*UPDATED 01/10/2014*
Attention Optometrists and Optometric Billers:
When using 92225 you must be making diagrams. The official definition as reported by the AMA is: Ophthalmoscopy, extended, with retinal drawing.
***UPDATED INFO: Enhanced Definition- "Extended ophthalmoscopy is the illuminated and magnified vascular and nerve examination of the fundus. It includes the optic disk, retinal vessels, macula and retina. It may be a dilated procedure. Always includes a detailed drawing of the retina."-EyeCOR by NTeon
This means that unless there is retinal involvement you should not use this code. You MUST also make your drawings and enter them into the patient's file whenever using 92225. This code is heavily abused by the optometric community and such is the reason I am writing about it today.
This code is also not appropriate to use for dilations as there is no official procedure code for a dilation.
I hope this is helpful to all who read.
Please visit our optometric billing website by clicking here. We will be more than happy to speak with you regarding any questions you may have.
opticXpress is an optometric billing company that provides a clearinghouse, billing service and software strictly for optometrists.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Insurance Companies and the 92135 Procedure Code
Originally, payers only paid the 92135, which was computerized ophthalmic diagnostic imaging of the posterior segment which included an interpretation of the results and a report of the physicians findings (these would be inserted into the patient's medical chart).
However, the new codes allow for the physician to bill the payer more specifically, as there is more to be scanned than just the posterior (back) section of the eye. Specifically, the new codes relate in the following manner:
92132-Front of the eye only, anterior, behind the retina; may now be either unilateral or bi-lateral
92133-Optic nerve, posterior segment of the of the eye.may now be either unilateral or bi-lateral, This would most likely be my choice for a direct replacement of 92135.
92134-Retina, posterior segment of the retina,may now be either unilateral or bi-lateral
The question you have to ask yourself and your staff is, "Does our GDX equipment scan all three sections or just one?" If it only scans one, which I am assuming it does not, then the code will most likey be 92133. If the machine scans all three sections then, the coding will be based on which section of the eye the patient has scanned.
The DX codes below are the codes that are used by Medicare to determine whether or not the patient qualifies for coverage of an OCT (GDX) scan. These codes applied to the 92135 and it is my ASSUMPTION that the codes would GENERALLY apply to the new PROC codes as well.
ICD-9 DIAGNOSIS CODE DESCRIPTION
115.02 Histoplasma capsulatum retinitis
190.6 Malignant neoplasm of eye, choroid
224.6 Benign neoplasm of choroid
228.03 Hemangioma of retina
361.00-361.04 Retinal detachments
361.05-361.07 Recent detachment, total or subtotal
361.10-361.19 Retinoschisis, unspecified
361.2 Serous retinal detachment
361.30-361.33 Retinal defect, unspecified
361.81 Traction detachment of retina
361.9 Unspecified retinal detachment
362.01-362.29 Retinopathy
362.30-362.37 Retinal vascular occlusion
362.40-362.43 Retinal layer separation
362.50-362.56 Macular degeneration
362.60 Peripheral retinal degeneration, unspecified
362.66-362.85 Retinal disorders
363.00-363.08 Chorioretinal inflammations
363.10-363.15 Disseminated chorioretinitis/retinochoroiditis
363.20-363.22 Chorioretinitis, other
363.30-363.65 Chorioretinal scars
363.40-363.43 Choroidal degenerations
363.62-363.72 Choroidal hemorrhage and rupture
363.70-363.72 Choroidal detachments
364.04 Secondary iridocyclitis, noninfectious
364.22 Glaucomatocyclitic crises
364.53 Pigmentary iris degeneration
364.73 Goniosynechiae
364.74 Pupillary membranes
364.77 Recession of chamber angle
365.00-365.04 Glaucoma suspects
365.10-365.9 Glaucoma
368.40-368.45 Visual field defects
377.00-377.04 Papilledema
377.13 Optical atrophy, retina
377.14 Glaucomatous atrophy (cupping) of optic disc
377.15 Partial optic atrophy
377.21-377.24 Other disorders of optical disc
377.39 Optic neuritis, other
377.41-377.49 Other disorders of optic nerve
377.51-377.54 Disorder of optic chiasm
377.61-377.63 Disorders of other visual pathways
377.9 Unspecified disorder of optic nerve and visual pathways
743.20-743.22 Buphthalmos
743.58 Vascular anomalies
My feeling is that of the codes above, the ones you will be dealing with most are Glaucoma Suspect, Glaucoma and Visual field defects. Most of the other codes are handled by a full opthalmic practice.
