Medicare benefits vary widely by region - August 28, 2009
Is Rod Stewart eligible for Medicare? If so, he might want to look at a map that details how much Medicare spends on its enrollees by state. It tells a story and then some.

Greenway Medical Technologies' EHR Solution, PrimeSuite, Enables Eligible Profes - August 28, 2009
Physicians Who Satisfactorily Submit Quality Measures Can Receive Bonus Payments of Two percent on all 2009 Medicare Billing.

AMA report: Payers more accurate, transparent, but problems continue - August 28, 2009
The Association's insurer report card also says increased use of electronic claims–processing will help keep costs down.

Medical Services of America Selects Authentidate's Inscrybe Healthcare to Standa - August 28, 2009
Authentidate Holding Corp. today announced that Medical Services of America, Inc., a leading provider of home healthcare services and medical equipment, will implement Authentidate's Inscrybe(TM) Healthcare web–based service to streamline completion of healthcare referral orders and other healthcare documentation by physicians.

Insurers face a push for new benefits
Advocates seek more coverage for disab - August 25, 2009
The cascade of proposals to mandate coverage is up 50 percent from last year, and comes amid unprecedented scrutiny of healthcare spending.

Health insurance: Nothing balanced about “balance billing” - August 25, 2009
Balance billing charges patients unfairly for expenses not covered by health insurance.

Connecticut law requires insurers to list full fee schedule - August 25, 2009
The legislation limits how often insurers can make changes to a contract with a physician and sets an 18–month limit on retroactive claim denials.

MedPay Contributes to Henry County Health Center Receipt of High Performance in - August 25, 2009
Henry County Health Center, located in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa was chosen as one of only eleven healthcare providers nationwide to have ever received the prestigious Healthcare Financial Management Association’s (HFMA) High Performance in Revenue Cycle award.

AHIP Selects Deloitte as ICD-10 Training Provider for Health Insurance Plans - August 22, 2009
America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) has selected Deloitte to be a provider of subject matter experience, knowledge and training content related to ICD–10 and HIPAA 5010 compliance learning programs for the upcoming year.

Incorrect medical charges can add up quickly, Oklahoma City man finds - August 22, 2009
Last year, Claude Schuldt said he saved more than $20,000 by catching errors in his son’s medical bills.

Auto Injury Solutions’ Provider Desktop Meets Minnesota Legislation - August 19, 2009
Auto Injury Solutions Inc, (AIS) a leading provider of medical claim management tools for the auto insurance industry announced today the expansion of its provider transaction portal, Provider Desktop, in compliance with new Minnesota legislation.

Advantedge Healthcare Solutions and Physicians’ Service Center Join Forces and C - August 18, 2009
Advantedge Healthcare Solutions (AHS), a leading provider of medical billing and practice management services, and Physicians’ Service Center (PSC), the premier medical billing company in the MidWest with primary operations in Lombard, Illinois, today announced an agreement to combine their respective businesses.

CollaborateMD Launches New Medical Billing Software Release - August 18, 2009
CollaborateMD, a leading provider of hybrid SaaS practice management and medical billing software for physician offices and third–party billing services, today announced that the official 8.3 beta release is now available to all customers.

St. Joseph Medical Center Selects McKesson for Revenue Management Services - August 18, 2009
To enable its network physicians to better focus on patient care while addressing operational and revenue challenges, St. Joseph Medical Center has selected McKesson’s Revenue Management Solutions (RMS) group to manage its medical billing processes.

Medical Costs Per Claim Dropped for Texas Workers’ Compensation Claims Following - August 18, 2009
Medical costs per workers’ compensation claim in Texas declined dramatically over a relatively short period following a series of reforms, according to a new study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI).

Mitchell AUTOEXPRESS(TM) Starts Up Minnesota Health Care Provider E-Bill Exchang - August 05, 2009
Minnesota is the initial state to implement regulations that require all health care providers and insurance carriers, for the first time including Auto Insurers, to exchange standard electronic health care administrative transactions.

Miami Jewish Home Suit Alleges Deception - August 05, 2009
Woman Claims Her Insurance Was Wrongly Rejected, Costing Her Thousands. Attorney Claims Her Story May Not Be Unique. Health Care Provider Rejects Claims Made By Patient.

Minnesota goes electronic on Wednesday with medical billing - August 05, 2009
The state of Minnesota will soon turn a corner that no other state has dared face in the same way. A 2007 law takes effect Wednesday, requiring "electronic billing of all health care claims."

Cleveland Clinic Selects MediServe to Provide a Seamless Automated Workflow for - August 04, 2009
The Cleveland Clinic has selected MediServe to provide a seamless automated workflow to integrate referral tracking, authorizations, scheduling, documentation and the plan of care through the therapy continuum for Acute Care, Outpatient and Inpatient Rehabilitation facilities.

New state law may make it easier for some insured to get big bills - July 27, 2009
The practice is called "balance–billing," where out–of–network providers can bill the patient for the difference between what the provider charges and what the insurer pays. A Florida law took effect last week that critics say could make the practice more prevalent and costly to consumers.

Independence Day Arrives for Doctors: The World’s First Internet-Enabled Healthc - July 22, 2009
This state–of–the–art billing system featuring Rapid Sequence BillingTM, which completed beta testing in May, allows physicians to freely assign billing work to internal medical billing staff and/or to local medical billing companies while maintaining complete control of all billing source data and fundamental business processes.

Medical Data Systems, Inc. (MDS) Announces Operations Expansion and Opening of i - July 22, 2009
Medical Data Systems, Inc. (MDS), a national leader in accounts receivable management, and collection services to the healthcare industry has announced the expansion in to Primary Collections Operations, and the opening of an additional office in Vero Beach, Florida.

Medical Data Systems, Inc. (MDS) Announces Operations Expansion and Opening of i - July 22, 2009
Medical Data Systems, Inc. (MDS), a national leader in accounts receivable management, and collection services to the healthcare industry has announced the expansion in to Primary Collections Operations, and the opening of an additional office in Vero Beach, Florida.

Xena Health Integrates With Availity for Real-Time and Batch Transactions - July 22, 2009
Availity, LLC, the industry's premier health information network, today announced its intent to integrate several real–time and batch health care transactions with Xena Health, a leading provider of medical billing and revenue cycle management software.

Texas Health Fort Worth hospital is working on couple's billing problem - July 16, 2009
For much of the past year, though, the Ledfords have tried to explain to hospital billing administrators and then a collection agency that the hospital messed up the bill for Eric’s ER stay. But nobody would listen.

Omega Medical Solutions Selects Allscripts Practice Management and Allscripts Pa - July 11, 2009
South Carolina Medical Billing Company Offers Clients an Integrated Practice Management and Online Claims Clearinghouse Solution

Healthcare Billing & Management Association Presents Survey Findings to America’ - July 08, 2009
The Healthcare Billing & Management Association (HBMA), a non–profit educational resource and advocacy group representing third–party medical billers and billing professionals, announced today that it presented member survey findings to executives of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) at Institute 2009 in San Diego, Calif. in June.

Hospitals look to collect fees upfront - July 08, 2009
The likelihood a health care provider will collect the full amount of patient payment drops to less than 20 percent after care is provided, according to the National Association of Healthcare Access Management.

'RAP' Doctor Billing Controversy Continues - July 07, 2009
Physicians, hospitals and health insurers have defeated a proposed state law that would have forced insurers to cover out–of–network physicians' charges consumers incurred at in–network hospitals. However, healthcare industry members say the issue is not dead, and they expect to see legislation addressing the topic next year.

Finding a Cure for Medical Office Fraud - July 07, 2009
As we parsed the records, the truth was revealed. My dad had been defrauded by a “trusted” employee who was stealing cash from the daily deposit. Despite having witnessed scores of such episodes over the years, I am no less disappointed each time one occurs. I know how hard doctors work, and I know how much they care.

DecisionHealth Launches Online Training Courses to Assess and Improve Coding and - July 05, 2009
Health care education leader, DecisionHealth, uses web instructional courses to help health care providers improve coding and billing competencies. New Online Training Center offers course content and corresponding assessments to drive tangible results including improved coding and billing productivity, greater accuracy, and where appropriate, increased billing opportunity.

Harden Healthcare Expands Relationship with Sandata Technologies - July 05, 2009
Sandata Technologies, Inc., a leading nationwide provider of information technology solutions to the home healthcare and social services communities, and Girling Health Care, a Harden Healthcare company, announced an agreement by which Girling will utilize Santrax to manage time and attendance of its field–based employees within its Texas–based operations.

Revenue Cycle Best Practices Outlined - July 05, 2009
The Healthcare Financial Management Association this fall will release a detailed report on best practices for implementing efficient revenue cycle management that provides timely, useful information to patients.

Medical Billing Software Introduces New Features That Makes Medical Offices More - July 05, 2009
Medical billing software company announced release of Medisoft version 15 that can help make medical offices more productive.

Medicare Rule on Paying for Oxygen Vexes Patients - July 04, 2009
Under the new rules, which began to affect patients on Jan. 1, Medicare will pay suppliers at its prevailing rate for the first three years after a patient begins coverage. Suppliers are then required to continue providing oxygen services to patients for another two years, but at a sharply reduced payment rate. After that, patients are entitled to receive new equipment and Medicare will resume paying suppliers at the higher rate.

Direct billing could ease pain of health care costs - July 04, 2009
The number of so–called "patient–centered" practices is growing, the newspaper said, because doctors find they can spend twice as much time with patients and cut their overhead by as much as half by using new technologies and avoiding the red tape of filing insurance claims.

Mayo, doc leave clinic for courtroom - July 04, 2009
Dr. Peter Elkin and his former employer are in a virulent battle over who owns software that could revolutionize record–keeping.

Trumbull Laboratories Sees 55% Reduction in Accounts Receivable Days Using Joint - June 29, 2009
Memphis–Based Anatomic Lab Enjoys Fewer Claim Errors, Dramatically Improved Turnaround Time; Client Services Staff Is Automatically Updated With Latest Payment Status Information

Medical billing system could use streamlining - June 24, 2009
Ensuring a smooth paper trail between medical providers, insurance companies and patients has become almost as important as a proper diagnosis and treatment. Miss a step along the way and patients can find themselves out thousands of dollars.

Reform Health Care Now: Insurance reimbursements make no sense - June 24, 2009
When I opened my own medical practice more than four years ago, I decided to do my own billing so I could learn how medical billing worked. I soon realized that that insurance company reimbursements are often arbitrary and nonsensical.

CollaborateMD and X-Link Provide New Data Exchange Capabilities - June 24, 2009
CollaborateMD, a leading provider of hybrid SaaS medical billing software and practice management software for physician offices and third–party billing services, announced a new partnership with the X–Link Solutions Network to harness the power of their two–way real–time data transfer system.

Medical Collection Agency Acquisitions Help Software Developer Sell Product - June 22, 2009
A medical technology firm has found a way to get its products in front of healthcare providers: buy up their billers and collection agencies to leverage the existing relationships with doctors and hospitals.

Consumer Advocates Urge Veto of Health Legislation, Cite Poll Showing Floridians - June 22, 2009
Two of Florida’s leading consumer advocacy organizations released results from a statewide poll today showing a majority of Florida families are not prepared to pay unexpected out–of–pocket medical costs.

Craneware Supports Hospitals' Compliance and Upfront Collections with Accurate E - June 22, 2009
Craneware's Patient Charge Estimator(TM) Gives Patients Visibility into Treatment Costs before Receiving Services.

Healthcare challenge: Billing errors - June 21, 2009
Medical billing experts say more than 80 percent of healthcare invoices reflect some kind of administrative error. Ripples spreading outward from this extra layer of complexity created an entire new sub–industry called medical billings auditors or patient advocates.

MedicalCharting.com Launches EMR Software Solution with CCHIT-Certified EHR Soft - June 20, 2009
With the new release, MedicalCharting.com also announced the availability of Medisoft Clinical, which combines the PM capabilities of Medisoft v15 with Practice Partner Patient Records, a CCHIT Certified® 08 Ambulatory electronic health record (EHR).

HealthEast Reaches Settlement on Kyphoplasty Billing Investigation - June 20, 2009
HealthEast Care System has finalized a settlement with the U.S. Attorney's Office Western District of New York regarding billing of kyphoplasty procedures performed at HealthEast hospitals from 2002 to 2007.

Medstrat Announces Integration of Echoes With MacPractice's EMR - June 20, 2009
Medstrat announces a strategic alliance to market and deliver an integrated PACS–EMR solution for the Apple Macintosh.

Nonprofit Outpatient Clinics and Social Service Agencies Outsource Billing to In - June 20, 2009
Millin Associates (www.millinmedical.com), a medical billing and consulting leader for 27 years, provides expanded services and next–generation software empowering organizations to better receive payments and minimize denied claims.

Mitchell and Jopari Say 'Green Transaction Initiatives' Play Key Role in P&C and - June 20, 2009
Cost Advantages of Electronic Medical Bill and Payment Support Insurance Industry Corporate Greening

SSI Group to Integrate Boston Software Systems' Boston WorkStation Into ClickON - June 20, 2009
Combined Solution Sets New Standard in More Efficient Registration and Revenue Cycle Management Processes

DocuSys Partners with Medusind Solutions, a Provider of Revenue Cycle Management - June 20, 2009
DocuSys, Inc., a market–leading provider of innovative systems for anesthesia information management, medication management and presurgical care management, announced today it has partnered with Medusind Solutions, Inc., one of the leading outsourcing companies providing integrated healthcare business solutions.

Clinic Service Announces Agreement to Provide Billing Service to MedExpress - June 20, 2009
Clinic Service Corporation (CSC), the leader in Colorado Practice Management Solutions, announced today the firm has secured an agreement to be the regional provider of medical billing services to all Front Range MedExpress Urgent Care locations.

Plexis Announces New Claims Editing Capability - June 18, 2009
Plexis Healthcare Systems announced recently they have added a new real–time claims editing capability. The new editing platform, offered through a partnership with Bloodhound Technologies, Inc., helps Plexis' clients contain costs, increase auto–adjudication rates and improve payer–provider relations.

Help for physicians on Medicare deadlines - June 18, 2009
CMS is making it tougher for doctors to enroll or update Medicare information. An AMA resource lets members cut through red tape.

MRO Releases Audit Tracker Online for Tracking and Reporting of All Payer Audit - June 18, 2009
MRO Corp., the market leader of shared–service, release–of–information (ROI) solutions for healthcare providers, today announced the release of Audit Tracker Online, a request management program that enables hospitals and health systems to effectively manage payer audits and denials from initial medical records request through appeals and payment resolution.

COST: Is This What They Went to Med School For? - June 17, 2009
Two new studies released this week online by Health Affairs examine how health care providers, particularly physician practices, interact with insurers.

Marina Medical Expands into Texas with Five Emergency Departments in San Antonio - June 17, 2009
Marina Medical announced today that it has partnered with Emergency Physicians Affiliates in San Antonio, TX ("EPA") to provide billing and practice management services to EPA's five emergency departments.

Medical practice interaction with insurers costs $21B-$31B per year - June 17, 2009
A recent study has found that medical practices spend between $21 billion and $31 billion annually dealing with insurers – or more than $68,000 per physician per year.

MD On-Line, Inc. Receives EHNAC Healthcare Network Accreditation - June 16, 2009
Accreditation ensures compliance with industry–established standards for all health data processing and transactions

AARP: Health Reform Must Lower Costs, Improve Care for People in Medicare - June 16, 2009
As the Administration prepares to announce another drop in the lifespan of the Medicare trust fund, AARP’s Health Action Now campaign is insisting that comprehensive health reform include specific measures to cut wasteful spending and lower costs for individuals—all while improving the quality of care.

