Healthcare Business Management Association - HBMA
Leading the Business of Healthcare Login
Need CEUs?
Click here to earn CEUs
for this issue of 'RCM Advisor'!
January - February 2016 •
Volume 21, Issue 1
2016: The Value Challenge Is for You
Message from the President
By Holly Louie, RN, CHBME
You have shared with your board of directors and staff team a variety of concerns that all converge on the topic of "value." That is the gauntlet you have thrown down. Why? Because value is perceived, it is subjective, it can vary greatly from person to person, it can be situation-specific. Click for more

SOUND OFF!
HBMA Members Sound Off on Hot Topics
By Billing Editors
Topic: What problems have you identified with ICD-10 and how have you rectified those issues? Click for more

A Conversation with Holly Louie
Get to Know Your New HBMA President
HBMA Interview
Holly Louie, RN, CHBME, is the 2016 HBMA president. We talked to Holly about her background and experience and her vision for this industry, and learned more about what she likes to do when she's not leading the HBMA. Here are highlights from that interview. Click for more

It's a New Year
Resolve to Make the Most of Your HBMA Membership
HBMA News
At the turn of the year, many of us take on new goals. We want to eat healthier, exercise more, or maybe take on a new hobby. We strive to make new and meaningful additions to our lives. But rarely is the New Year a time for people to take stock of what they already have and may not be making the most of – like your HBMA membership. Click for more

Are You Offering Additional Services?
How HBMA Members Boost Their Bottom Lines
HBMA News
For many billing companies, offering just one service, or even two, may not be enough to help them thrive in an ever-changing healthcare environment. So we wanted to know: What services are HBMA members offering beyond billing to help bring in more revenue? Click for more

5 Secrets to Acquiring New Clients
Business As Usual No Longer Works
By Richard Currier
Many medical billers are struggling to retain existing clients and failing to acquire the new clients that are essential to keep any business healthy. This should not be surprising, given the huge changes under way in medical billing and the influx of new competitive alternatives, all fighting for a shrinking number of potential clients. What may be surprising is the solution to this problem. Click for more

Current Trends in Client Contracts
Certain Provisions Are Crucial
By Jennifer Kirschenbaum
For those of us in the revenue cycle management (RCM) business, contracts may sometimes feel like a hurdle or burden. Clients may not want to sign them and you may prefer to start your relationship without conversations about sticky legal provisions. Click for more

Eight Steps for Improving Patient Collections
Help Providers Meet Patient Collections Goals
By Jim Denny
The patient collections challenge is daunting. To start, providers must ask both staff and patients to adopt new behaviors and mindsets. Patients can be overwhelmed with the many forms of rising care costs, such as higher deductibles, larger premiums, and greater patient payments. Click for more

Five Tips to Tame the Prior Authorization Beast
Minimize the Impact On Your Clients
By the American Medical Association
Few phrases draw the ire of physicians and their staff more than "prior authorization" (PA). PA requires providers to obtain advance approval before performing a service to qualify for payment coverage. Click for more

The Importance of Consumer Healthcare Payments
Make It Easy for Patients to Pay Their Ever-Growing Bills
By Jeff Lin
The US healthcare payments market is expected to reach an estimated $5 trillion per year as a total of both payor and consumer payments by 2022, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). However, a 2014 Consumers Union report says more than 30 percent of those dollars are considered to be wasted due to inefficient payment processing and antiquated paper-based billing and administrative processes. Click for more

2016 Procedure Code Changes
Coding Corner
By Jackie Miller, RHIA, CCS-P, CPC
There are numerous CPT code changes for 2016, and this column will provide a high-level overview. In future issues we'll look at some of the changes in more detail. Click for more

Excel Charting Tips: Part One
Software
By Nate Moore, CPA, MBA, CMPE
Excel 2013 introduced a new interface for building charts. Some of the changes moved existing options closer to the chart to make customizing charts easier. Other changes added new filtering abilities that make charts more flexible. Click for more

Expectations After ICD-10 Implementation
ICD-10
By Valerie Fernandez, MBA, CPC, CPC-H, AHIMA ICD-10 Trainer
ICD-10 is finally here, and for many, that means breathing a sigh of relief after years of preparation. But there are still many items to be aware of in the aftermath of ICD-10 implementation. Here is an overview of some of those items. Click for more

Why Doctors Should Outsource Their Billing
From the Road
By Dave Jakielo
Given the complexity of today's revenue cycle processes, it takes the specialized skill of medical billing professionals to ensure your practices' economic success and compliance with the many government regulations. Billing is no longer something someone does to fill in the time between scheduling and rooming patients. Click for more

  Access Back Issues of RCM Advisor
2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007

Access the digital edition:


Click here for PDF

Download PDF Reader

Search the Journal
Archives for: