Newsletter

President's Message

Happy Holidays!

It is hard to believe that the holiday season is upon us again. It seems just like yesterday that we were at the Stone Harbor in Sturgeon Bay for our 40th Annual Institute.

Our last WMCA quarterly in Wisconsin Dells was a huge success. The turn out was the best I have seen in a number of years. Having a portion of the meeting dedicated to physician billing issues was a major factor in the overall increased attendance at this quarterly. We hope to continue to include physician billing topics of interest in future WMCA meetings.

Our next quarterly meeting is December 13, 2002 at the Holiday Inn in Madison. We are expecting another great turn out despite the fact that the meeting is being held on Friday the 13th! The morning session will feature Dave Meiss of EDS who will discuss Medicaid issues which impact both clinics and hospitals. John Bartel of Certus Corporation will provide an informative APC update in the afternoon session.

On behalf of the WMCA board of directors I'd like to wish all of you a very happy and safe holiday season! Hope to see you Friday the 13th.

Jim Kluge

Solving Your Time Problems
Here's a quick quiz to test your meeting-leader ability:

1. The same few employees arrive a few minutes late for every weekly staff meeting. Which of these solutions do you use? a. Wait for them; b. Comment on their lateness as they arrive; c. Hold meetings at odd times, such as 10:10; d. Talk with them privately about getting to meeting on time.

2. Your meetings run overtime but you feel not much is getting done. To keep meetings on track, you can: a. Make clear that your position allows you to intervene when discussions digress; b. Scrub routine meetings and meet only when you have a specific reason to; c. Meet early in the morning when employees are fresh; d. Do everything in a, b and c.

Answer to 1: You're not a savvy meeting leader if you chose "b." That will build resentment and won't solve the problem. Waiting for latecomers will only reinforce unwanted behavior, so "a" is also incorrect. Meeting at odd times may "trick" some into showing up on time. But "d" is probably your best bet.

Answer to 2: If you picked "d," you're right on target. All the techniques will rein in ramblers.

Source: Manager's Legal Bulletin, 70 Hilltop Road, Ramsey, NJ 07446.

Some Ways to Sell Your Ideas
When you want your boss or co-workers to accept an idea:

• Present your idea as different, not better. Reason: That will help you avoid possible competition that can kill your idea without a fair hearing.

• View objections as requests for more information, not as rejections. Just acknowledge them and find out what's behind them. That could allow you to provide the information that will overcome them.

• Don't play a role just to get your idea across. People are less likely to buy your idea unless they buy you. And they probably won't buy you if you try to be someone you're not.

• Make your pitch with just enough zeal to persuade others that you truly believe in your idea. Your listeners could view you as a phony if you lay the enthusiasm on too thick.

• Compromise if necessary. You'll get more ideas accepted by being willing to give others a fair return for agreeing to what you want.

Source: Sales Manager's Bulletin, 24 Rope Ferry Road, Waterford, CT 06386.

WMCA Board of Directors' Meeting Highlights

A Board of Directors' meeting for the Wisconsin Medical Credit Association was held Thursday, October 10, 2002 at the Wintergreen Resort in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.

CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by Jim Kluge at 5:00 P.M.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A motion was made to approve the August 7, 2002 minutes by Deb Gustafson. Lynn Johnson seconded, motion was carried.

BUSINESS MANAGER'S REPORT
Financial Reports for August and September, 2002, were presented by Steve Baseley. Motion was made by Deb Gustafson to accept Business manager's report. Motion was seconded by Lynn Johnson, motion carried.

MEMBERSHIP UPDATE
Steve Baseley reported a new member - Intelistaff Health Care, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Contact person is Jeanette Weinz. Marlene Schmidt moved to accept new member, Liz Horejs seconded the motion.

OLD BUSINESS
WMCA Website - Deb Gustafson gave an update on the status of the website. The website has been updated with the current membership and any known address or other changes. The current Voice will be submitted and posted.

