Without a solid foundation in coding, you could be losing hundreds of dollars each month because of small mistakes. Master the tools put out by the government and the AMA to set yourself a step ahead in coding and billing. Learn the ins and outs of the CPT manual, CCI edits, RBRVS, and more. Unlock the secrets to quick, accurate coding, billing, and appeals with these expert tips and tricks.

Unlock the secrets that payers don’t want you to know, and become a better, more accurate, more productive biller. Dissect the CMS 1500 claim form. Learn tips and tricks for getting claims paid quickly and easily. Discover hidden tricks to streamline your practice’s billing process and claim follow up.

The question is no longer if you will face an outside audit, but when. Comprehensive Error Rate Testing (CERT), Recovery Audit Contractors (RAC), Medicare Contractor audits and the Office of the Inspector General are CMS’ initiatives to identify inappropriate billing. This session will provide an explanation of the different methods and how to handle requests for information. You will walk away knowing the audit process and have keys to effectively handle if and when your records get requested.

Modifiers are a part of CPT that is often overlooked and misunderstood by coders and payers alike. They are integral to the correct coding of services, adding that extra information needed to qualify what has been done. Yet, when improperly used, or worse yet, improperly processed, they effect reimbursement dramatically. This class looks at modifiers and their role in coding and ultimately their effect on reimbursement.

Few practices have implemented eScribing for 2009 and taken advantage of the 2% Medicare bonus. Many are waiting for their decision for EHR implementation. eScribing can be implemented independently and easily. This class looks at how this bonus producing, patient safety and efficiency boosting addition can be implemented. Attendees will learn what is involved to the implementation of an eScribing system, whether integrated with an EHR or stand alone, the advantages of implementing a stand-alone eScribing system now, and a will review two case studies from actual implementations. Various stand-alone systems will be discussed as well as operation with no interfaces at all, with a one-time demographic dump, with a daily schedule interface and a full interface with the practice’s Practice Management System. The costs and benefits of various options will also be reviewed.

Capture every dime you deserve for nonphysician practitioner services — without triggering an audit. Eliminate denials and audits of your incident-to claims once and for all! These days, more physicians are using nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, physician assistants and other nonphysician practitioners to supplement their practice revenue. Knowing when you can bill under the physician’s NPI can bring in an extra 15% per service. Find out all the billing tips you need to know for top reimbursement.

You know that every penny counts, and submitting a claim is only half the battle. Effective accounts receivable (A/R) management is one of the biggest keys to ensuring your practice receives the reimbursement you’re entitled to. If you aren’t monitoring your A/R and following up on unpaid claims, then you could be costing your practice hundreds. Find out how to establish a set A/R follow-up procedure that can help your practice and ease your billing headaches in a multitude of ways. Plus, discover how to benchmark your findings against other practices.

An EMR system can be a great thing for your billing system and your practice in general, but if you don’t ask the right questions, you could set your practice up for disaster. Finding the right EMR system for your individual practice is key. There are efficiency and monetary benefits to implementing an EMR, but, adopting an EMR requires careful and thoughtful consideration. In this session, you’ll learn:

Too many physicians think that fraud prosecution will not happen to them and that they will not be fallen by the penalties and terrors of an investigation. I have seen in my experience as an expert witness that any physician can be investigated for fraudulent practices, anyone, whether they truly participated in fraudulent activities or not. This is the story of a physician and what he went through in order to prove his innocence instead of just capitulating and settling. The cost to the practice and the physicians is tremendously high and the prosecution process is very painful. This class will not only address how a practice can get into this situation but what they can do to avoid prosecution. And in the worse possible outcomes, what to do should the US Attorney pursue indictment. Success does not only rest on documentation, proper and compliant operations, but putting together the right defense team.

If you haven’t dealt with payer overpayments yet, it’s only a matter of time. Overpayments happen for a variety of reasons. But if you don’t know how to deal with them — and the subsequent refund process — you could be setting your practice up for fines and fraud allegations. Refunds don’t need to be difficult, however. Attend this session to get the scoop from the experts on what you need to do — and when you need to do it — to stay compliant and keep payers happy.

If you know how to decipher all the rows and columns, the Medicare physician fee schedule can be a wealth of information. Let our expert outline what gold nuggets of information you can uncover if you know where to look. You’ll also discover how not using the fee schedule can cost you money. Plus, find out what next year’s fee schedule means to your reimbursement!

If you aren’t effectively collecting from patients and payers, your physician is working basically for free. Practice income directly relates to how successful your collections efforts are. Learn everything you need to know to keep the money flowing in this comprehensive workshop. We’ll cover both patient collections and payer collections. Bonus: Our expert will give you sample collections scenarios you can use to train everyone in your office and increase your collections rates.

Sure, working appeals is a good idea. But with few staff, heavy workloads, and little spare time, can you really find time for this work? Our appeals expert will tell you why you can’t afford not to follow up on claims denials, while teaching you to work smarter, not harder on getting payment faster with fewer snags.