THE VOICE
Octocer 2002
WMCA President's Message
I consider it to be a tremendous honor to be writing my first message for
the VOICE as the 40th President of the WMCA. When I began my stint on the
WMCA board over three years ago I never envisioned myself becoming
President of this great organization. I consider it a real privilege to
work with the individuals on the board and our associate and provider
members.In the year to come I plan to work closely with the WMCA board to increase
attendance at our quarterly workshops and annual meeting. Our goal is to
continue to discuss relevant Business Office related topics and schedule
quality speakers to provide educational opportunities for our membership.Our 40th Annual Institute, which was held August 7-9, 2002 at the Stone
Harbor Resort in Sturgeon Bay, was a huge success. The 2 1/2 - day event
featured a vendor fair, educational sessions, banquet, and invaluable
networking. We had quite a few of the past WMCA past presidents on hand
that were recognized for their service at the banquet on Thursday night.
The annual featured excellent accommodations and a very good mix of
speakers who received very good overall reviews.Our next quarterly meeting is scheduled for October 11, 2002 at the
Wintergreen Resort in Wisconsin Dells. The program will feature speakers
from Medicare Part B-WPS and United Government Services. Please plan on
joining us in the Dells!Jim Kluge
WMCA Board of Directors' Meeting Highlights
A Board of Directors' meeting for the Wisconsin Medical Credit Association
was held Wednesday, August 7, 2002, at Stone Harbor Resort in Sturgeon Bay,
Wisconsin.CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by Jennifer Tarantino at 2:10 pm.INTRODUCTION OF NEW BOARD MEMBERS
Jennifer introduced the new board members:
Patty Werdin - Reedsburg Area Medical Center
Bud Zeisberger - Ebix, Inc.APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A motion was made to approve the May, 2002 minutes by Lynn Johnson.
Marlene Schmidt seconded; motion was carried.BUSINESS MANAGER'S REPORT
Financial Reports for May, June, and July, 2002 were presented by Steve
Baseley.
Motion made by Jennifer Tarantino to accept Business Manager's report.
Motion was seconded by Bud Zeisberger.Membership Update
Steve Baseley reported three new members:
HRS/Erase, Inc. - Brad Uhlenhopp
Black River Memorial - Mary Eddy
Health Financial Resources, Inc. - Janice Halema
Liz Horejs made a motion to accept the new members; Marlene Schmidt
seconded the motion.NEW BUSINESS
May Meeting EvaluationLiz Horejs reported on the May meeting evaluations that came back. There
were top ratings for the speakers. Panel format was positive. The concept
of one day being dedicated to one topic was favorable.Election of Officers
Vice-president Elect - Marlene Schmidt volunteered. Nominations were closed.
Secretary - Mary Debilzen volunteered. Nominations were closed.
Jim Kluge will take over for Jennifer Tarantino as
President while Liz Horejs will become Vice-President.Committee Assignments
Committee assignments will stand as listed in the new directory except for
the following revision:
Membership/Registration revised: Mary Debilzen
becomes chair and Marlene Schmidt removed from
the committee.Updated Constitution and By-laws
Jackie Lippe distributed new Constitution and By-laws that contained
updated notes. By-laws remained unchanged.COMMITTEE REPORTS
October Quarterly Agenda Update
Liz Horejs reported on potential topics scheduled for the October
quarterly. The quarterly will be Medicare focused.AR/Auditing
Audit is complete. Report filed with the Secretary.2002 Annual
Jim Kluge updated the Board on details of the Annual. Speaker assignments
were given. Past Presidents were invited to the banquet. Group pictures
of new Board/Past Presidents are to be taken.ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned
by Jennifer Tarantino at 3:07 pm.Respectfully submitted
Mary Debilzen
WMCA Secretary
Stumbling blocks to good listening
Studies have determined that most people only use 25 percent of their
natural listening ability. Why? Because most people have the ability to
listen at a rate three times or more than at which a speaker can talk. In
other words, while most of us speak at the rate of 75-100 words per minute,
we can comprehend the spoken word at
the rate of 225-400 words per minute.
Researchers have identified some stumbling blocks to good listening. They
include:
1. Daydreaming. Filling extra
listening time with our own thoughts, dreams and fantasies.
2. Listening for facts only.
Listening only for what is
irrefutable and refusing to
consider what is offered as
opinion, speculation or the
personal feelings of the speaker. Facts usually make up only a small part
of what is being said. Combat this by including the speaker's thoughts and
opinions in your analysis of the problem and learning to "read between the
lines" through listening to the speaker's tone of voice, rate of speech and
volume.
3. Judging the speaker prematurely. We may reject the speaker before she's
uttered one hundred words, based merely on what she looks like, the sound
of her voice or her manner of speech. This practice quickly builds a wall
that blocks out the meaning of the speaker's words.
4. Emotional reaction to what is being said.
Anger or highly emotional reactions come about when we concentrate on the
words and their relation to ourselves rather than on what is causing the
speaker to
become so emotional. If you give in and respond in kind, not only are you
being unprofessional but you have considerably lessened your chances of PIF
and have created within yourself an inner agitation that will affect
succeeding calls.Reprinted with permission of American Collectors Association Inc. "Collector"
Wisconsin Medical Credit Association, Inc. Purposes and
ObjectivesTo 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
National Patient Account Management (PAM) Day October 18
Hospital and medical business offices will celebrate this special occasion
with awareness and recognition activities for patient accounts staff.