Hope this helped.
Sincerely,
Andrew Roy
President
opticXpress
However, the new codes allow for the physician to bill the payer more specifically, as there is more to be scanned than just the posterior (back) section of the eye. Specifically, the new codes relate in the following manner:
92132-Front of the eye only, anterior, behind the retina; may now be either unilateral or bi-lateral
92133-Optic nerve, posterior segment of the of the eye.may now be either unilateral or bi-lateral, This would most likely be my choice for a direct replacement of 92135.
92134-Retina, posterior segment of the retina,may now be either unilateral or bi-lateral
The question you have to ask yourself and your staff is, "Does our GDX equipment scan all three sections or just one?" If it only scans one, which I am assuming it does not, then the code will most likey be 92133. If the machine scans all three sections then, the coding will be based on which section of the eye the patient has scanned.
The DX codes below are the codes that are used by Medicare to determine whether or not the patient qualifies for coverage of an OCT (GDX) scan. These codes applied to the 92135 and it is my ASSUMPTION that the codes would GENERALLY apply to the new PROC codes as well.
ICD-9 DIAGNOSIS CODE DESCRIPTION
115.02 Histoplasma capsulatum retinitis
190.6 Malignant neoplasm of eye, choroid
224.6 Benign neoplasm of choroid
228.03 Hemangioma of retina
361.00-361.04 Retinal detachments
361.05-361.07 Recent detachment, total or subtotal
361.10-361.19 Retinoschisis, unspecified
361.2 Serous retinal detachment
361.30-361.33 Retinal defect, unspecified
361.81 Traction detachment of retina
361.9 Unspecified retinal detachment
362.01-362.29 Retinopathy
362.30-362.37 Retinal vascular occlusion
362.40-362.43 Retinal layer separation
362.50-362.56 Macular degeneration
362.60 Peripheral retinal degeneration, unspecified
362.66-362.85 Retinal disorders
363.00-363.08 Chorioretinal inflammations
363.10-363.15 Disseminated chorioretinitis/retinochoroiditis
363.20-363.22 Chorioretinitis, other
363.30-363.65 Chorioretinal scars
363.40-363.43 Choroidal degenerations
363.62-363.72 Choroidal hemorrhage and rupture
363.70-363.72 Choroidal detachments
364.04 Secondary iridocyclitis, noninfectious
364.22 Glaucomatocyclitic crises
364.53 Pigmentary iris degeneration
364.73 Goniosynechiae
364.74 Pupillary membranes
364.77 Recession of chamber angle
365.00-365.04 Glaucoma suspects
365.10-365.9 Glaucoma
368.40-368.45 Visual field defects
377.00-377.04 Papilledema
377.13 Optical atrophy, retina
377.14 Glaucomatous atrophy (cupping) of optic disc
377.15 Partial optic atrophy
377.21-377.24 Other disorders of optical disc
377.39 Optic neuritis, other
377.41-377.49 Other disorders of optic nerve
377.51-377.54 Disorder of optic chiasm
377.61-377.63 Disorders of other visual pathways
377.9 Unspecified disorder of optic nerve and visual pathways
743.20-743.22 Buphthalmos
743.58 Vascular anomalies
My feeling is that of the codes above, the ones you will be dealing with most are Glaucoma Suspect, Glaucoma and Visual field defects. Most of the other codes are handled by a full opthalmic practice.
Hope this helped.
Sincerely,
Andrew Roy
President
opticXpress
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Billing for Cataract Post-Operative Care
Have you ever heard anyone tell you that it is easy to bill Medicare or other insurances for Post-op work that you may have performed on a patient?
Well the simple truth is that it is not easy. It is not remotely easy. It is down-right difficult, time consuming and confusing as payers have different rules as to how they want to receive the post op claim and what information they want to be on it. However, with your use of the opticXpress software system, we have taken a difficult task and made it just as simple as entering a regular visit for a patient.