Mediware Continues Solid Revenue and Earnings Growth - June 15, 2009
Good Financial Management, Growth in Strategic Markets and Service Revenues Produce Solid Results Despite Economy

The IT Rx - June 15, 2009
Health care providers, electronic systems firms are getting a boost from federal and state initiatives

How to set your fee schedule: Experts advise updating it every 3 to 12 months - June 05, 2009
You know what third parties pay you. But experts say you also need to know what your base charge is for every service you provide.

Modernizing Healthcare Through Electronic Medical Record - ClinicTools(R) - June 04, 2009
ccording to an earlier report by CNNMoney.com, “President Barack Obama, as part of the effort to revive the economy, has proposed a massive effort to modernize health care by making all health records standardized and electronic.

SourceMedical Teams with VisionShare; TherapySource and VisionShare Help Therapy - June 03, 2009
SourceMedical, a leading provider of outpatient information management solutions, today announced that it has entered into an agreement with VisionShare®, a leader in secure ehealth connectivity services. TherapySource, Source Medical's leading clinical documentation and administration system will work with VisionShare Secure Exchange Software so outpatient rehabilitation providers can access Medicare Part B cap information online from the Professional Provider Telecommunication Network (PPTN). PPTN is a view into the CMS Common Working File database to view beneficiary eligibility, claim status and more.

Aetna medical costs spike, shares tumble - June 03, 2009
Aetna Inc (AET.N: Quote, Profile, Research) reported higher–than–expected medical costs in its business serving employers on Wednesday, sending its shares down 9 percent and overshadowing quarterly profit that was slightly above expectations.

Insurance Drives Physical Therapists out of Business - May 29, 2009
Many Physical Therapy practices in New York, including Hands–On Care Physical Therapy and Physiocare Physical Therapy, resist major cuts in reimbursement for Physical Therapy announced by HIP/EMBLEM insurance. Hands–On and Physiocare spokesperson suggested that these rate cuts may threaten private practice Physical Therapy in New York state.

Doctors face risk of harsh penalties from new Medicare enrollment rules - May 23, 2009
Physician practices are anticipating major difficulties with Medicare enrollment rules that went into effect amid protests from doctors and practice managers. A wrong step by a practice could mean that it loses Medicare revenue or even gets kicked out of the program altogether.

Details now emerging about cuts to Medicare private plans - May 22, 2009
Anticipating reductions of more than 4% next year, Medicare Advantage plans say CMS is using unrealistic estimates.

ZirMed Partners With Hands On Technology(TM), Offering Revenue Cycle Management - May 21, 2009
Through the joint solution, Hands On Technology's physical therapy customers can improve workflows, reduce billing and clerical errors, and reduce accounts receivable days, among other benefits.

Physical Therapists Unite to Support the Uninsured - May 06, 2009
The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is urging residents across the country to contact their local elected officials and members of the media to draw attention to the problem of the nation's uninsured during "Cover the Uninsured Week," March 22–28.

Medical Billing Company Creates Billing & Collections Rescue Plan - May 06, 2009
Pinnacle Medical Billing, a new medical billing service provider, launched by one of the most recognized names in No–Fault and Worker's Comp. medical billing collections services on Long Island, offers relief to doctors practicing in the State of New York.

Palm Beach Physical Therapist arrested and charged with fraud - April 11, 2009
Arne Rabiner was arrested Wednesday for defrauding the Florida Medicaid program out of over $100,000. Rabiner is being charged with criminal grand theft, organized fraud and Medicaid fraud. He will also face a civil forfeiture lawsuit under Florida’s False Claims Act.

Physician's conviction for defrauding Medicare and Medicaid affirmed - April 11, 2009
A physician's conviction of 21 counts of defrauding Medicare and Medicaid related to his false certifications that he provided or supervised physical therapy services to patients, and that patients needed motorized wheelchairs was affirmed.

Brooklyn Doc, Clinic Convicted Of Insurance Fraud - April 11, 2009
Prosecutors said patients received a standard protocol of testing including MRI’s and neurodiagnostic treatments as well as multiple sets of costly medical supplies. In addition, they would often be referred for prolonged, unnecessary treatment including months of physical therapy, chiropractic care, acupuncture, and x–rays.

Money Management Treatment Ensures Healthcare Practitioner Success - April 11, 2009
There is one area that most schools are not able to adequately prepare most future Doctors and Healthcare practitioners for — that is the realities of opening and running their own practice. Setting up accounts, purchasing supplies, running a staff, money management and financial planning are just a few of the very real pitfalls that can sabotage a practice.

Margaret Mary Community Hospital Implements Chart Links Rehabilitation Software - April 06, 2009
Chart Links, LLC announces the implementation of its rehabilitation workflow management software by the Outpatient Rehabilitation Center of Margaret Mary Community Hospital, a not–for–profit critical access hospital located in Batesville, IN. The implementation includes functionality to manage therapy documentation, scheduling, referrals, insurance authorizations, charges, and more.

Medical facility settles health care fraud case - April 06, 2009
The physical therapy and physician’s services “either were not medically necessary or were not provided as billed,” the statement said.

Medical Billing Software MPMsoft Chosen by MedCrew as Its Medical Office Softwar - April 03, 2009
MPMsoft, a practice management and medical billing software that is used by thousands of healthcare practices nationwide to help manage their health insurance claims and medical billing has been chosen by MedCrew as its medical office software.

Long-Term Care Industry Braces for Implementation of MDS 3.0: HCPro Responds wit - February 17, 2009
MDSCentral intends to help facilities prepare for current and impending changes related to the MDS 3.0 process. The planned changes and transition to MDS 3.0 impact every nursing facility business process and system from assessment to billing to payment to quality measurement to the 5–Star ratings.

SourceMedical, ZirMed Help Clinics Cure Tough Economic Times Through Improved Ef - February 09, 2009
Combined Business/Revenue Cycle Management Solutions Result in Quick Identification of Claims Errors, Faster Payments; One Rehab Clinic Sees Quick Savings of $1,500 per Month

Balance billing traps patients in fights between doctors, hospitals and insurers - February 08, 2009
The state Supreme Court is about to weigh in on the practice. It is expected to rule soon on a Southern California dispute between two medical groups that could partly answer, but hardly resolve, the question of whether balance billing is legal.

Medicare to Reimburse for the Bioness L300(TM) Foot Drop System for Spinal Cord - January 13, 2009
Bioness Inc., a leading neuromodulation company, announced today that beginning January 1, 2009, the NESS L300 will be reimbursed by Medicare for incomplete spinal cord injury patients suffering from foot drop.

10 Steps to an Easier ICD-10 Transition - January 11, 2009
There is no doubt that the U.S. healthcare system will transition to ICD–10. Whether it happens in 2011, as proposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), or at a later date, it is coming.

California Superior Court Upholds Balance Billing Regulations-Decision Will Prot - January 11, 2009
The California Superior Court today upheld regulations recently enacted state by the Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) which protects patients from an unfair billing practice known as "balance billing."

Medical-Billing.com to Revolutionize Electronic Medical Recordkeeping With Natio - January 11, 2009
Medical–Billing.com announces their plans for a National Patient Registry which will make patients' medical records more accessible without compromising privacy, which will benefit physicians, insurance providers, and patients alike.

White Paper is First of Many TriZetto Resources to Help Payer Organizations Adop - January 10, 2009
The initiative is the transition by healthcare payer organizations to ICD–10 diagnosis codes and ANSI X12 version 5010 HIPAA transaction codes. A white paper released today by The TriZetto Group, Inc. is the first of several resources the company will offer health plans to help them adopt these new, more extensive codes successfully.

Miracle-Like Testimonials and Case Studies of Advanced Therapies from BiomagScie - January 10, 2009
In its continuing program of increasing public awareness about the benefits and the huge difference between scientifically advanced therapies and commercially common magnetic bracelets and patches, BiomagScience is presenting Part 1 of a 3 part series about how its alternative energy protocols have specifically helped individuals.

Port Arthur clinic, owner, doctor, manager indicted on billing fraud charges - January 08, 2009
A Port Arthur medical clinic and its owner, doctor and office manager were indicted Wednesday on at least 150 counts each of health care fraud for more than $10 million in phony bills.

New health insurance coding system has its benefits - and its headaches, experts - December 31, 2008
The federal government is overhauling the coding system that doctors and hospitals use to bill insurers. The end result will be a system that has 10 times as many codes.

TherapySource Closes Deal for Multi Location Clinic - December 27, 2008
SourceMedical, a leading provider of outpatient information management solutions, today announced that it has entered into an agreement to install TherapySource, its leading clinical documentation system in all of Therapy Partners' Rehabilitation facilities.

Medical Billing Software .com Announces Release of Medisoft Medical Billing Soft - December 23, 2008
The service pack addresses over 75 fixes and enhancements designed to improve the popular medisoft billing software version 14 released earlier this year.

Why We Need 1,170 Codes for Angioplasty - December 20, 2008
Government regulators are expected soon to overhaul the aging coding system that doctors and hospitals use to bill insurers –– a switch that many in health care say is necessary, but that could initially cause headaches for consumers and their doctors.

American House expands therapy options - December 20, 2008
American House Senior Living Residences – which includes a facility in Rochester Hills – have opened on–site outpatient therapy clinics, offering physical, occupational and speech therapy for their residents. Licensed therapists from Spectrum Outpatient Therapy are providing treatment for the first time in recently established clinics at several American Houses.

Today In PT Announces New Blog for Physical Therapists and Physical Therapist As - December 06, 2008
Today in PT's Physical Therapy Editor, Anne Ahlman, MPT, will lead a Web log for physical therapy professionals to connect and share ideas. The forum is located at http://todayinpt.typepad.com/.

Doctors fight balance-billing ban on out-of-network costs - December 05, 2008
California physicians and hospitals are fighting the state insurance regulators' new rules in court. Two other cases also address balance billing

Capture Billing & Consulting Employees Provide Job Training for Medical Billers - December 04, 2008
Capture Billing employees help people who have been downsized or are reentering the workforce to obtain job training in the Medical Billing field at local colleges

Chart Links Offers Marketing and Therapy Web Design Services to Private Practice - December 01, 2008
Chart Links, a provider of outpatient rehabilitation software and services, will offer marketing and therapy web design services to physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and audiology clinics. The services will include marketing strategy, brand and identity development, advertising, therapy web design, search engine optimization, and communications management. The services will make therapy practices more profitable by helping them effectively attract and retain patients and referral sources.

MedLearn Launches New MedLearnDrugCodes.com - November 30, 2008
Medical Learning, Inc. (MedLearn) has signed a new contract with RJ Health Systems International, LLC, to launch the new web site www.MedLearnDrugCodes.com, with ancillary detail.

Ariz. backs insurers in most claim disputes - November 30, 2008
Fewer than one in five health–care appeals filed with the Arizona Department of Insurance have been successful for consumers over the past six years, an Arizona Republic analysis of the department's records shows.

Major No-Fault Insurance Fraud Ring Busted - November 30, 2008
Two corporations and 61 individuals have been charged with engaging in a widespread, multimillion dollar no–fault automobile insurance fraud scheme that sought to defraud insurance carriers by intentionally staging accidents, submitting false medical and bodily injury claims and arranging for unneeded treatment and costly and unwarranted medical tests.

Medical Billing Company Provides Job Training for Medical Billers at Local Colle - November 30, 2008
Capture Billing partners with local college to help people who have been downsized or are reentering the workforce to obtain job training in the medical billing field.

New Website Offers Amazing Medical Billing Information Helping Physicians Unders - November 29, 2008
The website serves as a new online resource providing medical billing information for physician practices and healthcare clinics seeking medical billing collection.

Study Finds ICD-10 May Burden Health Care Providers - November 29, 2008
A controversial proposed rule from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) requiring all physician practices and other providers to adopt a new coding set, the ICD–10, by 2011 would dramatically increase costs for physician practices and clinical laboratories, according to a new cost study initiated by a broad group of provider organizations and conducted by Nachimson Advisors.

Millin Associates Creates Cutting-Edge Software for Hospitals and Outpatient Cli - November 29, 2008
Millin Associates created an innovative, easy–to–use practice management billing system for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC), primary care centers (Article 28), ambulatory surgery centers, mental health facilities (Article 31), substance abuse facilities (822), OMRDD facilities, and foster care agencies.

Health care has many facets
From home health to assisted living, it's more t - November 29, 2008
Midwest Regional Home Care employs 96 people — RNs, CNAs, LPNs, speech, physical and respiratory therapists as well as a social worker to help people remain in their homes when they might otherwise have to enter an institution.

Code-set upgrades will be costly, study finds - November 29, 2008
A study commissioned by nine associations of health care providers has found that the cost of implementing new ICD–10 code sets, as proposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, will be far higher than CMS has estimated.

Dolbey Sponsors The Coding Game at AHIMA Convention and Exhibit in Seattle - November 28, 2008
Dolbey will be promoting the unique, medical coding website known as The Coding Game(TM) at the 2008 American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) Convention and Exhibit in Seattle, WA. The Coding Game is the product of the healthcare researchers and software developers at Artificial Medical Intelligence, Inc. and provides an Internet game experience for medical coders to collaborate in determining medical coding best practices.

CollaborateMD Hybrid SaaS Model Gaining Industry Momentum - November 28, 2008
CollaborateMD, a leading provider of Internet practice management and medical billing software for the healthcare industry, attributes 3rd quarter growth to their cost–effective hybrid Software as a Service (SaaS) model, which combines the convenience and flexibility characteristic of most browser–based applications with the speed and power found in many locally run Windows–based programs.

Computers Unlimited and A/R Allegiance Group™ Form a Strategic Partnership - November 28, 2008
Computers Unlimited and A/R Allegiance Group together announce plans to develop fully customizable integration between TIMS software and CollectPlus™. This programming would allow TIMS to automatically upload specified account information to CollectPlus for billing and collection services, and then enable CollectPlus to return updated information to TIMS throughout the entire billing and collection process.

Medicare Getting Tougher on Fraud, Waste, Abuse and Will Ask for Help from Senio - October 08, 2008
New contractors to review paid claims for all Medicare Part A and B providers to ensure claims meet statutory, regulatory and policy regulations.

PPJ Enterprise Announces the First Sale/Lease of Its Customized Billing Systems, - October 08, 2008
AutoMed 5.0, which drastically reduces processing time to code, data entry, file, follow–up and collect on current and past due insurance claims.

Computers Unlimited/ARTSCO Partnership Takes Business Operations to New Heights - October 07, 2008
Computers Unlimited announces TIMS Software integration with ARTSCO's Rehab Anywhere Data®. Now TIMS Software imports patient, physician and insurance information from Rehab Anywhere® to enhance business operation efficiency

1450 Announces the Release of the Dragon® Medical Selection Assistant - October 07, 2008
1450 provides a variety of resources assisting physicians who wish to automate their office processes. They have produced the Dragon Medical Selection Assistant for physicians to determine the most appropriate Dragon Medical product for their medical practice. Nuance's Dragon Medical is appropriate for doctors in practices as small as solo practice all the way to entire hospital systems.

Physicians Practice, America's Leading Practice Management Journal, Announces th - October 07, 2008
A popular resource for physicians and their office staff, this vendor directory is published in three formats and aims to provide medical practices with one source they can turn to for all their purchasing needs.

New Partnership Integrates Vibration Therapy Into Stem Cell Procedures - October 04, 2008
Two leading companies in their respective industries are joining forces to integrate vibration therapy into the stem cell harvesting process.

Medicare Won’t Pay for Medical Errors - September 30, 2008
On Wednesday, Medicare will start applying that logic to American medicine on a broad scale when it stops paying hospitals for the added cost of treating patients who are injured in their care.

MediConnect Offers to Donate Copies of Medical Records Lost During Hurricane Ike - September 30, 2008
MediConnect Global, Inc. today announced it will provide invaluable digital backup copies of archived medical records free of charge back to any patient or organization that has lost paper–based medical records as a result of Hurricane Ike, Hurricane Gustav or Tropical Storm Fay.

Occupational Therapy Gets People With Osteoarthritis Moving - September 30, 2008
In the pilot study, the researchers found that patients who engaged in activity strategy training along with regular exercise increased their physical activity, more so than those patients who only took part in exercise and health education sessions. Study results are now online and are set to appear in the October issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.

Conviction for nursing home theft - September 27, 2008
She caused the nursing home to pay the credit card statements for her personal purchases, as though they were legitimate nursing home purchases.

Medicaid targets fraud in Indiana - September 27, 2008
Indiana is proposing new limits on Medicaid coverage for people seeking nursing home care if they used their money to make a contribution to a charity or paid a family member who is caring for them without a formal contract.

National Rehabilitation Awareness month celebrated - September 27, 2008
This week is National Rehabilitation Awareness week — a time set aside to celebrate the power of rehabilitation and educate communities about its impact.

Feds fine Brookfield clinic $1.88M - September 27, 2008
A Brookfield–based physical therapy chain under investigation for allegations it submitted false claims to various government health care programs has settled the case by paying a $1.88 million fine, federal authorities said Monday.

Miami Nurse Snares Medicare Defrauders - September 22, 2008
One–quarter of the Medicare fraud cases prosecuted in the country last year were in the Miami district, and one dedicated nurse is a driving force behind this fierce defense of our federal healthcare insurance program for retirees.

Selectica to Host Webinar with Famous Independent Research Analyst on Healthcare - September 22, 2008
Next week, Selectica will sponsor an informational webinar to help HMOs, hospitals, and other healthcare providers address the unique challenges of managing physician agreements and other contracts that relate to Stark Law regulatory compliance.

Laughlin Hospital Developing New Balance Disorders Clinic - September 22, 2008
The services will be provided in the physical therapy department at the hospital, which has already purchased a new testing machine, called a BalanceMaster, that can help determine what is causing a person to lose his or her balance.

Therapy network reaches settlement with government - September 22, 2008
Federal prosecutors say a network of physical therapy facilities has agreed to pay $1.88 million to settle allegations that it submitted false claims to government health care programs.

Medicare to cut some reimbursements Oct. 1 - September 20, 2008
Under the new rules, Medicare will not pay for treatment of any of the conditions on the list unless the hospital can document that the patients had them when they were admitted. Hospitals will not be allowed to bill the patient instead if Medicare will not pay.

Practice Management Institute Announces the Debut of its Audio Learning Center - September 20, 2008
The pre–recorded audio sessions cover topics related to coding, billing, compliance and management for the medical office. Each session is taught by educators and professionals from all walks of practice management. Printable presentation slides accompany each audio download.

Medicare Strike Force Indicts 18 Los Angeles Area Residents For Health Care Rela - September 20, 2008
Eighteen Los Angeles area residents have been charged in eight separate indictments for their roles in Medicare fraud schemes totaling more than $33 million, Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Friedrich of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Thomas P. O'Brien announced today.

Medicaid redesign may hit state’s pocket hard
Service provider claims system - September 20, 2008
A Medicaid redesign that was supposed to improve health care has created a major catch–22 for behavioral health care patients and providers, says Mike Mays, CEO of FMRS Health Systems Inc.

Evergreen Reduces Disputes, Improves Service w/ CallRex - September 16, 2008
Evergreen Professional Recoveries – a collection agency – is capitalizing on call recording technology from CallRex to remove “he said, she said” situations.

Health Care Compliance Strategies Releases Updated Online Healthcare Compliance - September 13, 2008
HCCS (Health Care Compliance Strategies, Inc), the leading provider of online healthcare compliance and competency training, today announced the release of new updated versions of three online multimedia compliance courses.

Codes a complication for healthcare industry - September 13, 2008
Though all but invisible to patients, these billing codes have a profound effect on the business of healthcare. Every diagnosis, treatment, invoice and claim filed uses these codes in the United States and the rest of the developed world.

SearchMedica Launches Practice Management Search Engine for Medical Professional - September 13, 2008
SearchMedica.com, the leading search engine for medical professionals, today unveiled a new search category –– Practice Management. The new category connects medical professionals with the best practice management resources available on the Web, including the financial, legal and administrative resources needed to effectively manage a medical practice.

Power Mobility Coalition Voices Concern Over Government Reports Outlining Lack o - September 13, 2008
The Power Mobility Coalition (PMC), an association of manufacturers and suppliers of power mobility devices, raised concerns today about recent findings that questioned whether the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) accurately reviewed durable medical equipment (DME) claims that suppliers submitted for reimbursements after providing medical equipment to Medicare beneficiaries.

Chart Links and RemitDATA to Offer Reimbursement Benchmark Data for Rehabilitati - September 04, 2008
Chart Links, a provider of rehabilitation workflow management software, and RemitDATA, a provider of reimbursement productivity tools and benchmarking reports, will partner to offer reimbursement benchmark data to physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech–language pathology and audiology clinics. The claims data will be aggregated and analyzed from a web–based suite of tools that the therapist will use alongside any existing practice management or billing system. The solution will make therapy practices more profitable and allow reimbursement comparison against national averages.

Intensive speech therapy helping stroke survivors find their voice - September 04, 2008
A new treatment center run by the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago is giving new hope to people with aphasia, a common yet little–known side effect of stroke.

Physical therapist charged with stealing from Medicaid in Broward, Dade - August 28, 2008
A physical therapist working in Broward and Miami–Dade counties was arrested today on charges she stole more than $19,000 from Medicaid.

Excelerated Rehab offers intensive therapy to younger patients - August 28, 2008
During intensive neurological rehabilitation is just what the name implies. Patients go to the clinic for three hours every day for three weeks, where, with a therapist, they use a universal exercise system of weights, pulleys and cords to stretch, strengthen and build up targeted muscle groups.

Allsport Dynamics' braces help rehabilitate and prevent injuries - August 28, 2008
Allsport holds two patents on products that prevent and rehabilitate sports–related injuries. The company provides ankle, wrist and elbow braces, and a number of other products, to professional sports teams and world–class athletes. White, who has been with the company since it was incorporated in 1990.

Chart Links To Integrate Pistolstar's Authentication Security Solution with Ther - August 22, 2008
Integration of Password Authentication and Security Solution with Outpatient Rehabilitation Software Will Allow Chart Links' Customers to Strengthen Authentication Processes by Providing Self–Service Password Management to End–Users and Functionality to Administrators Who Need to Meet Security Initiatives.

Sending sick undocumented immigrants back home - August 20, 2008
The Tribune also examined the topic in articles about a stroke survivor sent to the Philippines by a Des Plaines nursing home because he was uninsured. Orlando Lopez, an undocumented Filipino alien, was afraid he'd die after the Nov. 2005 transfer – and he did.

MAC enters contract with physical therapy provider - August 20, 2008
The Mannford Town Board of Trustees unanimously approved a motion to allow the City of Mannford and the Mannford Activity Center to enter into a contract with Rehabilitation and Therapy Partners at their regular meeting Thursday, Aug. 14.

MedSynergies Surgical Division Selected to Provide Practice Management and Reven - August 18, 2008
MedSynergies Surgical Division, formerly Practice Performance Inc., was selected by North Texas–based practices Texas Orthopaedic Associates, LLP, Peak Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine Center and Summit Therapeutic Concepts of Plano to provide practice management services and revenue cycle solutions in an effort to streamline operations, increase revenue and improve each practice's bottom line.

Centre Partners Announces Investment in Covenant Care LLC - August 14, 2008
Centre Partners, a leading middle market private equity firm with offices in New York and Los Angeles, today announced it has completed its investment in Covenant Care LLC. The investment was concluded in partnership with Covenant Care's senior management team who will retain a significant stake in the business and continue in the same executive capacities with the company.

Missouri City Clinic Owner Gets 15-year Sentence For Medicare Billing Scam - August 14, 2008
A Missouri City therapist, who admitted cheating Medicaid and Medicare out of $225,000, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Orion ICG, LLC Announces Acquisition of Therapy Staff, Incorporated - August 12, 2008
Orion ICG, LLC announced today that it has acquired the assets of Therapy Staff, Incorporated (TSI), a leading provider of physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech language pathologists to hospitals, clinics, skilled nursing facilities and nursing homes.

Miracle machines - August 11, 2008
The newest physical and occupational therapy assistant at Doylestown Hospital never complains, even after performing the same exercises 250 times in an hour without a bathroom break.

OSHA allies with American Physical Therapy Association in Midwest to keep health - August 11, 2008
The alliance will operate in six Midwestern states: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. He noted that the cooperative effort will focus on the prevention of work–related musculoskeletal disorders and the safe handling of patients.

Therapist, 45, sentenced in Medicaid fraud case - August 10, 2008
A Pulaski County Circuit judge fined a 45–year–old Conway speech therapist more than $200,000 and sentenced her to six years in prison Monday for stealing more than $68,000 from Medicaid.

Nursing home boss hit with charge - August 09, 2008
The operator of a troubled Bronx nursing home turned herself in Thursday to face a felony charge for failing to provide workers' compensation insurance for her employees for 13 months.

Emdeon Business Services Launches Automated Workers' Compensation and Auto Medic - August 09, 2008
Emdeon Business Services, a leading provider of revenue cycle management and clinical communication solutions, announced today the launch of a new electronic solution for the filing of Workers' Compensation and Auto Medical bills and simultaneous electronic submission of required documentation.

FindACode.com Launches New Online Medical Coding Web Service at ACMCS Convention - August 09, 2008
Find A Code, LLC is introducing http://www.FindACode.com today at the American College of Medical Coding Specialists (ACMCS) Convention. FindACode.com is a revolutionary premium online service known as "The Complete Online Coding Resource."

Physical therapist identifies future pain with new exam - August 09, 2008
Eric Browning, physical therapist at Keith Physical Therapy, 13301 N. Meridian, created the Musculoskeletal Exam to predict the likely places an individual might develop pain and identify muscles that already might be causing episodic pain.

APTA Applauds Introduction Of Veterans Physical Therapy Services Improvement Act - August 09, 2008
The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) applauds the recent introduction of HR 6792 Veterans Physical Therapy Services Improvement Act of 2008 by Representatives Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D–SD) and John Boozman (R–AR). This bill will improve the recruitment and retention of physical therapists in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

MedAvant files for bankruptcy protection, plans auction of assets - August 07, 2008
Faced with sagging stock prices and running out of assets to sell off, MedAvant Healthcare Solutions has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

American Physical Therapy Association Launches Physical Therapist Centralized Ap - August 06, 2008
The Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS) for prospective physical therapist (PT) students and professional education programs is now available from the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).

AIS Launches HIPAA Compliance Center - a Web-Based Service that Helps Organizati - August 05, 2008
New HIPAA compliance portal helps providers reduce the chances of fines and penalties, private lawsuits and public relations nightmares, which many HIPAA covered entities are encountering

RehabCare Reports Second Quarter 2008 Results - August 04, 2008
RehabCare Group, Inc. (NYSE:RHB) today reported financial results for the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2008. Comparative results for the quarter and six months follow.

Need for physical therapists growing - August 04, 2008
By the year 2014, "there is a projected increase in health care workers needed in South Dakota of nearly 30 percent," Health Secretary Doneen Hollingsworth said in a cover letter to the report. The need for physical therapists could become critical in coming years, the report indicates.

11 Part B Billing Scenarios for PTs and OTs - July 31, 2008
This page is designed to clarify existing therapy policy and to provide guidance on current Part B billing issues relevant to physical therapists (PTs), occupational therapists (OTs) and speech–language pathologists (SLPs) and to the services they provide. Because we have received numerous requests to restore the previously published 11 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) resulting from the 9/13/02 Open Door Forum on Group Therapy, we have chosen to reformat these FAQs into "billing scenarios" to appear below. As a result, the 11 Part B Billing Scenarios are specific to PTs and OTs. We will update this Web Page to reflect changes in policy (for example, CCI edits, new codes, new coverage determinations) that impact therapy billing and/or to provide clarification on billing policy for PTs, OTs and/or SLPs.

Call24 Technologies, Inc. Announces Release of CallDoc24(TM) -- Fully Automated - July 29, 2008
CallDoc24 answers after–hours calls, records messages and contacts the physician on–call. In addition, CallDoc24 maintains an archive of every message, is cost–effective, HIPAA compliant, secure and easy to setup and use. CallDoc24 also mitigates risk by tracking the life cycle of a message – from the moment it was received thru the time the physician returned the call.

Physical Therapy Channel Announces A Dedicated Video Share Website with all the - July 29, 2008
The Physical Therapy Channel is a company based in Atlanta, Georgia, that has recently announced the introduction of a video share website with all the features and benefits of YouTube, but designed specifically for the Physical Therapy Profession.

American Physical Therapy Association Applauds Sen Baucus For Standing Up Agains - July 28, 2008
The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) applauds Senator Max Baucus (D–MT) for urging the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to maintain the exceptions process to Medicare Part B therapy caps in a letter sent yesterday to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Michael Leavitt.

U.S. House of Representatives Votes to Override President Bush's Veto of HR-6331 - July 28, 2008
"The American Physical Therapy Association praises the House of Representatives for recognizing the need to protect Medicare beneficiaries who need rehabilitation services the most – seniors and persons with disabilities – by voting today to override President Bush's veto of HR 6331, the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act.

Highmark collection system leads to feud with providers - July 22, 2008
A midstate chiropractor says he was forced to close his doors because of an ongoing financial feud with Highmark Inc., stemming from the health insurer's system for collecting money from doctors who, in Highmark's eyes, provide excessive or unwarranted care.

Healthcare Support Technologies, Inc. Introduces eCallections™, the Patient Paym - July 17, 2008
Healthcare Support Technologies, Inc., makers of DocOfficeRx; the leading online medical coding and practice management resource, today announced the launch of eCallections; the newest offering in a growing line of technology solutions that will increase collections and decrease costs for healthcare organizations nationwide.

Firm settles over data mishandling at Levelland clinic - July 17, 2008
Select Physical Therapy Texas Limited Partnership and parent company Select Medical Corp. will pay the state $990,000 – $890,000 of which will go to the general revenue fund to be used exclusively for the investigation and prosecution of identity theft cases.

Tx Xchange Launches Web-Based Solution for Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation P - July 17, 2008
According to Mark Barnes DPT, Founder & CEO of Tx Xchange, "The delivery and consumption of rehabilitative care has stagnated over the last 25 years and in today's consumer driven healthcare marketplace, rehab therapists need software solutions to provide better care and a more enjoyable patient experience."

Healthcare Support Technologies, Inc. (HST) Acquires DocOfficeRx™, the Leading S - July 13, 2008
Since 2005, DocOfficeRx has been a leader in providing online medical coding and practice management resources to medical coders, medical billers and other healthcare professionals nationwide. The subscription–based online resource delivers a full suite of medical coding tools, including fast, accurate and up–to–date access to CPT© Codes, ICD–9 codes, HCPCS Codes, LCD Data, CCI resources and much more.