Patient accounts personnel play a vital role in the delivery of
high-quality health care and deserve special recognition and appreciation
for their efforts. PAM Day offers an opportunity to increase awareness of
the importance of patient account management and to recognize staff for
their accomplishments.
Employment Opportunity
We Believe That Our Employees...
share a special closeness with patients that's unique among healthcare
centers. There's a warmth and generosity of spirit at St. Joseph's
Community Hospital of West Bend, Inc., a member of SynergyHealth, that you
won't find elsewhere. That's even more evident now that we are making plans
to build an exciting new facility designed to reflect our commitment to our
patients and their safety as well as our employees. Join us at the
crossroads of an exciting future. We have the following professional
opening available in our
Business Office:FINANCIAL SERVICES COORDINATOR
The ideal candidate for this position will provide support with the
management and daily operations of the Business Office processes, including
staff guidance, and training. Will also assist with department policies and
procedures, productivity reporting, reconciliation, and analyzing revenue
and payment information. Requires college degree or equivalent experience
in management with advanced accounting courses, superior knowledge of
Medicare regulations, regulatory compliance standards, and billing third
party payers. Also requires excellent computer and strong analytical skills
and the ability to communicate and interact effectively with staff,
providers,
and patients.
Our competitive salaries are complemented by flexible scheduling options,
shift differentials, benefits packages including a 403(b) plan with
employer match, tuition reimbursement and more.Please apply to:
St. Joseph's Community Hospital, Inc.
Attn: Human Resources, 551 South Silverbrook Drive, West Bend, WI 53095
Fax: 262-306-7771 or Apply Online 24 hours a day at jobs@stjosephswb.com
For more information on these and additional career opportunities, visit at
www.synergyhealth.org
Top Ten Ways to Improve Collections
A healthcare organization that provides a service to
patients has a right to expect to be paid on a timely
basis. However, obtaining prompt payments for the self-pay portion of a
bill is not always accomplished easily. Some accounts become seriously
past due, and sometimes patient checks bounce.
Ensuring that patient-portion payments are made in a timely manner is
essential to maintaining a healthy organizational cash flow. Ten ways that
patient accounts managers can accomplish this task are discussed below.1. Have a defined collection policy. One of the major causes of overdue
receivables is that the healthcare organization has not defined to its
patients and staff when accounts are to be paid. Payment counselors and
patients must be clearly informed that accounts are to be paid on time.
Make sure that the terms of payment are clearly stated in writing to each
patient.
2. Invoice promptly and send statements regularly. Many times the patient
hasn't paid simply because they haven't been billed or reminded to pay in a
timely manner. The lack of systematic invoicing and billing most
frequently occurs in smaller or newer physician practices that may lack
sufficient billing staff or that use unreliable outsourced billing firms.
It is important to recognize that
economizing on the billing portion of operations may cost more money in the
long run.
3. Use "address service requested". One of the most difficult collection
problems is tracking down a patient who has moved. All healthcare
organizations should be aware of a special address service offered by the
U.S. Postal Service. To take advantage of this service, all statements or
correspondence sent out should have the words "Address Service Requested"
printed or stamped on the
envelope, just below the return address in the top left corner. The Postal
Service will attempt to locate a change of address on that person, and will
return the envelope to the business office with a sticker reflecting the
new address.
4. Contact overdue accounts more frequently. No law says you can contact a
patient only once a month. The old adage "The squeaky wheel gets the
grease" has a great deal of merit when it comes to collecting
past-due accounts. It is an excellent idea to contact late payers every
10-14 days. Doing so will enable staff to diplomatically remind the
patient of the organization's terms of payment.
5. Use your aging sheet, not your feelings. Many well-meaning staff have
let an account age beyond the point of ever being collected because he or
she "felt" the patient would pay eventually. While there certainly are a
few isolated cases of unusual situations, the truth is that if your
organization is not being paid, someone else is. So stick to a systematic
plan of follow-up, which will quickly reveal who intends to pay and who
doesn't. Then
appropriate action can be taken.
6. Make sure your staff is trained. Even experienced staff members can
sometimes become jaded when dealing with past-due accounts. This usually
occurs when the patient has made and broken promises to pay. Make sure the
staff is firm, yet courteous when dealing with these accounts. The
collection staff could benefit from patient service training because, in
effect, they must "sell" the patients on the idea that they need to take
care of the bill. Make sure that the collection staff is trained to not
only bring the account current, but also to maintain good will.
7. Admit and correct any mistakes on your part. Sometimes patients don't
pay because they feel you have made a mistake. If you have, quickly admit
it and correct it The patient realizes that mistakes can happen in
healthcare organizations. Unfortunately, many patients believe that "the
doctors etc... don't need the money". Denying an obvious error only fans
the fire of resentment the patient may already feel.
