Prime Health Network and Its Patients Thrive in Tough Economic Times

PRNewswire via COMTEX/ ----In an economic environment where lots of healthcare providers are facing steep challenges, Prime Health Network and its patients are thriving with help from InstaMed. By utilizing InstaMed's industry leading healthcare payments network and platform, Prime Health Network has increased patient collections and reduced their costs related to collections, while also improving the patient experience at each of their eleven locations.

As patient financial responsibility rises due to increases in deductibles and fundamental changes in health plan benefits, providers face the increasingly difficult challenge of managing patient collections and patient satisfaction. Legacy collection processes and solutions have proven inadequate in this new era of increased patient responsibility. By implementing InstaMed's solutions -- which include eligibility, point of service estimation, payment processing, clearinghouse services and online bill payment -- in their front and back offices and on the internet, Prime has seen a 24% increase in patient collections as well as a 10% reduction in their costs to collect, post and reconcile patient payments.

Healthcare providers today are seeking integrated healthcare and payment processing financial services technologies that go beyond what standard payment processors or healthcare clearinghouses currently offer. it's also increasingly relevant that these solutions are certified and compliant with the security standards and regulations of both the healthcare and financial services industries. Additionally, providers must implement new policy initiatives focused on patient payment responsibility, while demonstrating sensitivity toward positive patient relationships and satisfaction metrics.

"InstaMed's impact on our practice was eight of the highlights for our business in 2008," stated Mary Jo Shields, Executive Director at Prime Health Network. "With InstaMed, we've simplified our billing method which has allowed us more time to focus on providing quality care to our patients. The ability to check patient eligibility, in addition to offering patients flexible and convenient payment options using a payment card has improved our workflow and contributed to the reduction in our costs."

Bill Marvin, President and CEO of InstaMed stated, "We are happy to see the results that Prime has achieved, both operationally and with regard to patient satisfaction. InstaMed's mission is to transform the healthcare payment method and generate a better experience for all. they are thrilled to be working with Prime and they look forward to their continued successes in 2009."

About Prime Health Network

About InstaMed

Prime Health Network is Delaware County, Pennsylvania's largest independent primary care practice, with ten locations -- nine in Delaware County and eight in West Philadelphia. Prime offers convenient office hours, prompt scheduling, and the services of the area's leading medical institutions. Not owned or operated by a large health technique, Prime is able to direct patients care to the most appropriate health care facility to meet their needs. Visit Prime on the net at www.primedr.com.

InstaMed is the industry leading healthcare payments network and platform. InstaMed's mission is to transform the healthcare payment method for healthcare Providers, Payers, Banks and Patients so their payment experience is simple, convenient, reliable and secure. InstaMed processes all of the healthcare and payment transactions in the healthcare revenue cycle and offers patent pending, integrated healthcare and payment transactions that accelerate the healthcare payment method and reduce the administrative costs to all parties. InstaMed currently supports the healthcare payment processing needs of over 700 hospital and clinic locations; practice management vendors and billing services representing over 50,000 providers; and hundreds of healthcare payers of all sizes. InstaMed is registered with Visa and MasterCard and is certified as a Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI-DSS) Level eight Service Provider. InstaMed is also fully accredited by the Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC: undefined, undefined, undefined%) as a healthcare clearinghouse. InstaMed is an AHIP Solutions Partner (America's Health Insurance Plans), a member of the C.O.R.E. Initiative (Committee on Operating Rules for Information Exchange), the Medical Banking Project, ASC X12, HBMA (Healthcare Billing & Management Association), Electronic Payments Network ACH Association Services, MGMA's Project SwipeIT (Medical Group Management Association) and WEDI (Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange). Visit InstaMed on the net at www.instamed.com.

Billing the Doctor for Your Time

Over at the Economix blog, Princeton economics professor Alan B. Krueger applies economic theory to the doctor’s waiting room. He writes about the “opportunity cost” of being a patient.

