Practice Help Articles

• Vendors

  Practice Vendor Guide 2013
• Medicaid

  Medicaid Fee Hike Requires Eligibility ConfirmationPrimary care physicians who treat Medicaid patients will receive fee increases for 2013 and 2014 under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, but only if they sign an attestation form confirming they're eligible for the raise, state officials say.
• E-Prescribing

  E-Prescribe by June 30 to Avoid 2014 PenaltiesTo avoid penalties in 2014 (2 percent of Medicare Part B claims), Medicare physicians must report e-prescribing using G-code G8553 via claims on at least 10 unique Medicare encounters by June 30.
• Medicare

  CMS Delays Plan to Deny Non-Enrollees' Medicare ClaimsTechnical issues have delayed plans by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to begin denying claims for services ordered or referred by a physician who is not enrolled in Medicare. The denials were scheduled for May 1. CMS did not elaborate on the technical issues or set a new deadline.
• Compliance

  No Longer an Option: Feds Now Require Antifraud Compliance Plan
  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) used to encourage physicians in Medicare and Medicaid to adopt voluntary compliance programs. But now it's the law. Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), compliance programs are no longer voluntary. As a condition of enrollment in federal health programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, the health system reform law requires physicians to establish a compliance program that features specific core elements.
• Electronic Health Records

  Start Preparing to Upgrade Your EHRBeginning in 2014, all physicians participating in the federal electronic health record (EHR) meaningful use incentive program must use a Stage two-certified EHR. This is true even for physicians attesting for Stage one meaningful use.
• Closing a Practice

  Preparing for the Worst: Planning for Untimely Death Is Vital
  Unexpected deaths profoundly impact those left behind. And in the case of physicians, their deaths have financial and business implications they must address in advance. Professional planning allows physicians to address call coverage, management, and administration of the medical practice and helps ensure the orderly continuation of practice operations.