8. Follow the collection laws in your state. In many states, health care
organizations are governed by the same collection laws as are collection
agencies. For example, calling patients at an odd hour or disclosing to a
third party that they owe money are just a couple of numerous collection
practices that can cause serious repercussions.
9. Bring a third-party collector in sooner. Statistics show that the
success of in-house collection efforts falls to 20 percent once a past-due
account ages past 90 days. This means that the time and financial
resources budgeted for collection efforts should be focused on the first 90
days, when the bulk of the accounts can and should be collected. From that
point on, a third party can
motivate a patient to pay in ways the healthcare
organization cannot.
10. Remember that nobody collects every account. Even by setting up and
adhering to a specific collection plan, there are a few accounts that will
never be collected. By identifying these accounts early, you will save
yourself and your healthcare organization a great deal of time
and money.About the author
Robin Miller is district manager and accounts receivable
specialist with Transworld Systems Inc., in Boise, Idaho. She can be
reached at (208) 338-1551 ext. 1 at debtdoctor@uswest.netReprinted by permission, from Patient Accounts Feb. 2001. Copyright 2001
by the Healthcare Financial Management Association.Voice Publication Error Update:
Editors Note: John Bartell from Bay Area Healthcare Consulting, Inc.
submitted the following corrections to an article in the August issue
titled The Chargemaster - An Essential Component of Reimbursement and
Compliance.We are writing our clients to inform you of certain
misinformation that we identified in the most recent "Voice" newsletter
issued by WMCA. First, the paragraph on page 5 entitled "Proper Use of
Revenue Codes Related to Supplies" contains the statement "Take-home
supplies should be billed under revenue code 273,..." This is
incorrect. Medicare regulations stipulate that providers may only request
payment, i.e., submit a claim, for
covered items and services. As defined in the Medicare Hospital Manual in
sections 230.4 and 440, supplies that are not used during the outpatient
encounter do not qualify as under the "incident to physicians' service"
provision and, therefore, are excluded from coverage. As exclusions, these
supplies do not require ABNs to be issued nor can they be billed to
Medicare. The revenue code 273 provides for the identification of these
excluded supplies as may be required for non-Medicare payers. These
noncovered charges should not appear on an
otherwise covered Medicare claim unless a denial is
required by the non-Medicare payer.Also on page 5 of the same paragraph, the statement "DME items, such as
crutches and walkers, should not be billed with revenue code 27X. The
proper revenue codes are 291 or 292 with an appropriate HCPCS code." This
is incorrect for hospital outpatient billing under APCs. These revenue
codes are correct, however, for Medicare Home Health Agency claims.
Sections 463 and 475.1 of the Medicare Home Health Agency Manual describe
the application of these revenue codes for the billing of DME.Finally, the first paragraph on page 9 entitled "Pharmacy Issues" contains
the statement "To receive proper reimbursement, the dosage for pharmacy
items with a HCPCS code must correspond with the HCPCS description. These
charges should be billed with revenue code 250 on inpatient claims." This
statement is partially incorrect. Most pharmacy items that have an
assigned Level II HCPCS code should be reported on hospital inpatient
claims under revenue code 250 without their HCPCS codes. However, certain
pharmacy items, such as immunosuppressive drugs, must be reported on
inpatient claims under Revenue code 636 with their corresponding HCPCS
codes. Section 439 of the Medicare Hospital Manual states, in part, that
"During a covered stay, payment for these drugs is included in Medicare's
Part A payment to you. If the same patient receives a subsequent
transplant operation, the immunosuppressive coverage period begins anew
(even if the patient is midway through the coverage period when the
subsequent transplant operation was performed). For claims with dates of
service on or after April 1, 2000 report:
* Occurrence code 36 and date in FLs 32-35;
* Revenue code 636 in FL 42;
* HCPCS code of the immunosuppressive drug in FL 44;
and
* Number of units in FL 46 (the number of units billed must accurately
reflect the definition of one unit of service in each code narrative. For
example, if fifty 10mg. Prednisone tablets are dispensed, bill J7506, 100
units
(1 unit of J7506 = 5mg)."
A Special Thank You to the Following Associate Members for Making this
Year's Annual
Institute a Great SuccessAccount Recovery Service
Americollect
Associated Collectors, Inc.
Bay Area Healthcare Consulting, Inc.
Certified Recovery, Inc.
Credit Management Control
The Cvikota Company
Eagle Collection Corporation
Ebix, Inc.
EDS
EspressBill
Federated Adjustment Company, Inc.
Financial Control Solutions
Intelistaf Healthcare
MSC/Resource Management
Netwerkes.com
Obrien Document Processing
OSI
Outsource, Inc.
Professional Receivables Management
R&B Receivables Management
Rausch, Sturm, Israel, & Hornik, S.C.
State Collection Service, Inc.
Transunion
United Credit Service
WI Health Information NetworkLynn Johnson Presented
"Presidents Award"Lynn Johnson from Bellin Memorial Hospital, received the 2002 President's
Award from Jennifer Tarantino. Each year the
WMCA's President selects a WMCA
member for outstanding service to the WMCA
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Copyright 2002, Wisconsin Medical Credit Association