Any student of Econ 101 knows that economists measure costs by opportunity costs, meaning everything that is given up to get something else. Time spent interacting with the medical system could be used for other activities, such as work and leisure. Moreover, spending time getting medical care is not fun. This time should be counted as part of the cost of health care.

Using the American Time Use Survey, I calculate that Americans age 15 and older collectively spent 847 million hours waiting for medical services to be provided in 2007….. If you count health care-related activities writ large – including time traveling to a doctor, waiting to see a doctor, being examined and treated, taking medication, obtaining medical care for others, and paying bills – the average American spent 1.1 hours per week obtaining health care in 2007.

Read the full column, “A Hidden Cost of Health Care: Patient Time.” What do you think? Should a patient’s time be factored into the cost of health care?

Behind the Scenes of Medical Billing-Coding Schools

If you love helping people but would rather deal with details behind the scenes than in the waiting room, medical billing/coding schools could be just what the doctor ordered for your career.

Medical Billing and Coding Roles
Medical billing/coding schools lead to one of the health occupations in which there is little or no direct contact with patients. But it's not an easy job -- accuracy is essential, as these professionals assemble patients' health information, ensuring that medical charts are complete and that all pertinent information is in the computer.

Medical records technicians may also specialize in coding information for insurance billing purposes. They assign a code to each diagnosis and procedure, consulting classification manuals and relying on their knowledge of disease processes. Using computer software, medical billing technicians assign the patient to a diagnosis-related group (DRG), which determines the amount the hospital will be reimbursed if the patient is covered by insurance programs using the DRG system.

Staring Out at Medical Billing/Coding Schools

Once you've received medical billing and coding training from one of the 184 associate degree programs offered at medical billing/coding schools accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM), you may take the Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) certification exam given by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).

For insurance billing, you may take the Certified Medical Reimbursement Specialist exam, a national credential awarded by the Certifying Board of the American Medical Billing Association. Certifications in coding are available either from AHIMA (Certified Coding Associate, Certified Coding Specialist, and Certified Coding Specialist-Physician-based) or from the American Academy of Professional Coders (Certified Professional Coder, Certified Professional Coder-Hospital, Certified Professional Coder-Payer).

On the Job in Medical Billing and Coding
Median annual earnings in the medical billing/coding field were $25,590 in 2004, with the highest 10 percent earning more than $41,760. That same year, about 159,000 jobs were held by medical records and health information technicians.

Job prospects continue to look good for those with medical billing and coding training. In fact, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of medical billing/coding professionals is expected to grow much faster than average for all occupations through 2014. Technicians with a strong background in medical coding will be in particularly high demand due to the increased amount of paperwork involved in filing insurance claims.

To find college and career schools near you, surf http://www.CollegeSurfing.com.

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Robyn Tellefsen is a frequent contributor to The CollegeBound Network. Learn more about finding a school or career that's right for you!

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Medical Billing Specialist

When considering becoming a medical billing specialist, you must consider the skills and abilities required. Knowing what you are looking for, making the right decision as to which medical billing specialist area you want should become fairly obvious. Take a look at what a medical billing specialist should be familiar with and what they have to do so that you can choose the right medical specialist area.

In order to become a medical billing specialist, and work from home, you should make sure you understand medical transcription and be able to use medical billing software. Medical transcription is the transferring of medical information from audio recordings to either paper or electronic format by means of medical billing software. As a medical billing specialist you should be aware of this because of the information contained in the transcripts. Data which is transferred becomes the electronic medical record which shows how much everything the medical billing specialist works with is interconnected.

Medical transcription is usually outsourced to a third party, typically one who will work from home, and is done through the use of medical billing software. Each part of the process should be overseen by someone who has been trained to do the medical transcription as a medical billing specialist.

Also as a medical billing specialist you must be familiar with the various medical codes. In addition you should know about record keeping, billing, and certification as well as understand the medical billing software. This allows you as the medical billing specialist to be familiar with the important standards that control how a medical billing specialist actually performs your job. Knowing this information is crucial if you want to be a good and an effective medical billing specialist.

