In dealing with today’s pandemic many medial practices have to deal with the laborious task of new remote work policies and procedures to ensure economic viability for practices during COVID-19 threats. As well as providing a secure work environment that assists in health care assessments. The Coronavirus pandemic has broken the barriers of traditional working lifestyles for millions all over the globe. Businesses are reluctant to risk employee health and are implementing regulation and policies to protect their staff amid this great health crisis. The IMF (International Monetary Fund) suggests the global economy fall out will be with us for decades to come. Telemedicine is a potent tool that is geared towards establishing reliable protocols for immediate and acute medical assessment.
To function with accurate productivity and credible communications the global healthcare industry has put forth actionable insights for practice managers to gauge the performance of their workforce. Telehealth is the best form of respite for health care management that assures immaculate screening and diagnosing for patients anywhere in the world. The omnipresence of physicians through palpable telecommunications is paving the way for medical operational excellence. According to the American College of Physicians providers may need to weigh up emergency plans associated with telework and clinician absence.
How the Coronavirus has Affected the Medical Billing Business
Maximizing health care service revenue has been a cumbersome challenge for most providers in these unpredictable times. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020. There have been over 187,000 cases of COVID-19 worldwide, resulting in more than 7,400 deaths so far. Thus the need for a medical billing and coding service provider
to lessen some of the daily operational burdening is essential to run a medical practice. Almost all elective and global conferences and major events have come to a screeching halt. Health care workers are looking for ways to sustain their practice through newly devised medical billing and coding strategies. Medical billing and coding professionals have gone out of their way to provide ample cushion to both providers and patients simultaneously.
Briefing Your Team on Remote Work Guidelines
It is a virtually managed world out there today. So it is hence indispensable to chalk out clearly defined goals to avoid employee furloughs and adhere to work policies. American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) is a great resource for physicians to seek new informative guidelines for medical workers. Briefing staff members on recent updates and team collaborations are primal for medical billing specialists daily. Deploying a quantifiable reporting mechanism to alter or monitor timekeeping and task tracking is essential. Accessible IT support is extremely crucial as all technological mechanisms like Practice Management Software, EHRs (Electronic Health Records), Mobile IOS Apps, etc are dependent upon them to function. This includes online group discussions and periodic run-throughs of clinical workflows.
Utilizing Aspects of Telemedicine
Telemedicine platforms are closing the gap between urgent health care scheduling and patient satisfaction on a global level. Patient communication through teleconferencing is extremely beneficial. There are long term options for monitoring and evaluating the vital signs and medical history of a patient that could be behaving underlying health conditions that may make them susceptible to their conditions worsening. HIPPA compliant Telehealth options are interoperable and give indigenous health care monitoring options to all those involved. Digital health is providing a source of solace to patients worldwide it is a great tool for health care communications.
Telehealth Compatible EHR Software Solutions
Electronic health records help in assessing medical conditions, diagnostic procedures and treatment options. Due to the COVID-19 crisis many EHR Software vendors have upgraded their telemedicine software features and functionalities to support virtual health. High-end EHR software solutions are pushing back the barriers of palpable health care administrations. As patients are uneasy and in need of urgent care medical billing and coding specialists need a technological solution to better communicate with their patients. EHR one-click scheduling option goes hand in hand with telemedicine to immediately schedule the soonest doctor’s appointment.
Relaying New Modifiers and Coding Practices to Personnel
The economic shutdown has impacted the medical field the most. Empowering changes that will better suit the ever-changing needs of providers to bill not only insurance carriers but patients accurately as well. Thus, new codes and modifiers have been introduced to assist in the billing and coding for COVID -19 affected patients and those who have other underline health conditions. Maneuvering through revenue cycle challenges by proactively coaching staff members to be on top of all new coding practices is vital to maintain the financial stability of a practice. Two new HCPCS (Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System) codes are now in place for billing COVID -19 diagnostic tests.
Workforce Must Assess Patient Financial Liability
The influx of Coronavirus patients has raised a question on the medical billing aspect of these reported medical cases. Medical billing and coding specialists are consistently handling multiple protocols to ensure reimbursements are received as soon as possible. Thousands of dollars in medical billings have been so far reported with people thinking the common flu might be related to the Coronavirus. Patients need to be told about the financial implications of Coronavirus lab testing as there is a spike in Coronavirus cases globally. Usage of correct coding practices to bill for COVID-19 patients is essential to maintain a reliable and financially stable health care organization in these times.
Prioritizing the Health Needs of Medical Health Care Workers
As the government is continuously improvising its regulations and policies to assist and stop the spread of the COVID-19 disease. It is the utmost priority for providers to safeguard their financial interests as well as protect the health and wellbeing of their vulnerable staff. The new normal is pushing providers to strike a balance between digital patient engagement and personal health and safety measures. The medical billing community is shielding its staff members through the use of Telehealth alternatives. Most healthcare heroes are working most ardently to uplift the qualms of patients while safeguarding their own.
Medical Billers Must Be Aware of New Health Care Regulations
Mitigating the risk of already exposed or asymptomatic patients against the additional spread of the COVID-19 disease should be the core focus of the Healthcare system altogether. In the wake of this global lockdown much earlier restricted Medicare and Medicaid policyholders have been lifted for greater ease of both providers and patients. With current technological advancements in medical research COVID-19 lab testing and new coding implementations have been introduced for further reassurance. Unemployment in the US is also expected to jump to 10.4% this year. Such unpredictable times warrant more solidarity amongst health care providers to sustain their practice through telemedicine for more mobility options.
GreenSense Billing understands that providers are on the edge and their need for automated clinical workflows through telemedicine software solutions. We pride ourselves in providing exceptional 24/7 technical support to multi-specialty providers to sustain the growth and progress of their practice through our premier Practice management software. Our team of professionals is adept in all the latest coding practices and new waiver policies. We stand in unity with the health care community through these turbulent times of economic changes.