Suggested changes to the website includes posting agenda for upcoming meetings, changing registration form to include cost, and changing color scheme. The number of hits to the website will be obtained to get an idea how many are accessing the site.

Survey will be taken from members to get input on improvements. Marlene Schmidt will send out email message. Jim Kluge requested Board Members look at the site also to give input.

NEW BUSINESS
Annual Meeting Evaluation - Overall ratings were very good. Reviewed lower ratings and comments and made notes to improve upon for future annuals.

Set Annual Dues - Currently annual dues are $195.00 per facility. Jackie Lippe made a motion to keep dues at $195.00 for 2003. Bud Zeisberger seconded. Motion carried. Set Voice Subscription and Advertising Rates - Current rates were reviewed. Motion made by Lynn Johnson to keep current Voice subscription and advertising rates. Jackie Lippe seconded. Motion carried. Bud Zeisberger will contact associate members for input on ideas for their support to the organization.

COMMITTEE REPORTS
Quarterly Meetings/Workshops - Update on the October and December workshops was given by Liz Horejs.

ADJOURNMENT

Motion made to adjourn by Lynn Johnson, seconded by Deb Gustafson at 7:00 P.M.

Respectfully submitted

Mary Debilzen

WMCA Secretary

Fight Employee 'Rustout'
Burnout is bad enough. But some of your employees may be suffering 'rustout' - their potential is underused and their performance mediocre.

To inhibit that rust:

• Look for the four D's that signal rust:

"Disengaged" employees have quit but are still getting paid.

"Disidentified" workers feel they were important but no longer are. "Disoriented" employees no longer know where they fit in. And "Disenchanted" workers feel they're not valued.

• Meet with all rustout victims and find out why performance is slipping. This won't be pleasant. But you must persist because it's crucial that employees realize they're rusting out and that they can stop the process. These conversations alone may solve the problem.

• Offer to help rustouts improve their skills. Investing a small amount in training will go a long way in reversing rust.

• Spell out in clear terms how what they do contributes to the organization's strategic objectives and its success. You can't expect peak performance from employees who don't recognize the importance of their jobs.

• Reinforce their return from rustout by recognizing their contributions. Start slowly as they take their first steps. But be ready to pour on the oil of encouragement that will keep that once-rusty wheel turning.

Source: Robert McGarvey, writing in Entrepreneur, 2392 Morse Ave., Irvine, CA 92714

Wisconsin Medical Credit Association, Inc. Purposes and Objectives

To promote good will and better understanding between medical managers and associates;

To stimulate interest in educational activities for its members;

To hold regularly scheduled meetings (clinics, workshops and seminars) where members may receive instruction and exchange views and experiences;

To collect, correlate and disseminate materials and information to assist its members to better understand and apply principles of good medical credit procedures;

To keep current on passage and modifications of laws needed for the equal and just protection of patients, hospitals, clinics and doctor's offices;

To coordinate and improve methods of medical credit procedures, patient and insurance collection.

DEDICATED TO THE IMPROVEMENT AND
EFFICIENCY OF MEDICAL CREDIT MANAGEMENT

Medicare Proposes 2003 Physician Pay Changes

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced on June 27 a proposed rule that will update physician payment rates under the Medicare physician fee schedule for 2003, as well as revise a number of other policies affecting Medicare Part B payment for physicians and other providers.

In 2003, Medicare is expected to pay approximately $43 billion to more than 750,000 physicians and other practitioners for services paid under the physician fee schedule. The fee schedule specifies payments to physicians for more than 7,000 health care services and procedures ranging from routine office visits to complex surgical procedures. The proposed rule was published in the June 28 Federal Register.

Among other changes, CMS is proposing to modify the methodology used to calculate the Medicare Economic Index (MEI), a measure of inflation in providing physicians' services. At this time, CMS estimates that physician fee schedule payments will be reduced by an average of 4.4 percent in 2003. Without the proposed changes, CMS estimates that physician rates would be reduced by 5.1 percent for 2003. CMS will revise these estimates later this year.

