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Welcome to OSI's blog section, where experts share medical, legal, media, business transcription, and search engine optimization news and views on industry developments. Readers can add feedback to the posts by clicking the "comments" link under the post you want to comment on. |
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
2008 European Outsourcing Summit in Spain
International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP), with 40,000 corporate, professional, and associate members worldwide, is leading the effort to transform the world of business through outsourcing. IAOP in association with FORTUNE Custom Projects is once again presenting The 2008 European Outsourcing Summit to be held in October, 2008 at Barcelona, Spain. It is designed to specifically meet the educational and business development needs of outsourcing professionals in Europe by connecting the best in global insights to the very real differences in how companies across Europe approach outsourcing.
The last European conference was The 2004 European Outsourcing Summit, held in June, 2004. Do remember that the coming Europeon Summit is not a trade show. It is an educational conference keynoted by top business, academic, and government leaders, complemented by dozens of in-depth breakout sessions and case studies for customers and providers.
Take a look at the schedule of events, http://www.outsourcingprofessional.org/content/23/154/1555/
The request form is available here http://www.outsourcingprofessional.org/cgi-bin/inforequest.asp
Outsource Strategies International (OSI ) is a US based outsourcing pioneer and leader offering outsourcing /offshoring solutions to various healthcare and business sectors in services like that medical transcription, legal transcription, medical coding/billing etc to clients in the US, the UK and Australia.Labels: European Outsourcing Summit 2008, IAOP, The International Association of Outsourcing Professionals, UK outsourcing
posted by Outsource Strategies International @ 9:53 PM
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Hematology 2008 Coding and Reimbursement Conference at Denver
The Coding Institute will conduct the Hematology Coding & Reimbursement Conference from April 13-15, 2008 at Denver, Colorado. Find below the different topics that will be dealt at the conference.
Pre-Conference Workshops (Sunday, April 13th)
- Back to Basics: Gather These Nuts & Bolts of Oncology Coding
Conference Day 1: Main Sessions (Monday, April 14th) - Ready, Get Set, COLLECT! Increase Your Charge Capture For Oncology Drugs
- Navigating the Neoplasm Table: Simple Strategies Every Coder Should Know
- Tune in on Stereotactic Radiosurgery Coding
- Stay on Top of New ESA Rules
- Solid Solutions for Serious Oncology/Hematology Reimbursement Leaks
- Dig Into Brachytherapy Coding to Get Every Penny You Deserve
- Don't Get Stuck With Phlebotomy and Blood Draw Confusion
Conference Day 2: Main Sessions (Tuesday, April 15th)
- Become an Infusion Suites Coding Guru!
- Capitalize on Your NPP's Services
- Plump Up Your Ambulatory Pump Pay
Post-Conference Workshop (Tuesday, April 15th)
- Doc. About Your Documentation
Registration details for the conference is available at, http://www.codingconferences.com/hematology08r.htm
Outsource Strategies International (OSI) is a US based medical transcription company that offers professional outsourcing solutions in medical coding, medical billing and medical transcription services for clients in all the US States and also globally.
Labels: 2008 coding conference, Denver coding 2008, Denver coding conference, Hematology 2008 Coding and Reimbursement Conference, hematology conference
posted by Outsource Strategies International @ 8:27 PM
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The Importance of Medical Coding /Billing
Why medical coding has become so important today? Well, for the simple reason that one must be able to recognize/identify and then appropriately bill every single medical service that has been offered. Let me give a similar and more familiar example for the layman. Whenever we get into a supermarket there are so many different sections in there that we walk into. From grocery to books to dresses, all we need to do is just pick up things and put them into our shopping cart. With so many different items and rates how is the billing managed? We soon realize that it is the barcode stickers on each item that store the entire story of the different item inside the supermarket and all the cashier needs to do is just scan each item. As he scans the rates / and all the other required details of all those product that we picked up is automatically incorporated calculated by the computer as our final bill is generated.
