This week there are Pearls,
Gems, HIPAA, Crystal-Clear coding, letters, questions, answers
and news of a great Podiatry PR event......read on!
*_* Letters
*_*
From: Carol Callahan,
DPM
re: Office Policy Manual
We would like suggestions for reference(s) for an office policy
manual.
Thank you.
Carol Callahan, DPM
Advanced Foot Care Associates
Fairfield, CT
*_* *_* *_*
From: Jenny Gilliland, PMAC
re: AmeriGel
Where can I purchase AmeriGel for patient home use after toenail
surgeries?
Any help is appreciated. Thanks and keep up the good work.
Jenny Gilliland, PMAC
*_* An Answer Already *_*
From: Justice W. Anderson, V.P. of Sales
Amerx Health Care Corp
AmeriGel is currently available through podiatry distributors or
directly
from Amerx Health Care. The distributors who are currently
carrying the
AmeriGel Wound Dressing are Meyer Distributing and Surgical
Supply. Amerx
is presently talking with several other podiatry distributors
about carrying
the products but these two distributors are the only choices
currently. You
can, however, purchase the AmeriGel Wound Dressing directly from
Amerx Health Care by calling 1-800-448-9599. We do not
require credit applications and we extend billing terms.
We have an introductory offer for those physicians who have not
tried the product yet and we offer a 100% guarantee on all of
our products. If you would like to go through a podiatry
distributor, you can contact Meyer Distributing at 800-853-1490
or Surgical Supply at 1-800-523-0706. If you have any
further questions, I can be reached via e-mail at jwa@amerxhc.com
or toll free at 1-800-448-9599.
Sincerely,
Justice W. Anderson
V.P. of Sales
Amerx Health Care Corp
1150 Cleveland Street #410
Clearwater, FL. 33755
www.amerigel.com
*_* Calendar
*_*
The "Top 10 Best
Walking Cities in America" Award from APMA and Prevention
Magazine will be presented to Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels by key
members of the Washington State Podiatric Medical Association (WSPMA)
on Saturday morning, April 19th. After the 9:30
presentation, the Mayor will join members of the Seattle-area
podiatric community and the public for a walk around Green Lake.
The presentation will take place at the South end of lake near
the Aqua Theater.
Sponsors for the event include "Shoes-n-Feet",
"Super Jock 'n Jill" and TalkingRain water bottlers.
Seattle-area podiatrists and staff are encouraged to take part
in this great opportunity to promote our profession.
FootZine's "Calendar" page is found at http://www.footzine.com/FZ_4.htm
*_* Crystal-Clear
Coding Q & A *_*
By Phillip E. Ward, DPM
The Question:
I have a patient that has a painful screw from previous foot
surgery. The patient wants it removed. How do I code for it and
what documentation is required?
Linda Harr
The Answer:
The correct procedure code would be 20680 (removal of
implant deep; e.g. pin, screw, plate). You would bill this code
for each pin, screw or plate removed. There has to be a medical
necessity for the removal, so the best diagnosis would be 996.4
painful internal fixation. For medical necessity it must
be symptomatic, otherwise it is a non-covered procedure. The
chart documentation should include both subjective and objective
signs of pain related to the fixation devices. The date of
injury goes along with that diagnosis and would be the date of
the original symptoms related to the hardware.
*_* *_* *_*
The 2nd Question:
What is the correct modifier for custom molded shoes?
Wasn't it ZX?
Jenny Gilliland, PMAC
The 2nd Answer:
The correct modifier will depend on where you practice and
which DME carrier your claims go to.
Crystal-Clear Coding tips by Dr. Ward are posted on the FootZine
web site on this page:
http://www.footzine.com/FZ_C.htm
*_* FootZine
Feeture Article *_*
YOUR HIPAA CHECK LIST
by Raymond F. Posa, MBA
Now that the magic date of
April 14, 2003 has arrived, let’s review where you should be
in your compliance effort right now.
1) You must have named a Privacy Officer
2) Your Privacy Officer must be fully versed in the requirements
of HIPAA
3) You must have your Privacy policies written
4) You must have a Notice of Privacy Practices (NPP) written
5) You must have the NPP posted in an easily accessible area of
your office
6) You must be handing out a copy of your NPP to all your
patients and have them sign a form acknowledging receipt of the
NPP
7) You must conduct formal training of your staff on your
Privacy policies and document the training
A word of caution: I have been seeing and hearing of practices
copying pages from “canned” manuals. This is NOT
sufficient to meet the requirements set forth in HIPAA. To
anyone who is using the APMA HIPAA privacy manual, please read
the very first page carefully. It clearly states “The
Manual should be a tool to assist doctors of podiatric medicine
in complying with the Standards for Privacy…”. The
implication is that this is your starting point; it is not the
finished product for your compliance effort. The Manual
also goes on to state: “Simply possessing the Manual does not
make you compliant with the regulations.”