A new tab has appeared on the opticXpress visit screen that will allow you to answer specific questions about a patient's cataract surgery. We will then use this information to correctly populate your claims with the correct information needed by the payer in order to virtually guarantee payment of post-op claims the first time, every time. Of course, it will still be up to you, the provider, to answer the questions correctly, but provided you do, you will soon begin seeing regular payment of post-op claims; usually within 30 days of the billing date.
This is an excellent opportunity for you to drum up new business if you are not already billing for post-op care. If you are billing for post-op care, gone should be the days of trying over and over again to get a post-op claim paid on-time, correctly.
Get out there! Advertise! See post-op patients. Begin billing for Medicare if you do not already and increase your revenue by using the rich features provided to you by opticXpress!!!
Well the simple truth is that it is not easy. It is not remotely easy. It is down-right difficult, time consuming and confusing as payers have different rules as to how they want to receive the post op claim and what information they want to be on it. However, with your use of the opticXpress software system, we have taken a difficult task and made it just as simple as entering a regular visit for a patient.
A new tab has appeared on the opticXpress visit screen that will allow you to answer specific questions about a patient's cataract surgery. We will then use this information to correctly populate your claims with the correct information needed by the payer in order to virtually guarantee payment of post-op claims the first time, every time. Of course, it will still be up to you, the provider, to answer the questions correctly, but provided you do, you will soon begin seeing regular payment of post-op claims; usually within 30 days of the billing date.
This is an excellent opportunity for you to drum up new business if you are not already billing for post-op care. If you are billing for post-op care, gone should be the days of trying over and over again to get a post-op claim paid on-time, correctly.
Get out there! Advertise! See post-op patients. Begin billing for Medicare if you do not already and increase your revenue by using the rich features provided to you by opticXpress!!!
RELATED POSTS:
Optometric Billing- Billing For Cataract Post Operative Care...The Easy Way!
Friday, July 9, 2010
CMS TO REVIEW PECOS ENROLLMENT PROCESS
This just in, IT WILL AFFECT OPTOMETRISTS AND OPTOMETRIC BILLERS ALIKE!
Medicare Working with Ordering and Referring Providers and Suppliers to Streamline Enrollment Process
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is working with providers to address concerns about enrollment in the Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS) to ensure that Medicare beneficiaries continue to receive the health care services and items they need. PECOS is the electronic system used to enroll physicians and eligible professionals into the Medicare program.
As part of those efforts, CMS will, for the time being, not implement changes that would automatically reject claims based on orders, certifications, and referrals made by providers that have not yet had their applications approved by July 6, 2010. While more than 800,000 physicians and other health professionals have enrolled and have approved applications in the PECOS system, some providers have encountered problems. CMS is continuing to update and streamline the process, and more providers have been enrolled in the past few days.
CMS issued an interim final regulation on May 5, 2010 implementing provisions of the Affordable Care Act that permit only a Medicare enrolled physician or eligible professional to certify or order home health services, durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) , and certain items and services under Medicare Part B. The new law applies to orders, referrals and certifications made on or after July 1. The comment period for the regulation closes on July 6, after which the comments will be reviewed and considered before a final regulation is issued.
The Affordable Care Act provisions and the regulation were designed as steps to prevent fraud in Medicare by ensuring that only eligible and identifiable providers and suppliers can order and refer covered items and services to Medicare beneficiaries.
Many physicians and other providers and suppliers have continued to make good faith efforts to comply with the requirements of the law and regulation. These efforts will be a significant factor in determining the procedures and processes that will be incorporated in the final rule.
While the regulation will be effective July 6, 2010, CMS will not implement automatic rejections of claims submitted by providers that have attempted to enroll in PECOS. However, until the automatic rejections are operational, providers should not see any change in the processing of submitted claims, they will continue to be reviewed and paid as they have historically been reviewed and paid.
Additionally, though CMS is taking a more deliberative approach to using the PECOS enrollment system, the agency will employ a contingency plan to meet the ACA requirement that written orders and certifications are only issued by eligible professionals effective July 1.
CMS will continue to send informational notices to providers reminding them of the need to submit or update their enrollment and will work with the provider community to provide guidance on enrollment and will process all applications expeditiously.