It is very similar with medical coding and billing. Before the bill is prepared it is first necessary to identify the service that is given. With so many different medical specialties, procedures, and medications how are we to identify and determine the rate that has to be charged? That is why it has to undergo the medical coding process which is now a universal standard that has been developed and is being perfected. Every single process may it be a laboratory test, consultation with a specialist or a surgery has been given a category with rates/charges that have been assigned. Today most part or the total amount of the medical bills is paid by either the private/government insurance companies including Medicare and Medicaid. These companies always want to make sure that the billing is perfectly done and that the right codes are assigned and billed. Any discrepancies found usually result in denial of the claim. The basic types of codes are,
- Diagnostic codes
- Procedural codes
- Pharmaceutical codes
- Topographical codes
Highly affordable outsourcing solutions in medical coding / billing and medical transcription are now offered by the Oklahoma based outsourcing leader and medical transcription company, OSI (Outsource Strategies International).Labels: importance of medical coding, medical billing, Medical Coding, medical transcription, medical transcription company, need for medical coding
posted by Outsource Strategies International @ 7:24 PM
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Sunday, February 17, 2008
HIMSS Annual Conference
The Annual HIMSS (Health Information and Management Systems Society) Conference and Exhibition is recognized as one of the world's largest and most respected healthcare IT exhibitions. Founded in 1961 with offices in Chicago, Washington D.C., Brussels, and other locations across the United States and Europe, HIMSS represents more than 20,000 individual members and over 300 corporate members that collectively represent organizations employing millions of people. Over 900 companies will exhibit at the conference.
This year's HIMSS O8 Annual Conference and Exhibition will be held from February 24-28 at Orlando, Orange County Convention Center.
As Collin Brack, the Manager, Software Systems Programming The University of Texas Medical Branch has to say, " The Annual Conference has a wealth of information, from the nuts and bolts of electronic medical records to emerging trends in healthcare IT, topics that are important for healthcare professionals all the way up to the CIO level."
Here is the conference brochure http://www.himssconference.org/docs/HIMSS08Brochure.pdf
Registration Details are at http://www.himssconference.org/registration/Policies.aspx
Outsource Strategies International (OSI) is a Oklahoma based medical transcription company that offers professional domestic and offshore outsourcing solutions in medical coding, medical billing and medical transcription to clients in the US and globally.Labels: Healthcare Conference Orlando, HIMSS Conference 2008, medical transcription company, Orlando Conference
posted by Outsource Strategies International @ 10:35 PM
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Specialty Credentials for Medical Coding Professionals
The AAPC (American Association Professional of Coders) now offers specialty coding credentials for coding professionals like CPCs, CPC-Hs, CPC-Ps, CCSs, CCS-Ps, RHIT and MDs who are already working. This certification will help them move to new specialty area or prove their worth in any specialty discipline. Even though there are no prerequisite years of experience required for eligibility to take the examination, one must always remember that these are difficult high level examinations.
These are the different specialty areas,
- Anesthesia - ANEST
- Cardiology - CARDIO
- Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery - CTS
- E/M Auditor - E/M
- Family Practice Medicine - FP
- Gastroenterology - GI
- General Surgery - GENSG
- Internal Medicine - INTMED
- Obstetrics/Gynecology - OBGYN
- Orthopaedics - ORTHO
- Pediatrics - PEDS
- Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery - PLRS
Labels: coding credential, medical billing, Medical Coding, Medical Coding Specialty Credentials for Coding Professionals, specialty coding
posted by Outsource Strategies International @ 8:28 PM
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Friday, February 15, 2008
US Health Care Is Poised to Get Better
One thing is for sure! Healthcare in this country is going to get better in the future than it is today. Even though there is a difference of opinion between the people in the US, as to whether there should be a Universal Health Care system in place or not. For the past few years this has been a core issue and has been a hot topic of discussion and debate. It will also influence voters to determine as to who is going to be the next American President. There are some who believe that the term Universal Health Care itself has to be analyzed and defined well before using it. Anyway, what are the main factors that have to be looked into when we discuss our current healthcare system? Well, clearly they are,
- Should every citizen have access to health care?
- Control of medical expenses
- Health care quality
Here are a few links I came across that discuss on whether to have a Universal healthcare system its pros and cons:
OSI (Outsource Strategies International) is an Oklahoma based medical transcription company that offers outsourcing services in medical coding, medical billing and medical transcription to clients across the country and globally.Labels: health care system, Hillary healthcare plan, medical billing, medical transcription company, Obama healthcare plan, Universal health care, US healthcare
posted by Outsource Strategies International @ 10:45 PM
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2008 Coding Manuals
The Naples based Coding Institute has published the following Coding manuals. These how-to manuals are easy to read, and specifically tailored for selecting the appropriate codes each time. These manuals will help in making your coding compliant without struggle. Chapters are packed with practical tips, strategies and tricks of the trade that one can try immediately to and benefit.
So here is just the list of the manuals.
For details/availability on each of these manuals do go to http://codinginstitute.com/books/index.html
- 2008 Modifier Coding Survival Guide
- 2008 Part B Coder's Rule Book
- 2008 Cardiology Coder's Survival Guide
- 2008 E/M Coder: Professional Edition
- 2008 Gastroenterology Coder's Survival Guide
- 2008 General Surgery Coder's Survival Guide
- 2008 Orthopedic Surgery Coder's Survival Guide
- 2008 Primary Care Coder's Survival Guide
- 2008 Urology Coder's Survival Guide
- 2008 CPT Implementation Guide
- 2008 ICD-9 Update Guide
Outsource Strategies International (OSI) is an Oklahoma based medical transcription company that offers outsourcing solutions in medical coding, medical billing and medical transcription services to clients in all the US States and outside.Labels: 2008 Coding Manuals, Coders Survival Guide, Coding Guide, Coding Institute Manuals
posted by Outsource Strategies International @ 6:38 PM
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Thursday, February 14, 2008
Medical Billing and Insurance Fraud
Insurance fraud is defined as any act committed with the intent to fraudulently obtain payment from an insurer. A big chunk of the total claims received by insurers are fraudulent claims that run into billions of dollars annually. Health Insurance fraud is today a very serious problem and a great challenge, as it has proved to be very costly to America's health-care system.
It is now evident that our Public healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid are especially conducive to fraudulent activities, as they are often run on a fee-for-service structure.
Dishonest Physicians and healthcare providers are also known to engage in fraudulent activities that include,
- Up-coding/Upgrading (Billing for more than actual service provided)
- Providing and subsequently billing for treatments that are not medically necessary
- Scheduling extra visits for patients
- Referring patients to another physician unnecessarily
- Billing for services to accompanying family members
- Ordering unnecessary tests
With newer and better coding systems and techniques in place and new policies and vigorous plans being made to revive the ailing US health industry, let us hope that the future will bring better reforms with lesser frauds, and provide efficient and effective health insurance for the entire population in this country.
Outsource Strategies International (OSI) is a US based medical transcription company that offers outsourcing solutions in medical billing, medical coding and medical transcription services to clients in the US States and outside.Labels: medical billing frauds, Medical Coding, medical insurance billing, medical insurance frauds, Medicare frauds
posted by Outsource Strategies International @ 10:57 PM
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Certified Medical Coding Professionals Get Better Salary
The AAPC (American Association of Professional Coders) had conducted a survey (for the year 2007) questioning 5155 professional coders and the results clearly revealed the fact that certified coders earn an average of 17 percent more than theirnon-certified counterparts.
The survey revealed the range of salary today for the 3 different categories of coding professionals;
- Noncertified coders earn (on average) $25K-$30K
- Certified coders earn $30K-$35K
- Specialty certified coders earn $35K-$40K
Here are some more facts that the survey indicated;
- 41 percent of coding positions are closed to non-certified coders
- Specialty coders get the most pay.
- Only one percent of non-certified coders took home over $85,000.
- Coding professionals from urban locations earned more than suburban or rural locations.
