Archive for January 2011

The newest blog on #healthcare reform

In a NY Times article Robert Pear  discusses the new Medicaid regulation starting on January 1 which was signed into law in March 2010 dealing with end-of-life-planning.

With the new law, doctors who advise patients on end of life planning will be paid by the government. As quoted in the article “The new rule says Medicare will cover “voluntary advance care planning,” to discuss end-of-life treatment, as part of the annual visit.”

The article also goes on to discuss concerns expressed by opponents of the new regulation that “…the Obama administration was bringing back a procedure that could be used to justify the premature withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment from people with severe illnesses and disabilities.”

Read more about this new legislation and then come back and  tell us what you think about “end-of-life planning”

The newest blog on #healthcare reform

In a NY Times article Robert Pear  discusses the new Medicaid regulation starting on January 1 which was signed into law in March 2010 dealing with end-of-life-planning.

With the new law, doctors who advise patients on end of life planning will be paid by the government. As quoted in the article “The new rule says Medicare will cover “voluntary advance care planning,” to discuss end-of-life treatment, as part of the annual visit.”

The article also goes on to discuss concerns expressed by opponents of the new regulation that “…the Obama administration was bringing back a procedure that could be used to justify the premature withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment from people with severe illnesses and disabilities.”

Read more about this new legislation and then come back and  tell us what you think about “end-of-life planning”

What does it take to be a medical billing expert?

The American Heritage Dictionary describes an “expert” as “a person with a high degree of skill in a knowledge of a certain subject.”

You’ll often hear the word expert used by just about anyone and in different contexts. There’s the expert witness or the expert consultant. By the definition alone, anyone who has gone to school and earned a degree could technically be called an expert. Technically.

But we all know it takes more than a few forgotten classes to make someone an expert. In my opinion, an expert is someone who is involved in ongoing practice and education to master their craft.

Just as doctor’s and health care practitioners must continue to educate themselves to stay on top of new treatments and methodologies, it’s vital for medical billing companies to stay in the know about various aspects that fall under the medical billing umbrella.

At MAS, we work hard to stay ahead of the curve and know everything there is to know about what’s on the horizon. When other companies are still focused only on compliance and EMR, we are looking ahead to things like ICD-10, over turning denials and appeals.

Don’t know what that is? Give  us a call or drop us a line at MAS, we’ll be happy to tell you. After all, it’s our job to be experts in medical billing….and your job as a doctor to be an expert in patient care.