Medicare Working with Ordering and Referring Providers and Suppliers to Streamline Enrollment Process
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is working with providers to address concerns about enrollment in the Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS) to ensure that Medicare beneficiaries continue to receive the health care services and items they need. PECOS is the electronic system used to enroll physicians and eligible professionals into the Medicare program.
As part of those efforts, CMS will, for the time being, not implement changes that would automatically reject claims based on orders, certifications, and referrals made by providers that have not yet had their applications approved by July 6, 2010. While more than 800,000 physicians and other health professionals have enrolled and have approved applications in the PECOS system, some providers have encountered problems. CMS is continuing to update and streamline the process, and more providers have been enrolled in the past few days.
CMS issued an interim final regulation on May 5, 2010 implementing provisions of the Affordable Care Act that permit only a Medicare enrolled physician or eligible professional to certify or order home health services, durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) , and certain items and services under Medicare Part B. The new law applies to orders, referrals and certifications made on or after July 1. The comment period for the regulation closes on July 6, after which the comments will be reviewed and considered before a final regulation is issued.
The Affordable Care Act provisions and the regulation were designed as steps to prevent fraud in Medicare by ensuring that only eligible and identifiable providers and suppliers can order and refer covered items and services to Medicare beneficiaries.
Many physicians and other providers and suppliers have continued to make good faith efforts to comply with the requirements of the law and regulation. These efforts will be a significant factor in determining the procedures and processes that will be incorporated in the final rule.
While the regulation will be effective July 6, 2010, CMS will not implement automatic rejections of claims submitted by providers that have attempted to enroll in PECOS. However, until the automatic rejections are operational, providers should not see any change in the processing of submitted claims, they will continue to be reviewed and paid as they have historically been reviewed and paid.
Additionally, though CMS is taking a more deliberative approach to using the PECOS enrollment system, the agency will employ a contingency plan to meet the ACA requirement that written orders and certifications are only issued by eligible professionals effective July 1.
CMS will continue to send informational notices to providers reminding them of the need to submit or update their enrollment and will work with the provider community to provide guidance on enrollment and will process all applications expeditiously.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Accounts Receivable and Optometric Billing
It is no secret that the average doctors office, all optometrists included, have an outstanding accounts receivable balance that is 90 days or more past due. The weird part that most doctors overlook, however, is two-fold.
#1) The total A/R balance that is 90+ days overdue is roughly 10-15% of the total amount billed to both patients and insurance. (This statistic is only for a "healthy" practice that bills correctly and enjoys a regular and reliable cash-flow.)
#2) If you look at that 90+ day overdue number carefully, you will likely discover that almost 80% of that money is PATIENT BALANCES, NOT INSURANCE MONEY DUE!
Look at that closely! These numbers indicate that insurance companies are doing their part and paying you on time for correctly coded and billed insurance claims; it is patients, however, that are falling behind in their payments! This is an industry fact that holds true among every professional medical practice and is not relegated only to optometry! In fact, I even believe that many, smaller, optometrist practices have higher percentages of patient balances outstanding due to their belief that being soft on patients who owe money or writing it off all together will retain clients. This simply is not true. In all honesty, a patient that doesn't pay his bill is most likely not coming back anyway and had no intention of keeping up their end of the bargain to begin with, but that is another topic for another post!
These numbers are astounding and when put into a real world scenario can be the difference between a very profitable practice and a not-so profitable one. Take, for example, ABC Vision Associates (clearly a made up name). ABC is a very good sized optometric facility that bills 1.5 million dollars in services and materials annually. At present, their weekly A/R is roughly $29,000.00 and their total A/R for this past month is $52,000.00, 10% of which is 90+ days outstanding. Of the $5,200.00 outstanding, $4,160.00 are patient balances that reflect co-pays, deductibles, co-insurances, lapsed policy charges etc. $4,100.00 PER MONTH IS PATIENT'S RESPONSIBILITY CHARGES FOR THIS EXAMPLE PRACTICE! IN A YEAR'S TIME THAT IS $49,920.00 IN PATIENT OVER DUE BALANCES THAT ABC MAY NEVER COLLECT UNLESS THEY HIRE THE SERVICES OF A COLLECTION AGENCY WHO WILL UN-DOUBTEDLY SKIM ANOTHER 30% OF THAT OFF THE TOP IF AND WHEN THEY COLLECT THAT BALANCE!