- More years of experience means more earnings
- Graduate coders earn more than non graduate coders
More details of the survey can be seen at,http://www.aapc.com/documents/Salary_Survey2007.pdf
For details on different certifications for professional coders go to,http://www.aapc.com/certification/index.aspx
Outsource Strategies International (OSI) is a US based medical transcription company that offers professional outsourcing services in medical coding, medical billing and medical transcription for all the medical specialties.Labels: 2007 coding survey, AAPC survey 2007, coding professional survey, medical billing, Medical Coding, medical coding certification, medical transcription company
posted by Outsource Strategies International @ 9:28 PM
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Wednesday, February 13, 2008
American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC)
AAPC or The American Academy of Professional Coders is an organization that is responsible for offering medical coders with credentials. These medical coders could be working in hospitals, surgical centers, physician's offices or in payer organization. It is the "Code of Ethics" that is followed by all the AAPC members that ensures a high level of professionalism.Founded in 1988 the AAPC has a global, worldwide membership of over 64,000 out of which over 50,000 are certified. AAPC certifications are gold standard for medical coding and include these three certifications,
- Certified Professional Coder (CPC)
- Certified Professional Coder-Hospital (CPC-H)
- Certified Professional Coder-Payer (CPC-P)
The AAPC has three types of memberships. They are individual memberships, student memberships and also corporate memberships that are for those companies who have more than six AAPC members. What are the benefits of becoming an AAPC member? They include access to coding information, education, networking with other professionals and also recognition as a coding professional. Individual membership details are at, http://www.aapc.com/onlinestore/item-details.aspx?pid=51712&id=1 . Labels: AAPC, American Association of Professional Coders, Medical Coders Association, medical coding professionals, Professional coders association
posted by Outsource Strategies International @ 7:37 PM
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Oncology 2008 Medical Coding Conference in Denver
The Coding Institute will conduct the oncology coding and reimbursement conference from April 13-15, 2008 at Denver, Colorado. Check out the website for the complete agenda: http://www.codingconferences.com/oncology08a.htm
Here is the just the list of topics that will be covered at the conference:
Pre-Conference Workshops (Sunday, April 13th)
- Back to Basics: Gather These Nuts & Bolts of Oncology Coding
Conference Day 1: Main Sessions (Monday, April 14th) - Ready, Get Set, COLLECT! Increase Your Charge Capture for Oncology Drugs
- Navigating the Neoplasm Table: Simple Strategies Every Coder Should Know
- Stay on Top of New ESA Rules
- Solid Solutions for Serious Oncology/Hematology Reimbursement Leaks
- Dig Into Brachytherapy Coding to Get Every Penny You Deserve
- Don't Get Stuck With Phlebotomy and Blood Draw Confusion
Conference Day 2: Main Sessions (Tuesday, April 15th) - Capitalize on Your NPP's Services
- Plump Up Your Ambulatory Pump Pay
Post-Conference Workshop (Tuesday, April 15th) Registration details are at http://www.codingconferences.com/oncology08r.htm
Details regarding accommodation for the conference are at http://www.codingconferences.com/oncology08h.htm Outsource Strategies International (OSI) is an Oklahoma based medical transcription company that offers professional yet cost effective solutions in outsourcing of medical billing, medical coding and medical transcription services for clients in all the US States and also globally. Labels: 2008 oncology coding conference, Denver coding conference, Medical coding conference, medical oncology coding
posted by Outsource Strategies International @ 5:57 PM
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Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Benefits and Features of Medical Billing Software
Medical billing and coding processes having become a mandatory part of the regular medical insurance claim process, irrespective of whether it is from private / government insurance company, Medicare/Medicaid etc. Due to the ever rising need for health care triggered by the increase in the percentage of the aging population, one can be assured that medical billing and coding is going to be an active profession. Today,there are many types and brands of medical billing software that have developed and used in the market.
But, what are the benefits of having electronic medical billing software? Well, the foremost reason of course is because the software will speed up the actual work and greatly improve our work efficiency. The medical billing software can have some or all of the following features and assist us to do the following;
- Generate faster and better medical claims
- Lesser errors in billing
- Can generate variety of reports at one time
- Customizable reporting
- Windows based environment
- Easy access to patient data
- Short learning curve
- Clearinghouse service solutions
- Can handle all commercial carriers plus Medicare, Medicaid, Blue Cross/Blue ShieldPatient/Resource scheduling
- Multi-provider scheduling views
- Electronic billing
- Electronic insurance eligibility checks
- Patient letters
- Patient/Insurance billing
- Automatic remittance
- Advanced accounts receivables management
- EMR integration
- HL7 compliant
- NPI number ready
- Tracking of patient demographics, visits /diagnoses
- Tracking billing information and insurance payments.