Medicare Changes Could Cripple Physical Therapists - July 12, 2008
In Bakhshoudeh’s case, he estimates he could lose over half his clients, which translates to more than 80 percent of his profits because Medicare reimburses him better than most insurers and HMOs. Calling the potential damage to his business “devastating,” he estimated he could only afford to keep his doors open for another month or two if Washington does not act soon.

Hauser elected treasurer of national organization - July 12, 2008
Connie Hauser, CEO of Corbin–based PT Pros, has been elected treasurer of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).

A Two-Pronged Approach to Better Medical Bill Collection - June 29, 2008
When executives at a critical care/pulmonary practice and an emergency medicine group realized that they had similar problems with their billing systems, they put their heads together and created ATD Resources to address their issues. Later, they turned to Navicure for its Web–based claims management solution.

ZipClaims.com and InstaMed® Enhance Medical Billing for Millions of Practitione - June 26, 2008
ABC Coding Solutions, developer of ZipClaims.com, has selected the InstaMed healthcare payments network and platform for its ZipClaims.com medical billing solutions designed to serve a population of 2.5 million non–physician healthcare providers. ZipClaims.com gives these healthcare providers a unique way to get paid quickly while avoiding fraud. ZipClaims.com is an online insurance claims filing system specifically designed to address the billing challenges that affect millions of non–physician health professionals.

Nursing home operator's fraud sentencing put on hold - June 26, 2008
The federal court sentencing for the owner and operator of a Washington County nursing home who was convicted last year of $1.4 million in Medicaid fraud was postponed indefinitely on Tuesday after her attorneys asserted newly discovered evidence may have resulted in her acquittal.

Nationally Recognized Instructor Adds Live Audio Component to Expanding E-Librar - June 18, 2008
This audio conference provided information for those seeking time sensitive information on preventing reimbursement denials using successful quality assurance tools, as well as an introduction to the ten–part mini–series Brewer will develop to add to Dynamic's extensive online library. Participating students were eligible to receive professional contact hours for continuing education.

AMA calls physician reimbursements flawed - - June 18, 2008
Failings by insurers and Medicare add more than $200 billion a year to the nation's healthcare tab, report says. Insurance companies often fail to properly reimburse doctors, needlessly adding more than $200 billion a year to the nation's healthcare tab, the American Medical Assn. said Monday. An analysis of 3 million medical claims over a six–month period beginning in October also found that doctors in the U.S. spend 14% of the fees they receive from insurers and Medicare on the process of collecting those fees, the AMA said in a report issued at its annual meeting in Chicago.

Nursing-home employee pleads guilty to Medicaid fraud - June 15, 2008
From 2004 through 2006, while managing the business office at the nursing home, Lane submitted travel vouchers claiming that she traveled an average of 596 miles a week to and from various Virginia social services agencies as part of Medicaid eligibility reviews, a prosecutor told the court Thursday.

Federal fraud probe targets artificial leg maker in Mansfield - June 11, 2008
U.S. District Court documents indicate a federal contractor conducting an audit of Mansfield Orthotic and Prosthetic Centers Inc., 240 Marion Ave., discovered the local business was billing the highest amount per Medicare beneficiary across seven states for lower limb prosthetics.

Yuma Rehab Hospital awarded Excellency recognition - June 11, 2008
"Meeting the criteria to become a Stroke Center of Excellence means we have achieved something that highlights the accomplishments of what we do here at the hospital, and notes we exceed what the established benchmarks are for a rehab hospital," said Ellen Hamilton, marketing director for the rehab center.

Americas Watchdog Seeks Financial Partners to Go After US Medicare/Medicaid Frau - June 11, 2008
According to Americas Watchdog, "These are but a few of the issues that we intend to go after and expose. The great thing for an investor/partner in one of targeted cities is, we have experience doing every aspect of the investigation, we know exactly what we are looking for, and we have a great plan that should produce dramatic results for everyone involved."

Home Alone—With Medicaid Fraudsters - June 07, 2008
New Yorkers have always excelled at finding new ways to make a buck—honestly and otherwise—and the profitable schemes that Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is rooting out in the home health–care business are part of that ambitious tradition.

Postcards Help Physical Therapists Heal Practice - June 07, 2008
What’s the difference between a thriving physical therapy practice and one that doesn’t have enough patients? Advertising and promotion. Advertising and promotion, however, can be very expensive. For a physical therapist that doesn’t want to hire an expensive marketing campaign, the solution may be direct mail postcards.

CMS REMINDS MEDICARE FEE-FOR-SERVICE PROVIDERS AND SUPPLIERS NPI DEADLINE IS MAY - May 28, 2008
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reminds all Medicare providers and suppliers that beginning May 23, 2008, they are required to use only a National Provider Identifier (NPI) to identify health care providers in all Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) standard transactions used in the Medicare Fee–For–Service (FFS) program.

Health Care Fraud - FBI Report - May 28, 2008
The FBI investigated 2,493 cases of healthcare fraud in fiscal year 2007, leading to 635 convictions.

The National Rehabilitation Hospital Selects MediServe to Support Revenue Enhanc - May 27, 2008
The National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) in Washington, DC has contracted with MediServe for the implementation and support of the MediLinks solution for rehabilitative medicine. Through this agreement, the NRH anticipates recognizing revenue enhancements and cost reductions through implementation of MediServe’s proprietary information system and consulting services. These services will be delivered in the NRH 137–bed inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) and in its extensive outpatient rehab network.

Allscripts Ranked No. 1 in Electronic Prescribing for 2007 - May 11, 2008
Allscripts, the leading provider of clinical software, connectivity and information solutions that physicians use to improve healthcare, announced today that it transmitted more electronic prescriptions in 2007 over the Pharmacy Health Information Exchange(TM) than any other e–prescribing vendor. Allscripts also had more electronic prescribers connected to the Exchange than any other company during 2007.

Patients-may-be-surprised-at-the-cost-of-an-ambulance-ride'>'This isn't your father's Oldsmobile'
Patients may be surprised at the cost - May 11, 2008
The Sauk Centre Ambulance recently increased their fees to a minimum of $700, whether the ride is 10 miles, two miles or two blocks. And that doesn't include the $10 per mile charge or the extra $100 charge for having a nurse on board.

Insurers Stop Paying for Care Linked to Errors - May 11, 2008
Health insurers are taking a new tack in a bid to improve patient safety and reduce health–care costs: refusing to pay –– or let their patients be billed –– for hospital errors.

Medicare to require physicians to use new ID numbers on March 1 - May 11, 2008
As of March 1, doctors who bill Medicare electronically must include their NPIs on all Medicare claims in addition to any older IDs they may have been using. For most of the past year, the program has been allowing physicians to use their older, "legacy" identifiers alone while they obtained new NPIs and made sure the personal information attached to all of the numbers was matching correctly.

Alliance to Provide Free Medical Care for Children is Advocated by Los Angeles R - May 11, 2008
Real estate lawyer, Joel Ruben of Los Angeles advocates an alliance for the benefit of children’s medical needs. Real estate lawyer, Joel Ruben of Los Angeles advocates an alliance for the benefit of children’s medical needs.

CAGW Denounces Efforts to Scuttle Medicare Provider Audits - May 11, 2008
Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today reiterated support for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) efforts to recover hundreds of millions of dollars in improper medical payments made to hospitals and healthcare providers using the Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) Program. RACs, which are private sector auditing companies that specialize in uncovering improper payments to hospitals and healthcare providers, have offered a common–sense solution to the leakage of billions in overpayments and underpayments to healthcare contractors.

Mid-Atlantic Physician Consultancy Selects Intergy by Sage Physician Practice Ma - May 11, 2008
Sage Software Healthcare, Inc. has announced that D'Souza & Associates – a billing and collection service for more than 50 ambulatory practices throughout the Mid–Atlantic region – has selected Intergy by Sage for its customers' physician practice management system.

Loss of Mind and Money: Delirium and Its Costs - May 11, 2008
A Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) study found that total health care cost estimates attributable to delirium ranged from $16,303 to $64,421 per elderly patient. These estimates represent a national burden of delirium on the health care system extending from $38 to $152 billion each year, much more than previously thought. The spotlight on health care costs frequently rests on other medical conditions, like diabetes.

Accentia to raise funds at Singapore bourse - May 11, 2008
Thiruvananthapuram: Accentia Technologies, which has its corporate office at the Technopark campus here, has got a major boost with the Singapore Stock Exchange clearing a $15.75–million global depository receipt (GDR) issue.

Medical Records Need Improvement - May 11, 2008
Yes, it’s the twenty–first century but why are our medical record keeping practices mired in the nineteenth century? It would appear that the major technology advances adopted by the medical industry are the photo copy machine and the telephone answering system.

With Surgeries on the Rise, UCSD Medical Center Carves Out Deal - May 11, 2008
To deal with a growing number of surgeries, the UC San Diego Medical Center is partnering with an Alabama–based provider of specialty surgical services at a La Jolla facility near the UCSD campus.

How do you file medical claims once you’re retired? - May 11, 2008
DEAR JUDY: I am covered by Medicare and can’t understand how I should file claims. When I was working, the doctor bills and tests I had to have were filed by the doctor’s billing people. Now that I am in Medicare I am not sure how I should file my claims. I am covered by Medicare’s Part A and B, the regular plan. Thank you for any info you have.

Medical technology takes off
2 Monument companies are expanding, with high e - May 11, 2008
Two Monument medical technology companies are expanding, adding to an already fast–growing biotechnology industry in the Colorado Springs area.

St. Francis looks to future
Hospital adding physicians to staff before it de - May 10, 2008
St. Francis Health Center is acquiring physician practices to secure its position in the marketplace before opening a health park in west Topeka. Since May 2006, the hospital has added nine operations with 20 professional staff members to its portfolio of services.

Health Care Fraud Defendant Gets 46 Months - May 10, 2008
R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Jonathan I. Solomon, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Miami Field Office, and William W. Root, Acting Special Agent in Charge, United States Department of Health and Human Services, announced that defendant Cesar Romero was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Patricia A. Seitz to forty–six months in jail and remanded into immediate custody for his role in a multi–million dollar Medicare billing fraud scheme on which Romero previously had pled guilty.

Healthcare Software Vendor Unveils New Intelligent Medical Software Product - May 10, 2008
MediPro, Inc., a leading vendor of healthcare software, unveiled Meditab's Intelligent Medical Software (IMS) this week as the latest product offered in its exclusive catalogue of software solutions. IMS is the first fully–integrated Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and Practice Management System (PMS) software to be offered by the industry–recognized reseller.

Texas Workers' Compensation Commissioner Betts Signs Medical Fee Guideline and H - May 10, 2008
Commissioner of Workers' Compensation Albert Betts has signed rules to update a medical fee guideline for health care providers, to establish a hospital outpatient fee guideline and to update a hospital inpatient fee guideline for the Texas workers' compensation system.

Advanced Home Care Extends Its Use of Authentidate's Inscrybe(TM) Healthcare Pla - May 10, 2008
Authentidate Holding Corp. , a worldwide provider of secure workflow management software and web–based services, today announced that Advanced Home Care, a leading home medical and nursing care organization, is extending its use of the Inscrybe Healthcare platform to include the ePOC module.

Craneware Announces Release of Pharmacy ChargeLink™ - May 10, 2008
Craneware, Inc. today announced the general availability of Pharmacy ChargeLink, a software application that establishes and maintains a connection between a hospital’s pharmaceutical purchase history and its charge description master (CDM). This connection ensures correct, current pricing and accurate coding so that hospitals can optimize reimbursement for facility administered medications.

Do the Rules Apply to Dr. Phil? - May 10, 2008
Most doctors and therapists won’t disclose the names of their patients, let alone comment on their mental states. Federal and state licensing rules typically forbid it. But TV therapist Phil McGraw, who recently visited frazzled pop star Britney Spears at Cedars–Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, not only confirmed the meeting to Entertainment Tonight, but said the diva was “in dire need of medical and psychological intervention.”

MedLink Acquires 100% of Anywhere MD - May 10, 2008
MedLink International, Inc. (OTCBB: MLKNA) announced today that it has completed the full acquisition of all the outstanding assets and operations of Anywhere MD, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: ANWM), a leading provider of mobile EMR solutions to healthcare facilities in the chiropractic market.

Harbin Clinic Selects athenahealth; Joins Growing National Physician Network - May 10, 2008
athenahealth, Inc. (Nasdaq:ATHN), a leading provider of internet–based business services for physician practices, today announced that Harbin Clinic, Georgia's largest privately–owned, multi–specialty medical group with over 160 medical providers has selected athenahealth's centrally–hosted, on–demand practice management and billing service, athenaCollector(sm), in an effort to improve operational and financial results across its care delivery organization.

Nationwide Medical Billing Services - YourMedicalBiller.com Opens it's Doors! - May 10, 2008
Your Medical Biller offers a one–stop–shopping experience for medical administrative services. We are a medical reimbursement consulting firm dedicated to helping medical practices become more efficient and save money by allowing them to out–source their insurance processing and medical billing to an expert reimbursement service.

Arthrocare's Acquisition of Discocare: Trying Put the Genie Back in the Bottle - May 10, 2008
Last week, medical device maker Arthrocare (ARTC) purchased Discocare, an entity they refer to as a “third party billing company”. While analysts superficially cheered the move, Citron has decided to look deeper into this unholy alliance with a most nefarious business partner. Management has attempted to spin the story as acquiring a third party biller that possesses a special “algorithm” to get insurance approvals. Citron believes that Arthrocare purchased Discocare to cover up a relationship that is predicated on fraud and deception.

LeonardoMD Collaborates with Collections Agency Transworld Systems to Provide Fu - May 10, 2008
Transworld Systems Inc., the industry leader in profit recovery, and LeonardoMD, Inc., a premier provider of web–native practice management and clinical software, recently collaborated to offer medical practices a completely integrated solution to streamline the collections process for slow–paying patient accounts and insurance resolution. LeonardoMD selected Transworld as the collection agency to offer its collections service, GreenFlag(SM) Profit Recovery, to all LeonardoMD clients at preferred pricing.

Medicare Anti-Fraud Measures are Way Overdue, Says Durable Medical Equipment Ind - May 10, 2008
The American Association for Homecare welcomes and supports efforts to crack down on Medicare fraud announced today in another of a series of press conferences held by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on the same subject. The Association continues to work with federal agencies and Congress to prevent fraudulent activity in the durable medical equipment (DME) sector.

Nation's Third Largest Workers Compensation Insurer Focuses on Provider Selectio - May 10, 2008
Companies throughout California will be able to better control their workers compensation medical costs and injured workers will find it easier to get local care because of recent modifications to Liberty Mutual's Medical Provider Network (MPN).

Case Study: Intelligent Process Improvement Helps Hospitals Work Smart - May 10, 2008
Inefficient manual tasks are being automated. However, it is now economically and technically possible to add a layer of business intelligence to this structure. Instead of simply automating tasks, organizations can monitor those processes intelligently to improve data reliability, gain greater business insight, as well as increase patient safety and reduce operating costs.

ArthroCare Acquires Reimbursement Service Provider, Reaffirms 2007 and 2008 Guid - May 10, 2008
ArthroCare Corp. (Nasdaq:ARTC), a leader in developing state–of–the–art, minimally invasive surgical products, announced that it has acquired DiscoCare, Inc., a third–party billing and reimbursement service provider, for $25 million in cash plus potential future milestone payments. This acquisition will allow ArthroCare to significantly expand its internal reimbursement capability and to leverage these services across all divisions.