These numbers are critical because they show that the average optometrist's practice is loosing roughly 4% annually as a result of patient balances that are not settled; couple that with the average annual insurance write off of 20% and the picture becomes more grim. By the end of this fiscal year 2010, ABC will have lost $360,000.00 of their A/R as a result of insurance write-off's and patient balances and the numbers show that ABC's owners will accept that as reality and the cost of doing business. ABC, like most other average Optometric facilities is willing to take a 24% hit because they just don't realize that they don't have too!
There is a silver lining and it starts with sound financial planning. The first, and most important thing that an optometric facility can do is realize that insurance is and always will be your #1 source of income. The only thing that is gauranteed in this business is that no matter how much it is, insurance will always pay.
The second thing the shrewd optometrist can do is become what we call here at opticXpress, "insurance centric". This means, first and foremost, choose an office management software that guarantees you a steady cash-flow. Currently, the only piece of software that does this is opticXpress Software which REQUIRES your staff to enter the most important information into the office management system that almost, unilaterally guarantees zero or low (1.5% or less) rejection rates. Once this info is entered into the system, the software automatically bills insurance companies so your staff does not have to spend the extra time required editing and "batching" files, then uploading them to a clearinghouse or insurance company.
The third, and possibly most difficult and critical decision that you need to make as an optometrist is to allow yourself to focus on the health of your patients while an outside business management entity focuses on the health of your practice. In the case of ABC, had they hired opticXpress as their optometric billing service and utilized the opticXpress software, they would have the best and least expensive method around to collect that extra $49,000.00 per year they would otherwise have to leave on the table. OUTSOURCING YOUR OPTOMETRIC BILLING IS THE SMARTEST AND MOST INFORMED DECISION YOU CAN MAKE AS A PRACTICE OWNER BECAUSE YOU WILL BE ENTRUSTING THE FISCAL HEALTH OF YOUR PRACTICE TO AN ENTITY THAT LIVES BY THE NUMBERS AND SUCCEEDS BECAUSE THEY GET RESULTS! Simply, if they fail they loose business and that is not an option for a company that wants to grow and succeed.
So, there you have it. The results are in. This problem is only going to get worse as the days and months progress since out-of pocket health care expenses are on the rise. Get on top of your optometric billing and give opticXpress a call today!
#1) The total A/R balance that is 90+ days overdue is roughly 10-15% of the total amount billed to both patients and insurance. (This statistic is only for a "healthy" practice that bills correctly and enjoys a regular and reliable cash-flow.)
#2) If you look at that 90+ day overdue number carefully, you will likely discover that almost 80% of that money is PATIENT BALANCES, NOT INSURANCE MONEY DUE!
Look at that closely! These numbers indicate that insurance companies are doing their part and paying you on time for correctly coded and billed insurance claims; it is patients, however, that are falling behind in their payments! This is an industry fact that holds true among every professional medical practice and is not relegated only to optometry! In fact, I even believe that many, smaller, optometrist practices have higher percentages of patient balances outstanding due to their belief that being soft on patients who owe money or writing it off all together will retain clients. This simply is not true. In all honesty, a patient that doesn't pay his bill is most likely not coming back anyway and had no intention of keeping up their end of the bargain to begin with, but that is another topic for another post!
These numbers are astounding and when put into a real world scenario can be the difference between a very profitable practice and a not-so profitable one. Take, for example, ABC Vision Associates (clearly a made up name). ABC is a very good sized optometric facility that bills 1.5 million dollars in services and materials annually. At present, their weekly A/R is roughly $29,000.00 and their total A/R for this past month is $52,000.00, 10% of which is 90+ days outstanding. Of the $5,200.00 outstanding, $4,160.00 are patient balances that reflect co-pays, deductibles, co-insurances, lapsed policy charges etc. $4,100.00 PER MONTH IS PATIENT'S RESPONSIBILITY CHARGES FOR THIS EXAMPLE PRACTICE! IN A YEAR'S TIME THAT IS $49,920.00 IN PATIENT OVER DUE BALANCES THAT ABC MAY NEVER COLLECT UNLESS THEY HIRE THE SERVICES OF A COLLECTION AGENCY WHO WILL UN-DOUBTEDLY SKIM ANOTHER 30% OF THAT OFF THE TOP IF AND WHEN THEY COLLECT THAT BALANCE!