The proposed rule would also nearly double the Medicare payment for administration of some vaccine immunizations from $3.98 to approximately $8.00. CMS is committed to ensuring accurate immunization payments both for Medicare patients, and for commercial payments for pediatric patients that often choose to follow Medicare rates.

The proposed rule would expand coverage of telehealth services in 2003 to include psychiatric diagnostic interviews because these services are similar to telehealth services already covered by Medicare.

At the same time, CMS is publishing a companion interim final rule that will make it easier for practice expense information from physician groups to be taken into account by CMS in setting 2003 payment rates. CMS has decided that the criteria it had established for deciding whether to accept supplemental practice expense survey data from physician groups were more stringent than necessary. CMS will apply the new criteria to surveys that physician groups provide later this year for the 2003 physician fee schedule. Surveys that had been previously rejected will be able to be resubmitted and evaluated under the revised criteria.

A final Medicare Physician Fee Schedule rule, as well as any revisions to the interim final rule, will be published in the fall. The final fee schedule rule will become effective January 1, 2003.

Reprinted with permission from State Collection Service, Madison, WI

"PULSE" 9/02

Payment Options
Selecting the form of payment that best suits your customers and your business

By Wendy Kasten, Credit Bureau Data Collection Operations Manager and President of the Wisconsin Collectors Association

When offering payment options to your customers, you'll want to consider several determining factors. The variety of options offered should be based on the size of your business, which forms of payment may best suit your customers, customer convenience, and cost-effectiveness.

Many payment options are available, such as cash, money orders, personal checks, debit cards, and credit cards. And for consumers needing extended payment arrangements, additional options can be set up on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis, such as:

Automated bank transfers - consumers authorize a specified payment amount to be withdrawn from their bank account on a specified date and deposited into the creditor's bank account. This is a voluntary agreement and can be stopped by the consumer at anytime. Voluntary wage assignments - consumers authorize their employers to withhold a specified payment amount from each paycheck, to be remitted to the creditor. This is a voluntary agreement and can be stopped by the consumer at anytime. Not all employers will honor a voluntary assignment.

Post-dated checks - a personal check is issued by the consumer, dated in advance. Consumers that issue post-dated checks typically date the checks around the same time as their pay periods.

Make sure your terms of payment are clearly communicated with the consumer upon the receipt of the goods or services. If the consumer is unable to pay their account balance in full at the time of service, discuss with him or her how the balance will be paid and which payment option will be the

most convenient. Keep the payment arrangements simple and easy for the consumer to follow. Open communication with the consumer, giving them options for payment and holding them accountable prove to be beneficial when collecting on current or past due accounts.

Three Ways to Improve Collection Calls

So much of a collector's day is spent on the phone; it's easy to lose motivation and effectiveness. Here are three simple ways to improve collection calls to all of your payers.

1. Stand up. It will increase your energy level, and you will project better to your listener. Walking around while on the phone will also help you keep up your enthusiasm (although you may need a longer phone cord).

2. Return calls immediately. People are impressed when their calls are returned quickly; it makes them feel important. They will be more apt to cooperate with you if you make them feel good about themselves.

3. Keep voicemail messages short and direct. Rambling messages are irritating, and it's easy to go on and on if you're not careful. Don't frustrate the listener - they'll appreciate your brevity and be more likely to comply with your request. By applying these suggestions, you're bound to see immediate results.

Reprinted with permission from Zimmerman & Associates

Collecting in Healthcare 04/2002

Coaching Employee's

Every coaching session, even those meant to get rid of an unwanted behavior, should be positive in tone. To begin a positive comment, the lead may be: "You're effective because..." followed by a description of a few specific things that the person does that you believe make him effective in his job. This is the positive side of coaching. These comments should be followed with the statement, "You would be even more effective if..." after which a few of the specific things that the person you are coaching can do to improve are mentioned. This is the constructive side of coaching. It should be noted that the lead phrase maintains a positive tone by using the words "even more effective," indicating that the person is already effective and that what follows are just suggestions in ways you feel they can improve.