P2P Link and Payerpath Align to Facilitate Claims Processing Between Medical Pro - May 10, 2008
P2P Link, a business unit of Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV) and Payerpath, Inc., part of Misys (FTSE: MSY.L), today announced an alliance to streamline the medical bill and reimbursement process between medical providers and workers' compensation payers. P2P Link has become widely recognized for secure, internetbased electronic medical bill processing for workers' compensation claims, building a network of workers compensation payer clients.

Invoice Issues
A national study shows the uninsured are charged more for hos - May 10, 2008
Uninsured Americans are charged the highest rates for hospital care, according to a recent study. But officials in Tucson say that doesn't appear to be the case here.

Medicare Fee Cuts Could Devastate Rehabilitation Services, Physical Therapists W - May 10, 2008
Pending cuts to the Medicare physician fee schedule could severely hamper the ability of physical therapists to serve the rehabilitation needs of seniors and people with disabilities –– driving up overall costs while decreasing quality of care, according to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and its Private Practice Section.

Strike Force Targets Medicare Fraud By Los Angeles Area Health Care Companies - May 10, 2008
Eleven people have been indicted in the second phase of a targeted criminal, civil and administrative effort against individuals and health care companies that fraudulently bill the Medicare program, Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Alice S. Fisher and U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Thomas P. O'Brien announced today.

LoBiondo receives medical/rehabilitation award - May 10, 2008
Representative Frank LoBiondo (NJ–02) was awarded the 2008 Chairman's Award by the American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association (AMRPA) during an awards ceremony last month in Washington, DC.

Cable Driven Robot Assists Patients with Neurological Disorders - May 07, 2008
Researchers at Florida Atlantic University have developed a unique robotic device to assist with the physical rehabilitation process of patients suffering from neurological damages to their upper extremities such as those due to stroke or Parkinson’s disease. This device is the first–known cable driven robot to utilize a barrier between the operator and the moving mechanisms of the system.

State charges Baldwin home care agency with fraud - May 04, 2008
The state attorney general's office yesterday announced criminal charges and a civil lawsuit against a nurse–staffing company with offices in Baldwin, saying the company sent more than 1,000 home health aides with little or no training to care for elderly clients in New York City and Long Island.

ResCare Acquires Texas Home Care Services - May 04, 2008
ResCare, Inc. (NASDAQ: RSCR) the nation’s leading provider of residential, training, educational and support services for people with disabilities and special needs, today announced the acquisition of Select Health Care Services, a home health care agency located in Baytown, Texas, serving 30 counties in the Houston area.

Leading Provider United Seating & Mobility Implements Authentidate's Inscrybe He - May 04, 2008
Authentidate Holding Corp. (Nasdaq: ADAT), a worldwide provider of secure workflow management software and web–based services, today announced that United Seating & Mobility, one of the nation's leading providers of comprehensive seating and mobility solutions for people with disabilities, will utilize the Inscrybe(TM) Healthcare platform from Authentidate(R) to facilitate its mobility provisioning process.

SourceMedical wins contract for Atlanta Falcons Physical Therapy Centers - May 04, 2008
SourceMedical, a leading provider of outpatient information management solutions, today announced it is providing its TherapySource solution to Atlanta Falcons Physical Therapy Centers, a new physical therapy and sports rehabilitation business operated by Falcons’ owner Arthur Blank’s management company.

Man accused of staging crashes and operating fraudulent clinics - May 04, 2008
A former Dorchester man has been indicted on federal charges that he staged multiple auto accidents and operated fraudulent physical therapy clinics in Boston and other cities that were used to treat people for what often turned out to be fake injuries.

Joplin River Of Life, Family Members Indicted For Health Care Fraud, Money Laund - May 02, 2008
John F. Wood, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a nonprofit agency operating five long–term residential care facilities in southwest Missouri, along with three family members involved in the agency, have been indicted by a federal grand jury for health care fraud and money laundering.

Hospital cost crusader's case going to trial Judge denies motion to dismiss suit - April 20, 2008
Four times, retiree Roy J. Meidinger has sued hospitals claiming a long–standing billing system amounts to fraud because of the way the hospitals give secret "charge–offs" to insurance companies in exchange for delivering patients.

Practice Fusion expands, shows signs of rapid growth - April 20, 2008
Practice Fusion, a company that provides free online electronic health records to physicians, announced last week it will partner with Physician Services, Inc. (PSI) of California and Azalea Health Innovations, Inc. of Georgia to expand the types of services available to its clients.

DHSS adopts federal standards for reporting data - April 20, 2008
New Jersey has adopted a federal hospital data–reporting standard that gives policymakers important new information on the four million in–patient admissions and out–patient visits to general acute care hospitals each year, Health and Senior Services Commissioner Fred M. Jacobs, M.D., J.D., announced.

Comparing Physicians on Efficiency - April 20, 2008
Over the past decade, public reporting on health care performance has become increasingly common. But whereas most reporting has concentrated on the quality of care in health maintenance organizations, hospitals, or large medical practices, health care purchasers are now focusing on identifying which individual physicians deliver good care most efficiently.

Looming Medicare pay cut forces tough decisions on participation - April 20, 2008
With congressional debate on an upcoming 10.1% Medicare cut to physicians stretching into the final weeks of the year, physicians' decisions on whether to participate in the program in 2008 took on added degrees of importance and complexity.

GW Medical Faculty Associates Integrates InstaMed(R) Automated Eligibility - April 20, 2008
The George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates (MFA) announces that it has integrated InstaMed Automated Eligibility with its patient accounting systems to support real–time and batch automated eligibility inquiries to InstaMed's Network. InstaMed currently supports real–time eligibility to over 430 health plans, including all national health plans, blues plans and Medicare plans for all 50 states.

Paradigm Selects Jopari to Provide E-Billing Gateway for Customers - April 20, 2008
Paradigm Management Services, LLC ("Paradigm") the nation's leader in providing catastrophic and complex medical management services has entered an agreement with Jopari Solutions, Inc. ("Jopari") to launch an online Electronic Billing and Remittance Gateway solution simplifying workers' compensation bill remittance and payment workflows for its customers and providers.

CMS Publishes Medicare Part D Reference Guide For Pharmacists - April 20, 2008
A handy guide to the deadlines, billing systems and formularies involved in the complex world of Medicare Part D is available to help pharmacists better counsel their patients.

Advantedge Healthcare Solutions (AHS) Announces Reasons for Outsourcing Medical - April 20, 2008
Advantedge Healthcare Solutions, a medical billing and medical billing software company announces reasons for outsourcing medical billing, improving billing processes and increasing productivity.

AMPM Expands Into Houston Market With Complete Mobile Billing Solution - April 20, 2008
AMPM, an Austin–headquartered medical billing and practice management leader, announced today its expansion into the Houston market with the addition of Total Inpatient Services (TIPS) and Bon–Med Hyperbaric & Wound Care Associates to its client list.

Accuracy and Integrity in Medical Bills - April 20, 2008
This article is not meant to be an attack on medical billing facilities as this function is important in keeping the records of payments both from insurance companies and the insured. Accurate records are necessary to assure that facilities or doctors receive their payments for services rendered. We as individuals must pay those bills that are our responsibility but the bills we receive should be accurate, reliable and complete. This article is about the content of medical bills we receive and the information contained within them.

Greene Memorial Hospital Services, Inc. Chooses AdvancedMD for Comprehensive Rev - April 20, 2008
AdvancedMD, a leading provider of physician billing and practice management software, today announced that Advanced Medical Group, a subsidiary of Greene Memorial Hospital, has selected award–winning AdvancedMD to provide an enterprise class revenue cycle management solution helping manage 25 hospital employed physicians.

Texas Radiology Associates Selects Zotec Partners as New Billing Services Provid - April 20, 2008
Zotec Partners, a solutions firm providing state–of–the art proprietary medical billing services and licensed software to hospital–based physician specialty practices across the U.S., is announcing today that Texas Radiology Associates (TRA) in Plano, Texas, has selected the company as their exclusive billing services provider.

UnitedHealth billing flaws persisted as company grew - April 20, 2008
Since 2000, the Minnetonka–based company, an insurer of 70 million Americans, has been sanctioned in nine states for paying claims slowly, shortchanging doctors, hospitals or patients or poorly handling their complaints and appeals, according to a Star Tribune review of regulatory records.

UMC builds basic billing program, increases revenue
Program to be fully inte - April 20, 2008
It's a quick, breezy world out there – fast electronic paychecks, phone and utility bills paid online. The entire universe seems geared toward expediency. The ability to pay bills online is a snap for the average Internet–literate University Medical Center patient.

Brian Gustin, CP Joins BridgePoint Medical, LLC Executive Team - April 20, 2008
BridgePoint Medical, LLC announced today that Brian Gustin, CP has joined the company's executive team and will assume the responsibility of Chief Clinical Officer over all of the company's orthotic and prosthetic facilities.

Cuts in Medicare reimbursement to doctors may limit access to health care for se - April 20, 2008
Without congressional action, reimbursement from Medicare to physicians nationwide will be reduced by 10 percent in January, with cuts predicted to rise to 40 percent by 2016. While that’s not good news for physicians, it may be even worse news for seniors and the disabled, whose access to Medicare treatment stands to be curtailed as physicians refuse to accept new patients.

Bronx County Medical Society Endorses MedLink - April 20, 2008
MedLink International, Inc. (OTCBB: MLKNA) announced today that the Bronx County Medical Society ("BCMS") has officially endorsed MedLink International and its products and services, including MedLink TV. More than 800 physician members of BCMS will be offered MedLink TV as a benefit of membership with the New York County Medical Society.

PEROT SYSTEMS TEAMS WITH AAPC FOR EXCLUSIVE REPRESENTATION IN S INDIA - April 20, 2008
Perot Systems Corporation (NYSE:PER) today announced that the company has been selected by the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) to represent AAPC in South India, including Chennai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad.

AMA meeting: AMA to renew fight for Medicare balance billing - April 20, 2008
Frustrated by Medicare pay cuts, representatives to the AMA House of Delegates directed the American Medical Association to call for national legislation to allow physicians to bill patients for costs Medicare doesn't cover.

Potential Medicare reimbursement cuts worry doctors - April 20, 2008
December has rolled around and doctors nationwide are in limbo, as they have been this time of year for the past six years. They are left to speculate whether Congress will act in time, before the year’s end, to halt Medicare reimbursement cuts slated to take effect Jan. 1. For the most part, Congress has done last–minute reprieves and frozen cuts in prior years.

Therapists Arrested For Medicaid Fraud Now Charged With Bribing a Witness - April 20, 2008
Attorney General Jack Conway announced that two Kentucky therapists from Letcher County have been arrested for allegedly bribing a witness. Agents monitored a transaction in which Rouse and Fields allegedly gave money to a prosecution witness in Perry County and instructed the witness as to how to testify.

AG Cuomo Subpoenas Home Health Care Companies - April 20, 2008
State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo says subpoenas have been issued to five Rochester–area home health care companies as a Medicaid Fraud probe expands statewide.

Physical therapists sue Anthem - April 17, 2008
At least a hundred Maine physical therapists have joined forces in a class–action lawsuit against the state’s largest health insurance company, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Maine, according to the plaintiffs’ attorney. The suit alleges that Anthem violated state antitrust laws by abruptly decreasing its payments to physical therapists, using its market–dominating status to pressure the providers into accepting the lower reimbursements.

Class Action Brought by Duane Morris on Behalf of Licensed Physical Therapists i - April 17, 2008
Chief Judge Humphrey of the Maine Business and Consumer Court recently allowed a class action filed on behalf of all licensed physical therapists who are participating providers with Anthem Health Plans of Maine to go forward against Anthem for allegations of violations of the Maine Antitrust Act, which carries the possibility of an award of multiple damages and attorneys fees, as well as a claim of breach of contract.

Founder of Rehab Center Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Medicaid - April 17, 2008
The former president and primary stockholder of McAllen–based Just for Kids rehabilitation center pleaded guilty Monday to defrauding the Medicaid program. According to authorities, Eliseo Sandoval filed inflationary cost reports to the taxpayer–funded program in order to obtain reimbursements to support a lavish lifestyle and personal business ventures, including real estate and sporting goods enterprises.

Bush administration issues veto threat on Medicaid bill - April 17, 2008
School officials say another rule, which prevents them from billing for transporting children from home to school and back, would make it harder for them to pay for ensuring that children get proper medical care. Such care frequently includes speech and physical therapy.

New charges against owner of Mo. group home that burned - April 17, 2008
The owner of a group home where 11 people died in a 2006 fire was charged with money laundering, conspiracy and health care fraud in an indictment that also names his wife and daughter.

U.Va. Doctor Streamlines Medical Billing, Improves Patient Care - April 15, 2008
University of Virginia family physician Scott Strayer and his company, PocketMed, have just released updated software that further streamlines medical billing, allowing physicians to capture lost revenue while keeping their focus on patient care.

5 Ways to Lower Your Medical Bills - April 15, 2008
Sanjiv Luthra of Los Altos, Calif., suffered from the pain and fatigue of rapid–onset arthritis so severe that he couldn't walk 10 feet until he underwent double knee replacement surgery last year. Almost two years later, he can walk and run but still suffers the fallout from another ailment: medical bills.

American National Billing Company Hires New Medical Biller - April 15, 2008
American National Billing Company, the premier outsource medical billing company based in Scottsdale, Arizona has hired CT Reatherford to meet the growing demands of the business.

SUNY Downstate Medical Center Reduces Coding Backlog by 80% with the T SystemEV® - April 15, 2008
SUNY Downstate Medical Center believes that efficiency directly translates to quality of patient care. Considering that the center—the only academic medical center in Brooklyn—serves a borough of 2.6 million people, the drive for efficiency is at the top of the hospital’s priorities.

Verastream Streamlines Host Access for Hospital Billing Specialist - April 15, 2008
Collecting insurance payment information from hospital computer systems was often a tedious and time–consuming process for Medical Reimbursements of America (MRA). When the company could convince the hospital's IT staff to run some reports, things went smoothly. But in many cases, MRA representatives sitting behind terminal emulators had to navigate through hundreds or thousands of screens to gather the necessary information. That began to change 11 months ago, when MRA installed the Verastream Host Integration product from Attachmate, which automated much of this work.

Midland Pathologists, P. A. and DX, Inc. Select Zotec Partners as Exclusive Bill - April 15, 2008
Zotec Partners, a solutions firm providing state–of–the art proprietary medical billing services and licensed software to hospital–based physician specialty practices across the U.S., is announcing today Midland Pathologists, P. A. and DX, Inc. of Midland, Texas, selected Zotec Partners as their exclusive billing services provider.

Physicians Accounting, Ltd Selects Orion Health's Rhapsody Integration Engine to - April 15, 2008
Orion Health, a leading provider of clinical workflow and integration technology for the healthcare sector, announces that Physicians Accounting, Ltd. has selected its Rhapsody™ Integration Engine to serve as a platform to maximize the rate and efficiency of message exchange between its medical facilities and its billing and administrative offices. By using Rhapsody's off the shelf engine for their billing services, Physician's Accounting, Ltd. will be able to process more claims and ensure a higher rate of accuracy and reliability.

Hays Medical Obtains Operational Efficiencies Using Boston WorkStation - April 15, 2008
When Bill Overbey added the title of CIO to his already full plate as CFO at Hays Medical in Hays, Kan., he was charged with not only locating ways the hospital can be more efficient, but also for implementing methods and technologies to supply those efficiencies.

Integrated Software Solutions from 3M Support Medical Necessity Compliance - April 15, 2008
New software enhancements from 3M Health Information Systems promote medical necessity compliance across the outpatient revenue cycle. 3M™ Medical Necessity Online used for pre–service medical necessity validation, now integrates with 3M™ Ambulatory Revenue Management Software to provide comprehensive access to all pre–service medical necessity data.

