recently posted on LinkedIn regarding the “Do’s, Dont’s, Thrills and Spills” of using a lockbox for payments generated a lot of comments, and got me to thinking more…
Why a Good Healthcare Facility Feasibility Study Should Involve Aerobic Activity …
So you’re considering a feasibility study, or even a full blown business plan for a proposed healthcare facility. Congratulations-it means that you’re contemplating some kind of new business venture-maybe an…
EHR Installation and Training – keeping up requires focus!
If you thought the selection process for EHR systems was intense, wait till you get to implementation! EHR vendors will drive the implementation process, but you must be prepared to…
Nursing Homes and MDS 3.0 – the Winds of Change are Upon Us
Well, it’s here. MDS 3.0. A couple of years in the making, about 6 months of training made available to SNF providers, and with the tears and fears of MDS…
An Operational Analysis of Your Medical Practice is a Logical Step in the EHR Selection Process
I’m often surprised by how some medical practices are so casual in their approach to selecting an EHR system. As if the EHR selection process itself is inconsequential. And I’m bordering…
EHR Systems, Meaningful Use Certification, and HITECH Incentives … Where do YOU stand?
On January 5, 2011 a two physician medical group, as announced by eMDs in Austin, TX received $42,500 under the Medicaid HITECH incentive program for meeting the Meaningful Use Criteria…
How do I Maximize the ROI on an EHR System? Hint: “Invest in training”
One of the most important activities during implementation of your EHR selection process. It’s important to pay attention to what the vendor says about the amount of time each staff…
Skilled Nursing Facility Design Concepts: The Effective Use of Natural Light
Skilled nursing facility design incorporates the effective use of natural light, which is an essential feature in nursing homes. As an architect who specializes in designing healthcare projects, namely acute care,…
The Red Flags Rule Doesn’t Apply to Physician and Healthcare Organizations. “Really?”
Has your medical billing consultant told you that the Red Flags Rule has been repealed for physician practices and other healthcare organizations? Now that Congress has passed and sent to…
Is it Time for your Medical Practice to Opt out of Medicare?
“I opposed the budget deal in 1997 because it brought in a $115 billion cut in Medicare that created greater pressure for providers not to participate.” ~ David Obey, U.S….
Hospice, Palliative Care and Death – Why is it so tough to accept?
A few weeks ago, I received word from a very good friend, whom I have known for nearly 30 years that she was dying of cancer. The doctors believed it…
Using Best Practices in Medical Billing – the Key to Surviving Economic Conditions
With the existing economic hard times, it is very critical that medical practices and facilities keep an eye on their accounts receivable. A continuous flow of claims payment will determine…
In Healthcare, “Exposure is the New Privacy.” Your Online Presence has Arrived.
We are entering, actually, we already are deep into the digital medical world without a clear and proven guide to ensure privacy. Patients themselves disclose ePHI about them on social…
Physicians Already Seeing Early Impact of Healthcare Reform – Are You Prepared?
Even though many provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act are implemented in 2014, some are active right now. Many of these changes will affect what the covered…
“Health Reform Bill” & New Rules About Medical Compliance
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148), also referred to as the “Health Insurance Reform Bill”, is a federal statute that was signed into law by President Barack…
Efficient Operations in Your Medical Practice … Be Serious About It!
With EHR technology being implemented, Health Reform just around the corner, and Meaningful Use criteria mandated, what else can there be? How about many more coding and billing auditing agencies…