Lisa
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Posts by Lisa
MTBC’s Automated Appointment Reminder Calls Significantly Decrease No-Show Rates
Dec 20th
A recent study conducted at Johns Hopkins University concluded that the average show rates for healthcare practices are 58%, meaning that average no-show rates are a staggering 42%. In fact, the most common reason for a missed appointment was a simple “I forgot.” An average practice loses an estimated $2,400/month* because of “I forgot.”
Many healthcare practices have a very high traffic volume of patients, requiring office staff to manually place phone calls to all of these patients to remind them of their appointments. Consequently, many staff hours are spent on this simple, menial and mundane task. Not only does this greatly add to any practice’s administrative costs, it also prevents office staff from being thorough, both in placing the reminder calls and in other daily tasks as well.
The simplest solution to this recurring problem is automated appointment reminder calls. Not only does MTBC’s automated appointment reminder call service help to avoid the pitfalls of manual appointment reminder calls, but it also overcomes the drawbacks of similar services offered by many other third parties.
The service simply works off of the practice’s patient database, so there is no chance of any patient not receiving a call. MTBC’s automated appointment reminder calls also free up the healthcare practice’s office staff significantly. Instead of spending hours manually calling each and every patient, office staff can spend time on other more pressing tasks. The reduction in work also means that the practice will save money on administrative costs. MTBC’s automated appointment reminder calls have been shown to reduce a practice’s no-shows by up to 25%. That means that the practice’s show rate increases from 58% to nearly 70%. MTBC clients who have signed on for this service are now saving up to $9,000/month (depending on the size of the practice), just by this increase in show rates.
To learn more about MTBC’s Automated Appointment Reminder Calls, please click here.
*This number may vary depending on the size of the practice.
AMA Develops New Models of Healthcare to Ultimately Benefit Patients and the Healthcare System
Dec 15th
The American Medical Association (AMA) recently has developed a plan to encourage competition and innovation in order to benefit patients and the healthcare system. The AMA calls its model of patient care the Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), and at the heart of these ACOs will be physicians, removing the need for consolidation under a hospital system.
The AMA gave the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) its recommendations for adopting this system of ACOs. According to AMA President Cecil B. Wilson, M.D., “The AMA’s recommendations make it possible for physicians in all practice sizes and settings to successfully participate in ACOs, which will foster competition and innovation…to optimize patient care and curb health care costs.”
Some of its recommendations include developing new payment models for physicians that transition Medicare away from the physician payment system currently in place, a whole host of new payment methods, loans and grants for small physician practices, alleviating of anti-trust regulations that may hinder providers from collaborating, and real-time access to important and useful data.
“Competition fosters innovation, which ultimately helps patients receive efficient high-quality care. Care coordination is vital, and physicians can work together with a health care team to keep patients healthy and out of the hospital while maintaining independent medical practices. CMS should adopt policies that facilitate physician-led ACOs and do not inadvertently bias participation in favor of large health systems and hospitals,” said Dr. Wilson.
To learn more about the AMA’s recommendations, you can view its outline here.
AMA Asks HHS to Revise the Medicare e-Rx Policy
Dec 14th
According to current Medicare regulations, any physician that is not e-prescribing in the first six months of 2011 will be penalized in 2012. The American Medical Association (AMA), believing this punitive regulation to be a hindrance to proper widespread healthcare IT adoption and implementation, is urging the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to revise this portion of Medicare policy. In a letter recently sent by the AMA to HHS Secretary Sebelius, the AMA claimed that this federal policy would force healthcare providers to undertake extra and unnecessary administrative and financial burdens.
“The last minute decision to require e-prescribing in 2011 will force physicians to spend additional financial and administrative resources to purchase e-prescribing software that most of them will end up discarding when they transition to a complete EHR system,” said AMA Board Secretary Steven J. Stack, MD.
Currently, under CMS rules, healthcare providers cannot receive both e-prescribing and EHR incentive bonuses simultaneously. Moreover, healthcare providers who do not partake in the e-prescribing program for 2011 will face penalties in both 2012 and 2013. “This unreasonable policy leaves many physicians with little choice but to purchase and use a stand-alone e-prescribing program during the initial months of 2011 just to avoid penalties,” says Stack. The AMA demands that HHS take swift action in order to reduce any confusion among providers as well as any unnecessary administrative and financial burdens providers will face when adopting healthcare IT systems.