California Medical Business Services, Inc. Licenses Zotec Partners' Electronic B - April 15, 2008
Zotec Partners, LLC, a solutions firm providing state–of–the art proprietary medical billing services and licensed software to hospital–based physician specialty practices across the U.S., is announcing today that California Medical Business Services, Inc. (CMBS) of Arcadia, CA, has licensed the Electronic Billing Center and Radiology Information System software from Zotec Partners.

SynerMed Insurance Services Expands to Offer Additional Benefits, Enhanced Custo - April 15, 2008
SynerMed, Inc., the largest Medicaid managed service organization (MSO) in the state of California, today announced the availability of its insurance offering, SynerMed Insurance Services, for new and existing customers throughout several counties in SOUTHERN California and Georgia. The announcement is particularly timely as the 2008 Medicare open enrollment period began Nov. 15, 2007.

ACS Awarded $35 Million Contract Extension for EMS Billing Services With City of - April 15, 2008
Affiliated Computer Services, Inc. today announced a seven–year, $35 million extension to its existing Emergency Medical Services (EMS) billing contract with the City of Houston.

AAPC Joins With CodeRyte, Inc. to Provide Computer-Assisted Coding for AAPC Memb - April 15, 2008
AAPC announces today that it has joined with CodeRyte, Inc. to bring computer–assisted coding technology to AAPC's membership for training and education. AAPC is the first professional coding organization to team with a company to create a platform for computer–assisted coding for PMCC instructors, students and coders. CodeRyte's platform will provide instructors with the ability to use real–world computer–assisted coding technology to teach coding principles. Later phases will make computer–assisted coding available as a practical application for learning both in and out of the classroom.

Dr Speak(TM) Telephone Medical Billing Software Receives Endorsement Letter from - April 15, 2008
Physicians Remote Solutions (OTCBB:PHYU) today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary VoxTech Products, Inc., a software company with a telephone–based medical billing SOFTWARE system called Dr Speak (www.drspeak.com), received an endorsement letter from Michael Mitchell, Senior Vice President, Interplan Health Group (IHG), Midwest, said company President Chris LaRose.

Medical Billing Software Business Awarded at Conference - April 15, 2008
In an annual business partners conference in Las Vegas, MediNotes Corporation, makers of MediNotes e Electronic Medical Records Software announced that MediPro, Inc. has won awards for Best Individual Partner in a Sales Role and President's Club. These awards were presented to MediPro, Inc. for achieving the highest standard in sales and customer service for MediNotes e in the last year.

Latest DocuSys Technology Addresses P4P, National Quality Measures - April 15, 2008
DocuSys, a leading anesthesia information management system (AIMS) and medication management system provider, has announced solutions in the latest version of its software (Version 6.0) that facilitate a healthcare provider's ability to comply with national quality measures such as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) and pay–for– performance (P4P) programs.

The Health Care Billing Nightmare - April 15, 2008
About three months after my father passed away, my mother presented me with a box of medical bills. "You're the expert," she said. "You figure this out." As if the ordeal of losing her life partner of 65 years weren't bad enough, she now had to deal with a bewildering array of bills, letters, explanations of benefits, "this is not a bill" bills and dunning notices.

CHS Expands HybridHealthSM and Primary Care Teams with Strategic New Hires - April 15, 2008
Comprehensive Health Services (CHS), a nationwide workforce health management company, today announced that Arun Villivalam, M.D., and Drew Di Giovanni, MPH, both experts in areas of physician practice management and clinical quality, have joined CHS’ HybridHealthSM and its primary care services onsite management team. Led by Corporate Medical Director Dr. William Wanago, CHS’ extensive team of clinicians provide a wide range of specialized expertise in the occupational health and primary care arenas of the workforce health industry.

GHN-Online Working to Advance Texas eBill Success - April 15, 2008
GHN–Online, the healthcare industry’s leading provider of real–time revenue cycle management, today announced it is joining forces with the Texas Workers’ Compensation Stakeholder Collaborative. The Collaborative has been formed to ensure that by January 1, 2008 the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation is compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) electronic billing requirements.

Grady’s crisis is America’s crisis - April 15, 2008
There are so many patients in Grady Hospital’s emergency department that residents making their rounds on a Monday afternoon in late October sometimes have to turn sideways and squeeze between the beds that cram the hallways. Diaz Clark, clinical manager for the E.R., says there are only 112 patients today. He’s seen worse. In fact, he’s seen 400 patients piled into Grady’s emergency area at once.

Telemedicine publication expands coverage - April 15, 2008
Telemedicine and e–Health, a publication available in print and on–line by Mary Ann Liebert Inc., publishers (www.liebertpub.com) will greatly expand its content and frequency beginning in 2008; a new section, MEDICAL CONNECTIVITY will make its debut in the March issue.

Revenue Cycle Inc. to Team with Global Leader in Oncology Information Technology - April 15, 2008
Austin–based Revenue Cycle Inc., a national oncology–specific consulting company specializing in the delivery of expert business–side solutions for progressive oncology practice groups, clinics and hospitals, has entered a co–marketing partnership with IMPAC Medical Systems, Inc. (http://www.impac.com/), an Elekta company (http://www.elekta.com/). IMPAC is a global leader in oncology information technology solutions.

Alternate Access Selected by Management Services On-Call for TeleVantage IP-PBX - April 15, 2008
Alternate Access, a leading provider of converged communications solutions, has signed a contract with Management Services On–Call to provide personalized billing services, according to a PRLeap news report. By virtue of the contract, Alternate Access will develop and install an IP–PBX phone system that will also enhance the management reporting capabilities and call control of the company.

Sepracor Inc. Announces the Establishment of a Unique Product-Specific Billing C - April 15, 2008
Sepracor Inc. (Nasdaq: SEPR) today announced that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has established a product–specific billing code, or J–code, for BROVANA® (arformoterol tartrate) Inhalation Solution under the Medicare Part B benefit. The J–code becomes effective on January 1, 2008. BROVANA is a long–term, twice–daily (morning and evening), maintenance treatment of bronchoconstriction in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. BROVANA is for use by nebulization only.

New System May Simplify Cook County Patient Billing - April 15, 2008
Designers and researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago are producing an information system to explain medical bills and financial assistance programs to patients of the Cook County Bureau of Health Services.

CollaborateMD Becomes Florida SHOTS Certified Software Provider - April 15, 2008
CollaborateMD, a leading provider of Internet–based medical billing and practice management software for physician offices and medical billing services, announced today they are a certified software partner with the Florida Department of Health?s Statewide Online Tracking System (SHOTS).

Medical Errors, Skipped Care More Common in U.S. - April 15, 2008
A new Commonwealth Fund survey finds that, compared with adults in six other countries, U.S. adults are most likely to go without health care because of the cost and more likely to say that the health care system needs to be rebuilt completely. In addition to cost concerns, the survey analysis, by Fund Senior Vice President Cathy Schoen and colleagues, finds the U.S. has multiple symptoms of less–efficient care.

Jopari Anticipates eBill Success in Texas Through Industry Cooperation, Coordina - April 15, 2008
Jopari Solutions, Inc., the leading supplier of bill cycle automation services to property and casualty industry payers, states many key factors to the success of Texas eBill regulations going into effect January 2008 requires broad cooperation, coordination and coalition building among eBill Processing Agents and other third party EDI services providers. The Texas eBill regulations mandate conversion to electronic submission of medical bills by workers' compensation health care providers, and return of electronic explanation of reimbursements by insurance carriers.

Advanced Data Processing, Inc. Announces the Acquisition of Revenue Rescue, LLC - April 15, 2008
Advanced Data Processing, Inc. (“ADPI”) announced today the acquisition of Revenue Rescue, LLC, a leading fire department incident billing services provider to more than 500 fire departments.

Integrated Software Solutions from 3M Support Medical Necessity Compliance - April 15, 2008
New software enhancements from 3M Health Information Systems promote medical necessity compliance across the outpatient revenue cycle. 3M™ Medical Necessity Online, used for pre–service medical necessity validation, now integrates with 3M™ Ambulatory Revenue Management Software to provide comprehensive access to all pre–service medical necessity data.

Alternate Access® personalizes billing services for Management Services On-Call - April 15, 2008
Alternate Access, a leading provider of converged communications solutions, was selected by Management Services On–Call to create and install an IP–PBX phone system to personalize its billing services, as well as improve management reporting capabilities and call control.

Medical Billing Companies Key to Microsoft Health Vault's Success - April 15, 2008
Among the Internet's many promises of a brave new world, a centralized database full of every American's private medical data is the latest innovation to be pursued by Microsoft's ambitious team of programmers and dreamers. The health database known as Health Vault launched at www.healthvault.com will store all of a customer's health related information including, but not limited to, blood sugar, weight, blood pressure, lab results and x–rays.

Acclamation Systems, Inc. Renews Partnership with Coalition America - April 15, 2008
Acclamation Systems, Inc. (ASI), a leading provider of automated benefits management software for the healthcare industry has renewed its partnership with Coalition America, Inc. (CAI) to offer a state–of–the–art repricing and adjudication solution for its clients. ASI made enhancements to its software to allow clients to electronically transmit in–network and out–of–network medical bills to CAI for repricing. The bills are quickly returned electronically to the client for auto– adjudication. The process can occur on either a pre– or post–adjudication basis to meet varying client needs.

Microsoft to Acquire Innovative Healthcare Technology and Assets From Global Car - April 15, 2008
Building on a worldwide commitment to improving health through software technology, Microsoft Corp. has agreed to acquire software, intellectual property and other assets from Global Care Solutions (GCS), a privately held company based in Bangkok, Thailand, that develops enterprise–class health information systems. The acquisition complements Microsoft's already strong portfolio of health solutions and will provide hospitals across international markets with a new alternative to achieve improved workflow and patient safety through information technology. GCS employees will join Microsoft's Health Solutions Group, which will manage product development and delivery. Financial terms were not disclosed.

IMPAC Medical Systems to Offer Revenue Cycle Inc.'s Array of Oncology Products a - April 15, 2008
IMPAC Medical Systems, Inc., an Elekta company, and global leader in oncology information technology solutions, and Revenue Cycle Inc., a comprehensive business–side evaluation, analysis and solutions provider for the oncology market, today announced an agreement under which Revenue Cycle Inc. will offer IMPAC customers oncology specific reimbursement, billing, and coding consulting, as well as auditing and on–site training services. The announcement was made at the 49th Annual Meeting of The American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO), held October 28 –– November 1 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

athenahealth and Physicians Practice to Host PayerView Panel At The Medical Grou - April 15, 2008
athenahealth, Inc. (Nasdaq:ATHN), a leading provider of internet–based business services for physician practices, and Physicians Practice(r), America's leading practice management journal for physicians, today announced that they will be hosting a industry–unique healthcare Payer Performance Panel to discuss the 2007 PayerView(sm) Rankings at The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) Annual Conference being held in Philadelphia on October 28th–30th, 2007.

CBIZ Acquires $30 Million Emergency Medicine Billing Firm Healthcare Business Re - April 15, 2008
CBIZ, Inc. today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Healthcare Business Resources, Inc. ("HBR"), a prominent emergency medicine billing company located in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, effective November 1, 2007.

MediSolution Announces the Release of Virtuo Revenue Cycle Management 3.0 for La - April 15, 2008
MediSolution Ltd (TSX:MSH) today announced the release of Virtuo(R) Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) 3.0 for Laboratories, a robust solution specifically designed for laboratories wishing to streamline their billing process and improve their cash flow. The company also announced that Sterling Reference Laboratories, a full–service, nationwide toxicology laboratory based in Tacoma, Washington, has selected the new Virtuo RCM 3.0 solution as their billing solution. The contract will be implemented over the next 6 months.

Virtual visits: the new ATMs? - April 15, 2008
Minnesota might be the epicenter of e–visit reimbursement. At Fairview Health Services, a Minneapolis–based integrated health system, 34,000 people—or roughly 5% of the Fairview patient population—signed up since July to use MyChart, its secure portal for e–visits offered by Epic Systems Corp., according to Barry Bershow, Fairview's medical director of quality and informatics.

Accentia Tech acquires 3 US BPOs for Rs 80 crore - April 15, 2008
Mumbai–Based business process outsourcing company Accentia Technologies has acquired three US–based healthcare BPO companies for about Rs 80 crore, sources close to the deal said. It bought Florida–based GSR Physician Billing Inc and GSR Systems Inc and Oregon–based medical transcription services provider DenMed Inc, in cash–cum–stock deals.

The Hughston Clinic to Deploy athenahealth's On-Demand EMR Service, athenaClinic - April 15, 2008
athenahealth, Inc. (Nasdaq:ATHN), a leading provider of Internet–based business services to physician practices, today announced that The Hughston Clinic, P.C., one of the nation's leading orthopedic surgery groups, has selected athenahealth's on–demand EMR service, athenaClinicals(sm), for its nine locations throughout Georgia and Alabama. The clinic is also utilizing athenaCollector(sm), athenahealth's physician billing and practice management service, which is fully integrated with athenaClinicals(sm) and is designed to optimize clinical and operational workflows across all practice locations.

Sticker shock - April 15, 2008
When you need an ambulance, you're not just being charged for the time paramedics spend responding to your call. You're also contributing to the 24–hour, seven–day–a–week coverage being offered in your community.

Consultation in Primary Care - April 15, 2008
Office consultations are often mistakenly considered to be for the exclusive use of specialists. This is not a correct assumption, however. There are circumstances when primary care provider patient encounters qualify for the use of outpatient consultation codes (99241 through 99245) on their own patients.

You Can't Afford Not To Care About Coding - April 15, 2008
"Well, they just couldn't care less." Wow, what a response. I was totally amazed as I stood at the front counter of a multi–provider clinic. I had been next door speaking with a family practice physician who had been trying to improve evaluation and management (E&M) coding in his practice. On my way out, I thought I'd drop off a flyer about one of my upcoming MPECS Practice Profitability Workshops to see whether the providers in that office might be interested in attending.

Former Outside Counsel Goes In-House to Build Legal Department - April 15, 2008
As a partner at Reed Smith, Bob Gallo managed multiple deals, each worth tens of millions of dollars, while at the same time juggling numerous clients, conference calls and deal closings, and directing the many associates under his management.

Beyond Billing: Attentiveness Pays - April 15, 2008
Few things I can think of are more challenging than managing a medical practice. The nature of the practice usually has some influence on the way the office functions from day to day, but the goal is the same: providing quality health care to every patient.

Two or Three Components? - April 15, 2008
Elements of documentation revolve around seven areas of information: patient history, physical examination, the medical decision–making process, counseling, coordination of care, the nature of the presenting problem and, lastly, time.

Consistent Coding Among Colleagues Is Crucial - April 15, 2008
Several years ago, while starting at a new practice, I had an interesting experience involving billing and coding practices. I'd like to share it with you. I wanted to make a good impression on my new boss and, of course, on my patients. I certainly wanted my employer to know that I was a good investment and not a burden on the practice or his pocketbook. I meticulously documented my office visits and patient care.

Want to Avoid Audits? Code Correctly! - April 15, 2008
Some time ago, I received a call from a former student of mine from the University of Utah Physician Assistant Program asking for some help. He had taken a position as a PA at a vascular surgery practice. After a few months, he was frustrated. The office policy, as he reported it to me, was that all established patient visits were to be coded as a Level 3 visit (99213) or lower. All new patient visits were to be coded at Level 2 (99202) or lower. They weren't even using consultation codes. No variance was allowed from this policy.