These numbers are critical because they show that the average optometrist's practice is loosing roughly 4% annually as a result of patient balances that are not settled; couple that with the average annual insurance write off of 20% and the picture becomes more grim. By the end of this fiscal year 2010, ABC will have lost $360,000.00 of their A/R as a result of insurance write-off's and patient balances and the numbers show that ABC's owners will accept that as reality and the cost of doing business. ABC, like most other average Optometric facilities is willing to take a 24% hit because they just don't realize that they don't have too!
There is a silver lining and it starts with sound financial planning. The first, and most important thing that an optometric facility can do is realize that insurance is and always will be your #1 source of income. The only thing that is gauranteed in this business is that no matter how much it is, insurance will always pay.
The second thing the shrewd optometrist can do is become what we call here at opticXpress, "insurance centric". This means, first and foremost, choose an office management software that guarantees you a steady cash-flow. Currently, the only piece of software that does this is opticXpress Software which REQUIRES your staff to enter the most important information into the office management system that almost, unilaterally guarantees zero or low (1.5% or less) rejection rates. Once this info is entered into the system, the software automatically bills insurance companies so your staff does not have to spend the extra time required editing and "batching" files, then uploading them to a clearinghouse or insurance company.
The third, and possibly most difficult and critical decision that you need to make as an optometrist is to allow yourself to focus on the health of your patients while an outside business management entity focuses on the health of your practice. In the case of ABC, had they hired opticXpress as their optometric billing service and utilized the opticXpress software, they would have the best and least expensive method around to collect that extra $49,000.00 per year they would otherwise have to leave on the table. OUTSOURCING YOUR OPTOMETRIC BILLING IS THE SMARTEST AND MOST INFORMED DECISION YOU CAN MAKE AS A PRACTICE OWNER BECAUSE YOU WILL BE ENTRUSTING THE FISCAL HEALTH OF YOUR PRACTICE TO AN ENTITY THAT LIVES BY THE NUMBERS AND SUCCEEDS BECAUSE THEY GET RESULTS! Simply, if they fail they loose business and that is not an option for a company that wants to grow and succeed.
So, there you have it. The results are in. This problem is only going to get worse as the days and months progress since out-of pocket health care expenses are on the rise. Get on top of your optometric billing and give opticXpress a call today!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Optometric Billing and the HIT Act
It has been a long time since we have updated our blog here at opticXpress. However, we hope to change that beginning today. As you may know, the government is in the process of implementing the HIT Act which will, hopefully, allow optometrists to take advantage of stimulus funds apportioned for those who implement EHR/EMR systems. Take a look at what one of our clients' optometric societies released today:
"PECOS ENROLLMENT REQUIRED FOR MEDICARE ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD (EHR) INCENTIVE PROGRAM - ONE MORE REASON TO ESTABLISH YOUR ENROLLMENT RECORD IN PECOS
The Recovery Act of 2009 established CMS programs under Medicare and Medicaid to provide incentive payments for the “meaningful use” of certified EHR technology. These EHR incentive programs will provide incentive payments to eligible professionals and eligible hospitals as they demonstrate adoption, implementation, upgrading or meaningful use of certified EHR technology.
While more detail on the EHR incentive program is forthcoming in the an impending final rule, CMS is announcing that Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS) records will be used to verify Medicare enrollment prior to making Medicare EHR incentive payments. Your enrollment information must be in PECOS, so act now if you do not have an enrollment record in this system."
"PECOS ENROLLMENT REQUIRED FOR MEDICARE ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD (EHR) INCENTIVE PROGRAM - ONE MORE REASON TO ESTABLISH YOUR ENROLLMENT RECORD IN PECOS
The Recovery Act of 2009 established CMS programs under Medicare and Medicaid to provide incentive payments for the “meaningful use” of certified EHR technology. These EHR incentive programs will provide incentive payments to eligible professionals and eligible hospitals as they demonstrate adoption, implementation, upgrading or meaningful use of certified EHR technology.