- Appointment scheduling/managing.
- Reports Gathering
- Locating a Medical Biller
Among the major benefits of having a medical billing software include improve patient security, achieving of 100% HIPAA compliance, improved collections, faster payment entry, improved front desk and back office efficiency and more.
Outsource Strategies International (OSI) is a US based medical transcription company that offers professional services in medical billing, medical coding and medical transcription services to clients in the US and globally.Labels: benefits of medical billing software, medical billing, medical billing software, Medical Coding, medical transcription
posted by Outsource Strategies International @ 10:45 PM
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The "Registered Medical Transcriptionist" Credential
What is RMT? It is a voluntary lower/entry level "Registered Medical Transcriptionist" credential offered by AHDI. The advanced level credential is the CMT or the Certified Medical Transcriptionist. What was the purpose of having such an examination and credential? The RMT exam was developed to assure consumers and employers that successful candidates are qualified to practice medical transcription and based on the skills and knowledge described in the AHDI Model Job Description Level 1 MT and the competencies outlined in the AHDI Model Curriculum. The RMT credential is maintained upon the successful completion of a required online course, including a final exam, and payment of a renewal fee. The AHDI also offers different training programs beside these credentials. Who is eligible for this exam? - Recent Graduates
- MTs with less than 2 years experience
- MTs practicing any single medical specialty
The testing process consists of testing of both medical transcription-related knowledge items and also transcription performance items. The exam is taken from any of the Thomson Prometric test centers that are located worldwide. The RMT credential is given immediately after passing of the examination at the testing center. The credential is valid for three years only. Renewal is done after taking an exam and by paying a renewal fee. More details are available at, https://www.aamt.org/scriptcontent/rhub.cfm Outsource Strategies International (OSI) is a US based medical transcription company that offers professional services in medical billing, medical coding and medical transcription services for clients in the US States world wide. Labels: Certified Medical Transcriptionict, CMT, Registered Medical Transcriptionist, RMT, transcription credential
posted by Outsource Strategies International @ 8:04 PM
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Cardiology Specialty Coding Extravaganza 2008
The Cardiology track of the 6th Annual Specialty Coding extravaganza meet is scheduled for February 13-14 in Orlando. This is a good opportunity to listen to cardiology coding pro Linda Gates-Striby as she is sure to take your cardiology coding knowledge to a higher level. She will focus on the following topics:
- Caths and interventions: Get the first-ever opportunity to code along with actual case movies of cardiac catheterizations and interventions from an actual cath lab, so you can see the procedure and code it with her hands-on supervision.
- Remote device monitoring: Increased utilization of Internet device checks because of device recalls put your coding for these services under Medicare and private payer microscopes. Learn how your frequencies compare to others, find out how to document your medical necessity for the increased visits, and learn just what is a reasonable frequency for pacemaker checks (which have coding guidelines) and ICD checks (that don't).
- Cardiac CTA: Get tested tips on coding these state-of-the-art multi-slice scans, and find out what payers think are billable indications, as the 128 and 256 slice scanners hit the scene. Also, find out to how to bill/code for CTA outside the heart - if your practice has bought the scanner, your physicians are likely looking for other areas to scan to recoup their costs.
- A Fib ablations: Find out the top reasons your atrial fibrillation ablation procedures are getting denied – and what you can do about it. Get tips on how to correctly bill for a transseptal puncture (Hint: Stay away from the diagnostic cardiac cath codes), and how to bill for an ablation with an EP study.
- Coming trends: Discover some of what you can anticipate in 2008: T Wave Alternans testing, protime clinics moving to the hospital, the future of Doppler color flow, coverage of the CPT codes for anticoagulant management, reimbursement for nuke and other in-office imaging services, and much more.
Take a look at the agenda at http://www.extrav2008.com/agenda.html
Registration details are at, http://www.extrav2008.com/register.html
If interested in the Interventional Procedure track go to | | | | |