Report ranks hospitals with most accurate Medicare billing - April 15, 2008
Ingenix, a healthcare IT company based in Eden Prairie, Minn. , today released its fourth annual report on the "Top 200 Coding Hospitals in the U.S." The report ranks hospitals by the completeness and accuracy of their medical coding practices used to bill Medicare for inpatient medical services.

Baird Capital Partners Invests in MedData - April 15, 2008
Baird Capital Partners (BCP), the U.S.–based buyout fund of Baird Private Equity, announced today it has acquired Seattle–based MedData. MedData, a premier medical billing, coding, and data management company, has provided services exclusively to hospital emergency departments nationwide since 1980.

Medical Center Radiologists Selects Zotec Partners to Provide Full Billing Servi - April 15, 2008
Zotec Partners, a solutions firm providing state–of–the art proprietary medical billing services and licensed software to hospital–based physician specialty practices across the U.S., is announcing today that Medical Center Radiologists (MCR) of Norfolk, VA, has selected them as their exclusive billing services provider.

ER Urgent Care Centers Signs National Billing Expert - April 15, 2008
ER Urgent Care Centers has signed one of the nation's leading experts in medical billing. Joanne Waters is now part of the ERUC team. Mrs. Waters just completed writing a manuscript being published by the American Medical Association for physicians entitled "Mastering the Reimbursement Process." Her most recent position was with the Department of Defense at Mac Dill Air force Base in medical billing and accounting. She has been a senior director for Consulting Solutions with over $4,000,000 in healthcare contracts. A Graduate of University of South Florida and Georgia State University, her degrees include Accounting and Finance. "We are very proud to bring onboard such a noteworthy individual in the Healthcare industry," said Jerry Miller ERUC Founder.

Take Care Health Systems Unveils Aggressive Expansion Plans - April 15, 2008
Take Care Health Systems, one of the largest managers of convenient care clinics and a wholly–owned subsidiary of Walgreens (NYSE, NASDAQ: WAG), is opening clinics in nine new markets this fall, including Cincinnati, Cleveland, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, Nashville, Tenn., Orlando, Fla., Tampa, Fla. and Tucson, Ariz. Combined with expansion in its existing markets of Chicago, Kansas City, Milwaukee and St. Louis, up to 100 new Take Care Health Clinics are planned to open by the end of calendar 2007. This announcement marks the first expansion of the Take Care Health Systems business since Walgreens acquired the company in May 2007.

US Attorney Reports Florida Pharmacy & Medicare Equipment Company Owner Sentence - April 15, 2008
The owner and operator of a Florida pharmacy and Durable Medicare Equipment (DME) company has been sentenced to 151 months in prison for Medicare fraud, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta of the Southern District of Florida announced today.

Ambulance-billing plan causes tiff in Canal Fulton - April 15, 2008
The city intends to start billing Lawrence Township residents for ambulance service. Township officials say they’re not going to take that sitting down. And the fire chief for both entities wants no part of the political struggle.

Texas Mutual Selects Jopari Solutions For Electronic Billing Compliance Services - April 15, 2008
Texas Mutual Insurance Company will begin enterprise wide electronic medical bill processing as of January 2008 to comply with workers' compensation electronic billing requirements mandated by the Texas Department of Insurance. Texas Mutual Insurance Company, the state's leading workers' compensation carrier, is deploying an integrated Medical EDI Gateway supplied by Jopari Solutions to assure compliance with jurisdictional electronic billing formats, provider communications, and processing requirements.

MedAvant and StrataCare Announce Strategic Workers' Compensation eBilling Partne - April 15, 2008
MedAvant Healthcare Solutions (MedAvant) (Nasdaq:PILL), a leader in healthcare technology and transaction services, and StrataCare, the premier national bill review software and services company, today announced their partnership for the delivery of StrataCare's workers' compensation eBilling Enterprise Solution. This comprehensive solution meets all the requirements of the Texas e–billing mandate.

How to Start a Medical Claims Processing Business - April 15, 2008
A medical billing service is a doctor's key to getting paid. Despite the fact that the health–care industry is alive and well in America, most doctors and other health–care providers have no idea how to get themselves paid quickly and efficiently, if at all, by either insurers or patients who are also waiting for that check to arrive in the mail. Private and government–administered insurance companies, HMOs, PPOs and a host of other mysteriously initialed plans have conspired to make physician reimbursements as elusive as the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Doctors, once the lords of the health–care world, are fast becoming the underdogs.

CollaborateMD Surpasses $1 Billion in Claims Annually - April 15, 2008
CollaborateMD (formerly ClaimGear), a leading provider of Internet–based medical billing and practice management solutions for physician offices and medical billing services, announced today that it now provides medical billing software to 2,500 providers who collectively process more than $1 billion in claims annually.

Athenahealth stock soars - April 15, 2008
Athenahealth Inc. took Wall Street by storm in its first day of trading yesterday. The Watertown medical services company’s saw its stock soar 97.22 percent following an initial public offering Wednesday that raised $113.2 million.

Phoenix Children's Medical Group Selects MPV to Track Payor Contract Performance - April 15, 2008
Medical Present Value, Inc. (MPV) today announced a new contract with Phoenix Children's Medical Group, a pediatric practice owned by Phoenix Children's Hospital and based in Phoenix, Ariz. MPV, a provider of financial tools and expert services to manage payor contracts and audit reimbursement, will help the group to detect payment errors and optimize revenue.

nTelagent, Inc. Signs Healthcare Customers LifePoint Hospitals, Psychiatric Solu - April 14, 2008
Several of the nation’s leading health care providers and outsourced partners have recently selected nTelagent, Inc.’s Self–Pay Management System to improve the handling of financial accounts for both the healthcare providers and their patients.

A-Life Medical Introduces Actus 6.0 With Automated Procedure Mapping - April 14, 2008
A–Life Medical, Inc., the leading provider of Natural Language Processing (NLP) technology and enabling technologies for the healthcare industry, today announced the release of Actus® 6.0, the newest version of their automated coding software application, with patent–pending Automated Procedure Mapping (APM) technology. A–Life Medical, a certified Microsoft partner, is the leading provider of Natural Language Processing (NLP) technology and enabling technologies for the healthcare industry.

How SOA hits home: Five ways SOA makes a difference - April 14, 2008
One of the most valuable and often overlooked benefits of an Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) strategy is the impact it has on the general population. From helping reduce home energy bills, to saving money on car insurance, to safeguarding your retirement investments, SOA is quickly becoming a critical (albeit invisible) ally for today's consumers.

A-Life Medical Announces MedLearn Partnership - April 14, 2008
A–Life Medical, Inc., the leading provider of Natural Language Processing (NLP) technology and enabling technologies for the healthcare industry, today announced that the company has formed a strategic partnership with Medical Learning, Inc. (MedLearn).

Princeton Radiology Selects Zotec Partners’ Full Suite of Billing and RIS Softwa - April 14, 2008
Zotec Partners, a solutions firm providing state–of–the–art proprietary medical billing services and licensed software to hospital–based physician specialty practices across the U.S., is pleased to announce that Princeton Radiology of Princeton, NJ, has purchased the company’s full suite of products: Electronic Billing Center (EBC), EBC Decision Support, EZ Med Portal and Radiology Information Services (RIS) software for their private outpatient imaging centers.

Better billing yields more dollars - April 14, 2008
Reimbursements for medical services for special needs students more than doubled for School District 2142, which switched vendors and took a more proactive role in third–party billings. The district received $67,262 in 2007, compared to an average of about $25,000 annually in the previous four years. Business manager Kim Johnson said she anticipates reimbursements will be even greater in 2008.

Radiology Associates cutting 22 billing jobs - April 14, 2008
Radiology Associates of New Hartford's outsourcing of its billing department functions Dec. 1 will affect about half of its employees. Based on Genesee Street in Utica, the medical practice has 47 staff members, 22 of whom will be affected by the outsourcing, said Joe Falvey, administrative officer at Radiology Associates of New Hartford.

WINhealth-says-AMR-has-overcharged-its-partners-more-than-$35,000-since-1998'>AMR's on hot seat over its charges
WINhealth says AMR has overcharged its pa - April 14, 2008
CHEYENNE – Local ambulance provider American Medical Response has overcharged WINhealth Partners for its services by more than $35,000 since 1998, the health insurance firm says.

A Physical Fit: Group opens up sports to people with disabilities - April 13, 2008
Twelve years ago, Sue Gotts was a busy recreational therapist helping clients adjust to life with a new disability. It was when these clients began asking how they could stay active once they finished therapy that Gotts came up with an idea.

Private Practice Physical Therapists Succeeding with Consulting - April 13, 2008
More and more private practice physical therapists are availing themselves of private consulting services. They are getting help with topics like practice building, maximizing the reimbursements they receive for their services, overall management skills, and being able to exercise more power of choice over the direction of their practices.

River Valley Physical Therapy clinic opens - April 13, 2008
Together, Gerard Breuker and Carla Schimmelpfennig have 35 years' experience treating patients in hospitals, rehab units, nursing homes and through home health care. Now they've combined forces and opened River Valley Physical Therapy Spine and Joint Center at 595 E. North St., Bradley.

Officials Mark Physical Therapy Month - April 02, 2008
4/2/2008 – A factory worker with a broken ankle, a grandmother suffering from arthritis, or even a receptionist with carpal tunnel. All are examples of people suffering from ailments that hinder them from performing everyday tasks. For each, occupational therapy could mean a world of difference.

Mind and body
Sport medicine therapist Toni Dauwalter takes her patients' re - April 01, 2008
When I looked at choosing a career, I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do. How can you be, when you're 18 years old? I was athletic and interested in sports. I was interested in medicine, but I didn't want to dispense pills and look down throats. And I wanted to make exercise part of my job. I decided to go into physical therapy, and graduated with my degree in the spring of 1979.

Downeast Rehab Thanks VillageSoup Readers for 5 Years! - April 01, 2008
Downeast Rehabilitation Associates on Rte. 1, Rockport would like to thank the readers of the VillageSoup for voting us “Best Physical Therapy Provider” for the 5th consecutive year. We were very honored to learn that Knox and Waldo County residents have recognized the quality of the rehabilitative care Downeast Rehab has provided to this area over the past 30 years.

VA finds new ways to treat this generation of injured U.S. veterans - March 30, 2008
In treating veterans of all wars, the center's staff sees about 500 outpatients a day in Saginaw and at clinics in Gaylord, Oscoda and Traverse City. The center opened in 1950 was named in 1990 to honor Lt. Aleda E. Lutz, a U.S. Army flight nurse from Freeland who died in 1944 when a hospital plane evacuating wounded soldiers from Italy crashed. She earned six battle stars and was the first military woman to die in a combat zone in World War II. The center is the first VA facility named for a military woman.

More than just a nursing home
Steuben County Health Care Facility will offer - March 30, 2008
It's the 2008 version of a nursing home –– the new $19 million Steuben County Health Care Facility at 7002 Mount Washington Road in Bath. Instead of stressing skilled nursing exclusively, the new facility has branched out into rehabilitation –– for both residents and the public.

Chautauqua PT, OT & SLP Celebrates National OT Month - March 30, 2008
Tuesday, marks the first day of National Occupational Therapy Month. Chautauqua PT, OT & SPL Professionals at the Riverwalk Center in Jamestown, recognized by the American Occupational Therapy Association, can be found at www.aota.org. The month–long celebration has been in existence for a many years, according to Judi Goerke, patient development coordinator for Chautauqua PT, OT & SLP.

Medical Practice 101 Automated Medical Office Receptionist Is Everyone s Good Fr - March 29, 2008
There are automated medical receptionists such as ANGELA that require no hardware or software be installed in your office. You pay monthly fees to have all of your appointment problems handled offline, and you can save a fortune by slashing no show costs. Not only that but language is not a problem: reminder calls can be made in one of a number of different languages chosen by the software based on the profile of your patient.

Find Out Why Using Billing Software Is Right For You - March 29, 2008
Billing software extends the transparency in your business operation and your accounting transactions. This increases the efficiency of your company and also facilitates increase in your profitability. You will be in a better position to manage your business, and the strategic planning that you have for your company.

Arcadia’s Physical Therapy Program Moves Up to 7th in Nation in U.S. News
Ev - March 28, 2008
GLENSIDE, Pa.––(BUSINESS WIRE)––U.S. News & World Report today ranked Arcadia University’s (www.arcadia.edu) Physical Therapy program 7th in the nation among the more than 200 graduate PT programs.

Aquatic therapy service helps patients heal faster - March 27, 2008
Aquatic therapy is not necessarily a new type of physical therapy, but it is becoming more popular for several reasons. It is less painful than traditional physical therapy, or land therapy. Insurance health care managers like it because therapy can begin earlier in the healing process, and patients are likely to have fewer therapy sessions.

Less Waiting, Frustration for Orthopedic Patients - New Neighbor, Partner Provid - March 26, 2008
Las Vegas, NV, March 26, 2008 ––(PR.com)–– Full recovery of pediatric bone and spine injuries or conditions require a total care approach. Apart from the initial treatments of possible bracing or surgery, patients generally undergo months of rigorous physical therapy in order to achieve the best results. For patients of Children’s Bone and Spine Surgery, this type of care is not only routine – it’s hassle–free.

Medical Accounts Receivable Financing-Stat! - March 23, 2008
Medical Accounts Receivable Financing–Stat! explores the unique issues presented to lenders and B2B medical businesses in order to successfully factor medical receivables.

Potomac Valley therapist knows his function - March 23, 2008
KEYSER — Physical therapy is available at the Potomac Valley Hospital without a physician’s referral but insurance companies sometimes balk at paying without a referral.

CollaborateMD Offers Upgrade Program to Competitors’ Users
Current Medisoft™ - March 20, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla.––(BUSINESS WIRE)––CollaborateMD, a leading provider of Internet practice management and medical billing software for the health care industry, announced today an upgrade program for existing users of Medisoft, Lytec, AltaPoint, Medical Manager and Misys. The program is offered to help medical offices and medical billing services lower costs and have more freedom and flexibility by utilizing an on–demand, online practice management software program. The program is available through April 30.

"Wii-habilitation" at Canton-Potsdam Hospital - March 20, 2008
POTSDAM, N.Y. –– It's therapy for the 21st century. Patients at Canton–Potsdam Hospital are using Nintendo Wii as part of their rehabilitation. They can box against a therapist, play bowling, tennis, or baseball.

Physical Therapists Offer Low-Cost Solution To Increasing Health Costs - March 19, 2008
Health care expenditures for patients with spinal conditions are rising without an associated increase in health status, according to a February, 2008 research report appearing in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study suggests Americans may be wasting their money for treatments as the overall proportion of people with impaired function increased from 1997–2005, despite a 65% increase in expenditures to treat spine conditions. Physical therapists offering spinal mobilization, exercise, and advice can provide an effective alternative for patients with back and neck problems, often at a lower cost.

Medical advances helping woman with damaged spine - March 19, 2008
Melinda Albert was 20 years old when she learned there was a rare tumor on her spine. The tumor was removed, but it left her with nerve damage along her spine, which causes numbness and spasms. Eighteen years later — after several surgeries and countless physical therapy sessions — the left side of Albert's body is plagued with a numb and tingly feeling.

Medical Billing Software Medisoft Announces The New Version 14 of Its Popular Me - March 16, 2008
http://www.medicalbillingsoftware.com announces the United States release of the Easy To Use Medisoft Medical Billing Software Version 14. The new version assists to increase efficiency and productivity in single and small doctor offices because it simplifies the the entry of billing data, and the management of patient paperwork. Now, Medisoft medical billing software version 14 is filled with many options and features that ensure your precious time can be invested on the patient rather than on paperwork.

