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As many are aware, October 1st, 2013 marks the deadline for the requirement that health care providers upgrade their International Classification of Diseases coding system to the 10th edition.  However, in mid-February this year, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the postponing of the compliance deadline to an unspecified date to allow providers more time to prepare.  While some worry about losing time and money already spent on the upgrade progress of their electronic medical record software, many see the extra time as an opportunity to ensure thorough compliance to the new standard.

The deadline delay has not slowed down physician questions about ICD-10, according to Bizmatics sales rep Kemp Stephens.  “Doctors want to know when we’re going to be ready,” he says and explains that Bizmatics does have a department currently working to bring their PrognoCIS software up to compliance to meet deadline.  Another common question received regarding the ICD-10 is whether or not it will be included in the upgrade or if it will come at an extra cost.  Stephens assures that ICD-10 is included in PrognoCIS and the updates.

Curiously, Stephens finds that the upcoming coding change petrifies many doctors.  “They’re scared because it’s a whole new language,” he empathizes.  “They’re already looking at EMR as slowing down and ICD-10 will slow them down more.”  ICD-10 is so detailed that it actually contains 5 times the amount of diagnostic codes than for ICD-9.  Stephens explains it includes very specific codes for detailed events, such as a fall.  The physician will have to fill in the code in their electronic medical record for the events surrounding the incident.  “Was it [the fall] down some stairs or because they tripped over a bicycle?”  Doctors will have to implement an education program to learn ICD-10 and perhaps rely on the help of coders.

Despite the worry and strife ICD-10 (and its delay) is currently causing, the end result will improve the overall quality of health care.  “By gathering data from across the country, you start to get a detailed, granular look at how different things happen to people,” says Stephens.  “It can be useful for looking at trends overall and for the government, as to where resources need to be and to get better healthcare.”

October 19, 2011 (San Jose, CA) – Leading EMR software provider Bizmatics Inc. has officially introduced their full-service, in-house electronic medical billing service to complement PrognoCIS EMR – their flagship electronic medical record system.  This new service, which focuses on improved Revenue Cycle Management (RCM), offers practices an integrated EMR, practice management and billing service to streamline office efficiency and simplify collection processes.

Medical practice collections have been cut significantly in the recent years, thereby increasing the importance of maximizing a practice’s collections. The new medical billing service from Bizmatics will ensure quick submission of claims (within 24-48 hours of the visit) as well as seamless transitions from patient visits to billing to actual revenue generation.

“With our leading Five Star ONC-ATCB-rated PrognoCIS EMR, we at Bizmatics have earned our stripes in the medical industry,” says Bizmatics CEO Vinay Deshpande.  “Our team knows what today’s medical practices are faced with: strict regulations from CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) and the private insurance carriers. Our program has been built to bill and track collections for optimal payments.”

The new service combines the benefits of electronic medical billing with the benefits of hiring a trusted medical billing service. Physicians will have a team of medical billing experts working on their accounts, and the integrated clinical and billing data from its own software system gives Bizmatics’ billing service staff a tremendous advantage.  Known for their superior medical coding and collections skills as well as their PrognoCIS electronic medical record system, Bizmatics originally conceived a billing service to satisfy a few niche customers, but demand for it has been so great that it has grown into a full product services offering.  Many PrognoCIS customers have already adopted medical billing from Bizmatics and are extremely satisfied with the service.

With medical billing services from Bizmatics, PrognoCIS users will see the collections process executed with professionalism and respect for each patient.  Medical billing agents are trained to investigate denied claims and underpayments and also have access to information showing medical practice visit types with full reporting tools.  Billing agents are extremely knowledgeable about the medical industry, and Bizmatics offers highly competitive rates for their medical billing services.

About Bizmatics
Bizmatics, Inc. offers healthcare software and services for practices and hospitals of all sizes.  Their PrognoCIS EMR system, rated as one of the best EHR software systems, integrates seamlessly with their new medical billing services to improve collections and reduce unpaid debts.  For more information, visit http://www.bizmaticsinc.com.

In this Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) age, is / should  hiring a medical billing service be a consideration for your practice? In a traditional medical office using paper charts for medical record keeping is common place. Having a medical billing specialist on staff makes sense. A paper superbill is a tangible asset, if lost, misplaced or incorrectly filed is money lost for the practice: enough said.  In the Electronic Medical Record world, the e-superbill will eliminate this possibility. There is an electronic record with electronic foot prints left behind to ensure accurate and timely filing.

Having a service for your medical record billing can be done remotely and at a reduced cost of current labor obligations. When the cost of labor, benefits and taxes are complied, there are reasons to consider a such a service.

Consider these points:

• Labor obligation cost go down
• Certified medical billing specialist collaborating to ensure accurate maximization of charges
• Cross trained staff to create a checks and balance of charges with modifiers
• Defined measurements to demonstrate collections
• Daily sheet reports to show activity
• Security against possible embezzlement

Many medical practice are making the consideration of a medical billing service these factors plus more. Start up practices typically hire a medical billing service to keep cost within budget during the start up phase while collections  are rising. Beyond startup, many medical practice keep the service for their demostrated rate of financial return.