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Transparency
helps resolve patient complaints about fees
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By
John K. Wisniewski
BCMS
CEO/Executive Director
In many cases, patients receive an
explanation of benefits (EOB) that describes your billed charges
as "covered services," and they are left with the
impression that this is the amount you will be paid.
If you receive a complaint, give
the facts - specifically, the actual amount you received from the
payer, the patient balance as determined by the payer in accordance
with their policy, and the total payment you'll receive.
If a patient remains skeptical,
send them a copy of the remittance advice (be sure to black out other
patient information).
EOBs are designed with input from
the marketing department of the payers. Your efforts toward
transparency will help patients understand the true value of their
coverage and strengthen the trust they have in you.
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Start the year
off right
with discounted
educational
materials
From now until Jan. 15, TMA members
receive 25 percent off their entire TMA Education Center purchase!*
Formats include hard copy and
electronic publications, on demand webinars and podcasts. Topics
address billing, coding, fraud and abuse compliance, ethics, practice
management and many others.
Click here
to see all the educational materials available through the TMA
Education Center.
For information,
call
877-880-1335.
*Offer excludes
live seminars and the Texas Medical Jurisprudence Manual and Study
Guide.
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TRENDING TOPICS
First Tuesday visit to Austin planned for Feb.
5
By Mary E. Nava, MBA
BCMS Chief Governmental and
Community Relations Officer
With the
state legislative session beginning this week, TMA and BCMS are
encouraging physician and alliance members to participate in First
Tuesday visits to the Capitol in Austin.
The First
Tuesday program begins Feb. 5 and continues monthly through May.
The program
involves face-to-face meetings between physicians and elected
officials. BCMS schedules appointments with officials, and
attendees participate in the visits as a group.
To learn
more, click here.
Medicare payments frozen for another year
One day
after the official deadline, the U.S. Congress on Jan. 1 stepped
away from the so-called "fiscal cliff" and slapped
another one-year patch on physicians' Medicare payments.
For details
on the deal, which averted the 26.5 percent cut in Medicare
payments that was scheduled to take effect Jan. 1,
click here.
For more information and local discussion on
legislative advocacy, practice management and other issues,
consider joining the BCMS Socioeconomics and Legislative Committee.
For information, and to sign up for First Tuesdays, contact Mary
Nava at 210-301-4395 or by email.
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SAVE THE
DATE
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RSVP for Jan. 26
BCMS Installation
Join
your BCMS colleagues at the Installation of Officers at 6:30
p.m. Saturday, Jan. 26, at the Witte Museum.
Click here
to read more about the 2013 officers and directors.
While
at the installation, all attendees also will be able to visit
"Mummies of the
World: The Exhibition"
free
of charge.
NOTE: A construction project beginning mid-January will
convert Hildebrand Avenue into a one-way, east-bound street
between the San Antonio River and North New Braunfels
Avenue. Alternative east-west routes to the Witte from U.S.
Highway 281 include Basse Road and Mulberry Avenue. Those attending
the BCMS installation may want to allow extra travel time.
To RSVP for this special event,
click here.
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About The Weekly Dose
The Weekly Dose is a service of the Bexar
County Medical Society.
Some of the suggestions conveyed may not be applicable to
your practice today,
but the goal is to offer information over time that returns value
in excess
of the cost of your membership.
If you would like to recommend future topics to share with
your colleagues,
please submit them to the BCMS executive director at john.wisniewski@bcms.org.
All rights reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited.
Copyright © 2013
Bexar County Medical Society, San Antonio, Texas.
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