Practice Management

National report ? As in any profession, the practice of dermatology is subject to the vagaries of trends that can affect every practitioner.

The new guidelines that regulate physicians who prescribe isotretinoin for their patients are demanding and time-consuming.

Four key areas to look at when evaluating a billing service are: integration, performance, cost and relationship.

One of the biggest changes in the 2006 CPT book involves the grafting section of the Integumentary System. There were many deletions, a host of new codes and a significant number of amendments to the rules and guidelines that govern these complex surgical procedures.

Presently, VistA-Office EHR supports electronic reproductions of paper patient charts, from vital sign entry and viewing to problem list and medication management.

Pressure is building in Washington to move forward with the federal government's proposed pay-for-performance Medicare reimbursement program.

National report — Experts tell Dermatology Times that in addition to learning to do more with less, dermatologists face financial challenges unique to their specialty.

Year 2005 was filled with many changes that affected dermatologists and how they billed Medicare and other commercial carriers. Year 2006 is anticipated to be an equally challenging year. In this article, I will highlight what I feel was important this year and what you need to be aware of in the year ahead. Due to the space constraints of this article, I cannot go into great detail, but I will at least let you know what you should be aware of and what you need to implement.

The dashboard won't tell you why something is going wrong, but by identifying variances it will give early warning to potential problems.

Q I billed Medicare for the following services. All of the Mohs procedures were denied. Patient was in a 90-day postoperative period for a flap that was done 20 days earlier. Tell me how I should have coded to avoid the denials of my Mohs services?

San Francisco — Switching to electronic health records (EHRs) could prove costly and time-consuming for some small medical practices, according to a recent report.

Teach your staff the mantra: If you can predict it, you can manage it.

Typically, you will be completely dependent on your high-speed Internet connection, and may not be able to function without that connection.

If you inquire regarding (a carrier's) policy regarding PAs supervising staff, always get the advice in writing.

An overall 4.3 percent 2006 Medicare fee cut announced in March is something other physicians will need to worry about, but not dermatologists.

National report — Nowadays, there are so many different employee rights, it behooves employers to make sure they have a fundamental labor and employment law compliance plan in place.

When more than one surgical service is rendered on the same date, most carriers reduce one or more of the surgeries by 50 percent, 25 percent, 10 percent or some other percentage.

National report — The driving force behind the growth in private insurance spending between 1987 and 2002 was the rise in treated disease prevalence, rather than the rise in spending per treated case, according to a new study from Emory University in Atlanta.

Washington — Dermatologists who serve Medicare patients should pay careful attention as the federal government considers changing the way payments for physician services will be determined in the future.

Chicago — It's ultimately the physician's responsibility to be sure that procedural codes accurately capture the medically necessary services performed during the visit, says a presenter here at the American Academy of Dermatology's Academy '05.

Chicago — It is to the physician's benefit to understand the rules regarding evaluation and management codes, says a physician here.

Two-way communication also is crucial. In this regard, Dr. Bock recommends soliciting patient feedback at various points.

There is probably no single dermatology practice in this country that doesn't do biopsies, shave removals or excisions that require that a skin specimen be sent to an outside reference lab. A few practices have an in-house laboratory, but it still can be several days before the in-house dermatopathologist has time to read the slides.

A rapidly growing trend in medical practices is the expansion into ancillary services. The rising costs of operating a medical business have forced physicians to take a look at how they can expand and better serve their patients.

Cosmetic surgery practices know that starting on time is critical to managing a high volume of patients, but many practices are discovering the rewards of opening earlier in the day. A 6:30 a.m. starting time may seem ridiculous at first glance, but it can bring many benefits to patients, staff and your bottom line.