For companies deciding how to choose a medical billing specialist is not easy. They must have an understanding of what all a good billing specialist knows and understands in order to make the proper selection for their medical billing specialist. The information above should help you get a feel for and understand what you should know when choosing to become a medical billing specialist.

http://www.infoesource.com/wrk-hme-medbill.html

Ocha has been in sales and sales management for over 24 years. He is currently in marketing and support in the distribution industry. He also has an online business and maintains several websites and blogs to help you succeed. http://www.journeytosuccess.blogspot.com

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Medical Business Associates Obtains Approval as Software Vendor for Medicaid in South Carolina

Etowah, NC – August 1, 2008 – Peter R. Meyer, president of Medical Business Associates, has announced that Medical Business Associates is now an approved software vendor for Medicaid in South Carolina. As a software vendor for Medicaid in South Carolina, professional medical facilities that see patients who reside in South Carolina will see a decrease in the number of errors that occur in filing claims, a decrease in turnaround times and see an increase in profitability. Patients will experience increased accuracy in billing and quicker turnaround times.



“Since many of our clients near the South Carolina border see patients living in South Carolina, being able to file their claims directly to the carrier, rather than through a clearinghouse, is the key to providing the quickest turnaround possible,” said Meyer.



Medical Business Associates currently files directly to NC Medicare, NC Railroad Medicare, Riverbend GBS, NC Medicaid, NC BCBS and Tricare. By directly filing claims, the possibility of a clearinghouse dropping a batch of claims or having problems translating HIPPA compliant files to legacy NSF formats that many carriers still use is eliminated.



Meyer adds, “We always want to use the most direct method possible for filing a claim. The more steps a claim goes through to get to its final destination, the greater the chance for something to go wrong. We’re very happy to have added South Carolina Medicaid to our list of direct carriers.”



For further information about Medical Business Associates, call 800-659-3171, or visit www.mba-nc.com.



About Medical Business Associates

Medical Business Associates is North Carolina’s best source for the most time effective insurance, filing, billing and consulting services. With over 80 years of combined experience, the team at Medical Business Associates works with small to medium sized practices to increase profit margins by turning insurance nonsense into dollars. Medical Business Associates eases transitions from in-house to outsource billing without the need for new computers, forms or staff. Medical Business Associates’ customized programs and services meet the specific needs of North Carolina providers and are in accordance with North Carolina laws.

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contact: Peter R. Meyer

company: Medical Business Associates

phone: 800-659-3171
email: pete.m@mba-nc.com

Medical Billing Careers

Today medical billing careers and jobs are very exciting and are in great demand allover the world. A medical billing career is the right option for service minded job seekers who wish to help patients. Top colleges and universities with medical billing career training programs offer you challenging jobs in medical billing careers. With the advent of modern technology, there has been a great demand for work from home medical billing careers.

Medical billing and coding specialists are generally employed in clinics, hospitals, insurance companies, consulting firms, medical coding and billing services firms, governmental agencies and computer software companies. The basic function of a medical billing and coding specialist is to assign codes to diagnoses and procedures. This ensures correct transformation of information between the insurance and the medical facilities.

If you opt for a rewarding career in medical billing, there are numerous online institutions, formal vocational schools, and colleges that can prepare you for the online medical billing field. Your education will include training in communication skills, office management, billing, coding, insurance coding, insurance law, computer science and more.

Medical billing careers are on the rise these days. Medical billing claims due to erroneous billing cost hospitals a lot of money and they are actively searching for medical billing specialists. Billing specialists are badly wanted to solve the problem of errors in billing and relieve the physician of this time-consuming task

There are a number of fields in the medical career for you to choose from. Medical billing is a thriving career among them. Throughout the medical billing career, a billing specialist has to train himself constantly to upgrade his skill levels. A good temperament is an important quality that a medical billing professional ought to have. It helps him better interact with patients, their relatives, medical representatives, medical professionals, colleagues, doctors, and other office personnel.

Medical Billing provides detailed information on Medical Billing, Medical Billing Software, Medical Billing Services, Medical Billing Jobs and more. Medical Billing is affiliated with Medical Coding Certification.

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