You need to do an audit of your practice and have a set of
custom policies written. Your privacy officer can take a
sample policy and customize it for your practice or have a HIPAA
consulting firm come in to assist your privacy officer with the
policies. Since the privacy officer is required to be
fully versed in the requirements of HIPAA, it might be money
well spent to have the privacy officer spend some one-on-one
time with a consultant and master the fine points of HIPAA.
By: Raymond F. Posa, MBA
Technology Advisor to the American Academy of Podiatric Practice
Management
President, R. Francis Associates
Any questions or comments can be addressed to Mr. Posa by
E-mail: Rposa@Rfrancis.com
You can review previous installments from Mr. Posa at http://www.footzine.com/FZ_H.htm
*_* Pearls
of Practice Management
*_*
by John Guiliana, DPM, MS
SO YOU WANT TO BE A
LEADER?…..YOU MUST FOLLOW THESE RULES…
A leader teaches through example not through words
(He/she arrives at work on time/first to arrive, exemplifies
the work ethic, demonstrates the empathy and compassion that the
staff must follow)
A leader praises their team and awards for accomplishment
(He/she always looks to catch people doing something right)
A leader gives credit, yet never desires it
(He/she guides the staff but allows them to make their own
decisions that affect their work and then gives them ALL the
credit even though they perhaps could not have done it without
the leader's help)
A leader earns trust, never demands it
(A leader earns trust by being honest and caring. Complete
breakdown in trust will occur when a leader demonstrates an act
of dishonesty or speaks disparagingly about another staff member
in public. The staff soon believes that their leader may be
dishonest in dealing with many things… or perhaps is speaking
poorly to others about ME too)
A leader demonstrates good decision making skills
(A leader makes decisions that are in the best interest of
the ENTIRE organization and thoroughly strives to understand all
of the possible ramifications of their decisions)
A leader has dissected their own character…they know their
strengths and are able to admit and cope with their weaknesses.
(A good leader is always secure enough to ask for help in
areas of weakness)
A leader responds well to criticism
(A leader realizes that criticism is part of the job…they
not only accept it but they have the ability to look at it
objectively to see if anything can be learned)
A leader is an expert communicator
(A leader replaces demeaning phrases such as "that's
not right" or "no, do it this way" with
empowering statement such as "perhaps you may want to do it
this way"…
A leader knows their organization. They recognize and respect
that each person has their own individual characteristics,
needs, strengths and weaknesses.
A leader never needs that symbolic "pat on the back"
but realizes that everyone else does.
A leader is capable of putting aside all personal issues as they
recognize the importance of peace and harmony on organizational
productivity.
OBVIOUSLY, BEING A LEADER IS DEMANDING. IF IT WERE EASY….WE
WOULD HAVE AN ORCHESTRA WITH ALL CONDUCTORS AND NO PLAYERS!
STILL WANT TO BE A LEADER?….IF SO, YOU MUST LIVE BY THESE
RULES!
Dr. Guiliana's articles and Pearls can be found on the
FootZine web site on the "Feeture Article" page: http://www.footzine.com/FZ_P.htm
*_* Gems
of Practice Management *_*
by Hal Ornstein DPM, FACFAS and Lynn Homisak, PRT
"Take me away to the Loony
Farm…NOW!"
We are both currently in
the process of interviewing for an assistant in each of our
offices. Now we know why there is Valium, stress balls and
cruises (and Loony Farms). There is no secret formula or
magic pill to ensure success in hiring a high-quality assistant,
but by all means you can reduce your risk by considering the
following.
Check out the candidate in reception area while they are waiting
for the interview to observe their nature and interaction with
patients.
Hire attitude, train for skills
During the interview, role play:
"What would you do if…?"
"How would you handle…?"
"What was your favorite/least favorite part of your last
job (co-worker at any job)?"
"Who was your favorite boss and why?"
"What are your long-term goals?"
Do not use yes and no questions.
Avoid personal questions- they are illegal.
Have them sit with your staff while they’re working as part of
the second interview.
If you are considering hiring a particular person and it just
doesn't feel right, trust your instincts. DON'T DO IT!
If possible obtain a simple written personality test that easily
identifies if the candidate will work well with your current
staff. (Information on obtaining this test will be given in a
future FootZine)
Make your expectations crystal clear.
You get what you pay for. Pay well; this is one of the
most important investments in your office.
Often more important than pay is reinforcement and appreciation,
especially reflected early on in the relationship.
Provide a job description, office procedures manual, and
employee manual on day one.
TRAIN, TRAIN, TRAIN!
May the force be with you, and just be sure the walls are
padded!
Previous "Gems" can be found on their own pages of the
FootZine.com web site, at
http://www.footzine.com/FZ_90.htm
*_* *_*
*_*
Next week will be a short
one for me as I head off to the Washington State meeting at
Ocean Shores, WA. There's a possibility that there won't
be enough time to get material assembled before I go. But
my inbox will be open, and there will be more to share with you
the next week.....so go ahead and write!
~ Gayle
*_* *_*
*_*