While more detail on the EHR incentive program is forthcoming in the an impending final rule, CMS is announcing that Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS) records will be used to verify Medicare enrollment prior to making Medicare EHR incentive payments. Your enrollment information must be in PECOS, so act now if you do not have an enrollment record in this system."
You may be wondering what this has to do with opticXpress and Optometric Billing...well the bottom line is this: IT IS OUR GOAL TO HELP OUR CLIENTS COMPLY WITH THE HIT ACT'S PROVISIONS AND REQUIREMENTS. opticXpress software is being developed to comply with the HIT Act and our service is also centered around helping our clients get access to the information they need. With that in mind MAKE SURE THAT YOU SIGN UP FOR PECOS TODAY! IT NOT ONLY TAKES ALOT OF THE GUESS WORK OUT OF CREDENTIALING AND RE-CREDENTIALING FOR MEDICARE BUT IT IS ALSO AN INVALUABLE TOOL FOR UPDATING YOUR MEDICARE RECORDS AS WELL. Who knows, signing up for PECOS may just be the single most important factor when it comes to whether or not you will receive any stimulus funds in the coming years!
For more information, please contact opticXpress by visiting our optometric billing website today! Feel free to call us if you any questions about the HIT Act or our services!
Optometric Billing Services and Software Developed Exclusively for Optometrists
Optometric Billing and the HIT Act
It has been a long time since we have updated our blog here at opticXpress. However, we hope to change that beginning today. As you may know, the government is in the process of implementing the HIT Act which will, hopefully, allow optometrists to take advantage of stimulus funds apportioned for those who implement EHR/EMR systems. Take a look at what one of our clients' optometric societies released today:
"PECOS ENROLLMENT REQUIRED FOR MEDICARE ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD (EHR) INCENTIVE PROGRAM - ONE MORE REASON TO ESTABLISH YOUR ENROLLMENT RECORD IN PECOS
The Recovery Act of 2009 established CMS programs under Medicare and Medicaid to provide incentive payments for the “meaningful use” of certified EHR technology. These EHR incentive programs will provide incentive payments to eligible professionals and eligible hospitals as they demonstrate adoption, implementation, upgrading or meaningful use of certified EHR technology.
While more detail on the EHR incentive program is forthcoming in the an impending final rule, CMS is announcing that Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS) records will be used to verify Medicare enrollment prior to making Medicare EHR incentive payments. Your enrollment information must be in PECOS, so act now if you do not have an enrollment record in this system."
"PECOS ENROLLMENT REQUIRED FOR MEDICARE ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD (EHR) INCENTIVE PROGRAM - ONE MORE REASON TO ESTABLISH YOUR ENROLLMENT RECORD IN PECOS
The Recovery Act of 2009 established CMS programs under Medicare and Medicaid to provide incentive payments for the “meaningful use” of certified EHR technology. These EHR incentive programs will provide incentive payments to eligible professionals and eligible hospitals as they demonstrate adoption, implementation, upgrading or meaningful use of certified EHR technology.
While more detail on the EHR incentive program is forthcoming in the an impending final rule, CMS is announcing that Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS) records will be used to verify Medicare enrollment prior to making Medicare EHR incentive payments. Your enrollment information must be in PECOS, so act now if you do not have an enrollment record in this system."
You may be wondering what this has to do with opticXpress and Optometric Billing...well the bottom line is this: IT IS OUR GOAL TO HELP OUR CLIENTS COMPLY WITH THE HIT ACT'S PROVISIONS AND REQUIREMENTS. opticXpress software is being developed to comply with the HIT Act and our service is also centered around helping our clients get access to the information they need. With that in mind MAKE SURE THAT YOU SIGN UP FOR PECOS TODAY! IT NOT ONLY TAKES ALOT OF THE GUESS WORK OUT OF CREDENTIALING AND RE-CREDENTIALING FOR MEDICARE BUT IT IS ALSO AN INVALUABLE TOOL FOR UPDATING YOUR MEDICARE RECORDS AS WELL. Who knows, signing up for PECOS may just be the single most important factor when it comes to whether or not you will receive any stimulus funds in the coming years!
For more information, please contact opticXpress by visiting our optometric billing website today! Feel free to call us if you any questions about the HIT Act or our services!
Optometric Billing Services and Software Developed Exclusively for Optometrists
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