The Human Side of Change, Timothy J. Galpin.

Jossey-Bass, 350 Sansome Street, San Francisco,

CA 94104

IN FOCUS: EMPLOYMENT INTERVIEWS

Questions

Get the most mileage out of your questions

Robert Half, author of How to Check References When References Are Hard to Check, says that the single most important key to interviewing is to get the most mileage out of each question you ask. He offers eight questions designed to get applicants to reveal characteristics they may not be aware they are revealing.

1. Why are you leaving your present job? Be wary of applicants who answer this question by bad-mouthing their present employer.

2. What did you like best about your last job? If the applicant can't give you a thoughtful answer, he probably can't think beyond the mechanics of the job.

3. If you could have made improvements in your last job, what would they have been? The answer to this question is a good indicator of the applicant's creativity and general sensitivity.

4. Who was the most interesting client you had in your last job (or what has been the most interesting project or job so far in your career)? The reasons the applicant gives are more important than the answer. For one thing, they will indicated whether or not the applicant likes challenges.

5. Describe the best person who ever worked for you or with you. If the applicant has trouble answering this, it could be an indication of a lack of compassion.

6. What kind of people annoy you the most? Frequently (but not always) the traits mentioned by the applicants are those that they themselves do not possess.

7. Describe emergencies in some of your jobs for which you had to reschedule your time. This very nicely asks the hidden question, "Are you willing to work extra hours when the situation calls for it?"

8. In which way would you like our company to assist you if you join us? This answer should demonstrate a balance between wanting a lot of help and not needing any help at all.

Reprinted with permission from American Collectors Association, INC.

"Collector"

Christmas HIPAA Poem

by Rajiv Sood

HIPAA Implementation Manager

for Oxford Health Plans

Twas the night before surgery, and all 'cross the floor

The patients were buzzing 'bout the guy in Room Four.

His chart was hung on his door with great care

To make sure his name was not shown anywhere.

The patients were nestled all snug in their beds

While telemetry monitors beeped overhead.

And I in my gown, with its crack in the back.

Had just settled down for my clear liquid snack.

When down the hall there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.

I pulled off my leads and flew out the door,

With my IV pole dragging behind on the floor.

Away to Room Four I hurriedly dashed,

Unaware of my gown and the nurses I flashed.

As I slid to a halt and leaned to peek in

I heard the nurse say, "Sir, you mustn't go in!"

And what did I see when I looked in Bed A

But ole Mr. Claus; on his belly he lay.

Covered in gauze and stuck high in the air

Oh what a sight, 'Twas St, Nick's derriere!

He was yelling at Doris, the nurse at his side

To be tied to this bed, he just could not abide.

He moaned and he bellowed about his ill luck

But there was just nothing for it; the old man was stuck.

"What happened to Santa?" to Doris I said,

"Why's he on his belly in this hospital bed?"

With a grin she whispered, "He did something stupid.

He injured his butt when he backed into Cupid."

But the old man's ears were sharp as tack.

He heard what she said there behind his back.

"You had no right to speak, and that is a fact!

Don't you know about HIPAA, the privacy act?"

"You're out of compliance, Doris, my dear.

You had no right to tell him 'bout my injured rear!

I'll sue you for breach, and this hospital, too!

You won't have a job when I'm through with you!"

"When I check my list and then check it twice,

You'll be in the column labeled 'Not Nice.'

The HIPAA patrol will likewise drop by

To find out why you, Doris, did not comply!"

"They'll want to know why you opened your yap.

A big, hefty fine on your butt they will slap.

And from me every Christmas you will now see

Nothing but switches and coal 'neath your tree."