New elder care center to open in Lynchburg - March 15, 2008
PACE bundles concepts like adult day care, home health, physical and occupational therapy and dietary assistance in an intensive setting. The program expects to enroll about 125 people, most age 55 and older and recipients of both Medicare and Medicaid.

Autism-Therapy-Plan-Also-Advances'>Life Policies Bill OK'd
Autism-Therapy Plan Also Advances - March 13, 2008
A Connecticut legislative panel approved bills Tuesday meant to crack down on a life insurance scam and require health insurers to pay for therapies for people with autism disorders. Group or individual health insurance policies would have to cover physical, speech and occupational therapy for treatment of autism, to the extent the policy covers those services for other diseases and conditions.

Medical Careers Institute Raises Money for Muscular Dystrophy Association - March 10, 2008
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – (Business Wire) Medical Careers Institute, the School of Health Science at ECPI College of Technology, once again is participating in a Muscular Dystrophy Association Shamrock Sales Event. The event, which kicked off February 14th will run through March 17, 2008, includes a contest where Shamrocks are sold and then counted as “votes” towards a pie in the face for unlucky faculty. Medical Careers Institute’s Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education at the Newport News campus, Dawn Gaimaro, is once again leading the program this year. All of the funds raised will be used to serve over 900 families in the Hampton Roads area that the Muscular Dystrophy Association serves.

CMC rehab program goes high-tech - March 08, 2008
Rehabilitation therapy services at Carlsbad Medical Center has a new device, the PrimusRS, a BTE Technologies creation that is used to offer high–tech rehabilitation. The same device is used in athlete rehabilitation programs at U.S. Olympic training centers.

U.S. HealthWorks Medical Group Announces the Acquisition of Medical Emergency Tr - March 07, 2008
VALENCIA, Calif.––(BUSINESS WIRE)––U.S. HealthWorks Medical Group added to its network of occupational and urgent care centers with the acquisition of Medical Emergency Treatment (MET), 441 Route 30, East Windsor, New Jersey. U.S. HealthWorks Medical Group is the second largest operator of occupational healthcare centers in the nation.

RehabCare Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2007 Results - March 05, 2008
ST. LOUIS––(BUSINESS WIRE)––RehabCare Group, Inc. (NYSE:RHB) today reported financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2007. Comparative results for the quarter and year follow.

Seniors, Disabled Residents Push State Leaders For Expanded Home Care Option - March 04, 2008
The stroke left Bob Veillette with locked–in syndrome, a condition in which his mind is working but everything but his eyes are frozen. He can communicate only by moving his eyes up or down for yes and no. After waiting a year, the family was recently accepted into a state program that helps pay for personal care assistants, but it does not cover the cost of all of his care.

PMC to eliminate its outpatient physical therapy - March 04, 2008
The East Stroudsburg hospital will end outpatient physical therapy, based at the Stroud Building on Route 611, on April 4. Four physical therapists will be transferred inside the hospital to work with the inpatients. But the program's only occupational therapist — Christine Hoban — will lose her job.

Area Schools Set To Lose Millions Under Medicaid Policy Changes - March 03, 2008
Educators nationwide are protesting a Bush administration move to curtail hundreds of millions of dollars in Medicaid funding for disabled students that could force some schools already in budget straits to trim health services or cut back instructional programs.

Merged clinics to host grand opening - March 03, 2008
Clark–Arias Physical Therapy will host a grand opening for its new clinic Monday. The operation, 275 W. Tietan St., merges Walla Walla Physical Therapy and Excel Physical Therapy. The clinic is owned by Mike Clark and George Arias, who will provide outpatient orthopedic physical therapy.

Preparing for Those Who Follow Business Proverbs - March 03, 2008
One reality we all face is that the day will come when we will die, become ill, retire, or otherwise not be able to continue in our business. We are all stewards of our businesses, and as stewards we have a responsibility to prepare the way for others to follow us in the future.

Schools will lose funds - March 03, 2008
MONMOUTH – Between $10 million and $15 million will be lost annually in reimbursement claims for administrative costs that identify and enroll Medicaid–eligible students and the cost to transport them to speech and physical therapy for schools across a third of Illinois.

Laurel Crest to learn status
Survey results will determine if center gets fu - March 03, 2008
EBENSBURG — Cambria County commissioners are waiting for results on a state survey that will determine if Laurel Crest Rehabilitation and Special Care Center will get back its full license.

Help feels more like harassment to rehab patients - March 03, 2008
SPRINGFIELD — Some local cardiac rehab patients are about to have a coronary over unwelcome calls from a medical billing assistance company.

A vote for healthcare as a critical issue facing Nevada - March 03, 2008
Affordable healthcare is one of the major issues facing political candidates in this year's election. Billions of dollars are spent on the healthcare industry, a system that is largely out of control, leaving individuals and their families without adequate healthcare coverage and, in many cases, without any coverage at all. According to the 2005 U. S. Census Bureau Report, Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States, 46.6 million people were without health insurance coverage in 2005, up from 45.3 million people in 2004.

Butler Health System Selects ProVation Software for Gastroenterology Procedure D - March 03, 2008
MINNEAPOLIS––(Business Wire)––ProVation(R) Medical, part of Wolters Kluwer Health, and Butler Health System announced today that Butler Health System has selected ProVation(R) MD software for Gastroenterology documentation and coding. The software will be implemented at Butler Ambulatory Surgery Center and Butler Memorial Hospital.

Allscripts Acquires Extended Care Information Network - March 03, 2008
CHICAGO, Jan. 2 /PRNewswire–FirstCall/ –– Allscripts, the leading provider of clinical software, connectivity and information solutions that physicians use to improve healthcare, announced today it has acquired all of the outstanding stock of Extended Care Information Network (ECIN), a leading provider of hospital care management and discharge planning software, for approximately $90 million in cash.

Fair Isaac's new score: Hospital bill-paying - March 03, 2008
DALLAS – Mortgage lenders aren't the only ones showing more interest in your credit score these days –– the health industry is creating its own score to judge your ability to pay. The new MedFICO score, being designed with the help of Minneapolis–based credit industry giant Fair Isaac Corp., could debut as early as this summer in some hospitals.

Massage, Just What The Doctor Ordered? - March 03, 2008
CAMDEN (Dec 15): In a perfect world, traditional medicine would be able to focus on preventative health care rather than treating illness and injury. Insurance would happily cover therapies prescribed by a physician promoting physical and emotional well being instead of having to treat patients for all the preventable troubles that seem to plague us these days. It’s hard to deny the fact that therapeutic massage is the number one way to defuse stress, a leading cause of most visits to our primary care physician.

Start-up puts wheels under massages - March 03, 2008
Greg Jack, a Gilbert–based health care consultant, is going into the mobile therapeutic massage business. Jack bought the first, and so far only, Valley franchise for a new Scottsdale company N8 Touch and is gearing up to roll his massage chairs into special events like 10–K runs, fairs and the Gilbert Days celebration.

Former physical therapist admits fraud - March 03, 2008
A former Richmond Hill physical therapist pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to scheming to commit health care fraud. Scott Thomas Bowlin, 44, of Rochester, N.Y., admitted to his role in defrauding Medicare and Georgia Medicaid out of more than $700,000 over a seven–month period.

New Ventures Help Fight the Frustrations of Fighting Breast Cancer - March 03, 2008
Rachel Troxell and Kristin Dudley joined an unlikely sorority when they started a company called Lymphedivas to sell fashionable compression sleeves for women suffering from lymphedema — businesses that owe their inspiration to a brush with breast cancer.

Man pleads guilty to felony Medicaid fraud - March 03, 2008
A Howard County man pleaded guilty Thursday in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City to two counts of Medicaid fraud for his role in a $4 million billing scheme.

City man in alleged insurance scheme arrested
Rickey Weir may have been tryi - March 03, 2008
When Rickey Weir traveled from Springfield to Africa later this month, he wanted his newly purchased Nissan Murano to be there, federal authorities said Wednesday. But arrangements to ship the sport utility vehicle tipped the feds off to Weir's alleged plans to flee the country after he was indicted earlier this month for defrauding patients and their insurance out of hundreds of thousands of dollars while working for his wife's medical practice.

Higher Medicare Reimbursement for Freedom60(R) Syringe Infusion Pump - March 03, 2008
CHESTER, N.Y., June 14 /PRNewswire–FirstCall/ –– Users of the Freedom60 infusion pump from Repro–Med Systems, Inc. (BULLETIN BOARD: REPR.OB) DBA RMS Medical Products are now entitled to receive 20 times the Medicare reimbursement previously offered. That's the substance of notification received from CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) that the Freedom60 has been re–reviewed for Medicare billing. It was the determination that the Medicare HCPCS code to bill the four Durable Medical Regional Carries (DMERCs) should be: E0779 Ambulatory infusion pump, mechanical, reusable, for infusion 8 hours or greater.

Major Medicare Fraud Detected in Florida - March 03, 2008
Dozens of south Floridans are being charged with ripping off the state treasury of millions of dollars paid for medical services and equipment not needed.

Billing Crisis Continues - March 03, 2008
WINTHROP –– When a therapist works with a child from a qualifying lower–income family, a state agency is supposed to pay for treatment. MaineCare Services, an arm of the Department of Health and Human Services, is that agency.

Weston Distance Learning, a Leader in Distance Education Launches McKinley Colle - March 03, 2008
FORT COLLINS, Colo., Sept. 7 /PRNewswire/ –– This week, Weston Distance Learning announced the launch of its third school, McKinley College. Based in Colorado, McKinley College offers Associate Degree programs to adults on a national basis via the parent company's proven distance education model. Health Information Management (HIM) and Accounting and Business Management (ABM) Associate Degrees are now offered. Additional Associate Degree programs are nearing completion.

Therap Services Announces Release 7.2 for the Developmental Disability Community - March 02, 2008
WATERBURY, Conn., March 2 /PRNewswire/ –– Therap Services announces the release of version 7.2 of its integrated suite of documentation, communication and reporting applications. Therap version 7.2 will feature new forms such as the Immunization Form and Consultation Form in the Health Tracking module and the Emergency Medical/Behavior Intervention Strategies (EMBIS) form in the GER module.

Vital Health Technologies, Inc. / Caribbean American Health Resorts Inc. Acquire - March 02, 2008
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Feb. 25 /PRNewswire–FirstCall/ –– Vital Health Technologies, Inc. / Caribbean American Health Resorts, Inc. (Pink Sheets: CAHR) of Beverly Hills, California, today announced the acquisition of Momentum Medical Group, Inc. in a stock and corporate note deal valued at approximately $8 million.

Nightingale Informatix Divests Therapist Helper Business - March 01, 2008
Nightingale Informatix Corporation (TSX–V: NGH), a provider of healthcare software and services, announced today that it has sold its Therapist Helper business to Netsmart Technologies, Inc. of Great River, New York.

Evidence in Motion Acquires Fit for Work - February 26, 2008
Louisville, KY (February 25, 2008) – Evidence in Motion, LLC, and Fit for Work, LP, today announced the signing of a definitive agreement whereby Fit for Work will sell a majority stake in its business to Evidence in Motion for an undisclosed sum.

Patients have direct access to physical therapy - February 25, 2008
In 2002, Pennsylvania reacted to this type of frustration and became the 35th state to allow direct access to physical therapy. Under the provisions of the law, physical therapists who meet certain criteria are able to apply for a direct access certificate of authorization, and certificate holders are able to evaluate and treat patients without a physician referral.

Physical therapists move through 1st year in business - February 25, 2008
Simard and her business partner, Diane Levasseur, share more than their leftovers. Their joint venture, Cornerstone Physical Therapy LLC, recently completed its first year in the Riverbend Marketplace, on Route 102. The firm began as banter between two longtime co–workers, and it continues to grow.

Christ Hospital leaves alliance
Departure from Health Alliance will cost mil - February 23, 2008
MOUNT AUBURN – Christ Hospital will become independent this year, but it will spend tens of millions of dollars on the transition and on renovations. Starting next month, Christ will start paying its own employees. In April, it will start billing for its services and in May it will unveil a new patient–information system.

Sevocity Adds Practice Management Software to EHR Solution Suite - February 22, 2008
SAN ANTONIO – (Business Wire) Sevocity, a division of Conceptual MindWorks, Inc. (CMI), today introduced Sevocity PM™, an internet–based practice management system that fully integrates with Sevocity EHR™, electronic health record solution. Developed in partnership with CollaborateMD, Sevocity PM offers robust practice management and billing solutions.

FileVision Helps Outpatient Therapy Clinic Increase Front Office Productivity, E - February 21, 2008
Atlanta – FileVision announced today that Hand & Therapy Specialists, Inc., an outpatient occupational and physical therapy clinic, will implement the new hosted version of FileVision’s solution to improve front office productivity, reduce billing cycles and ultimately raise business profits.

Kirkus Review of Practicing Profitability - Billing Network Effect - February 20, 2008
Lirov offers physicians and those involved in the field of medical billing reliable advice for improving their businesses and growing revenue.

Physical therapists feeling squeezed - February 20, 2008
At least 10 outpatient physical therapy clinics across Southwest Florida have closed since midsummer as a trio of trends has sapped the businesses' income.

Therapeutic Associates Selects athenahealth Services for Clinics in Oregon, Wash - February 19, 2008
PORTLAND, Ore. and WATERTOWN, Mass., Feb. 19, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) –– athenahealth, Inc. (Nasdaq:ATHN), a leading provider of internet–based business services for physician practices, today announced that Therapeutic Associates, Inc. (TAI) will deploy athenahealth's on–demand practice management and billing service at its outpatient facilities in the Pacific Northwest as it looks to enhance operational workflow, financial performance and provider connectivity across its care delivery organization.

Increase In-House Nursing Homes Collections - February 15, 2008
The following nursing home collections report outlines 11 guidelines you can follow to increase the amount of in–house long term care collections your facility collects.

A Review of Medical Billing Software Products - February 15, 2008
Medical billing software reviews are one of the easiest ways to find out important facts regarding the function and use of certain types of medical billing software, as well as their limitations.

Intelligent Electronic Medical Billing and SOAP Notes Software Requirements - February 15, 2008
Doctors and therapists must produce clinical documentation in ever increasing volumes and detail to ensure best healthcare, get medical claims paid in full and on time, and protect the practice from post–payment audits and unfair litigation.

Appointment Reminders for Medical Billing Revenue Protection and Patient Relatio - February 15, 2008
When patients miss appointments, they interrupt the flow of patient care, impede clinic productivity, and signal an eroding patient loyalty. The rate of no–shows runs at thirty percent for the average family practice. A missed appointment amounts to missed billing revenue. Worse, if the clinicians are part–time or full–time staff rather than contracted, they sit idle on the company clock, losing money with each passing minute. Finally, a missed appointment could be a symptom of a deserting patient, signaling a potential loss of long–term billing revenue.

Electronic Medical Billing Dashboard Software - 9 Performance Indicators For Ser - February 15, 2008
Arcane terminology and complex rules for payer– and time–dependent claim validity and pricing interpretation plague medical billing industry, resulting in massive payments of invalid or ineligible claims and denials of error–free claims. The amount and complexity of billing information make it very difficult for the doctor to maintain compliance and identify and resolve errors and underpayments.

Chiropractic Office Billing Quality - Comparative Analysis Using Performance Ind - February 15, 2008
It's good to have choices. And if you're a provider staring at a list of accounts receivable that are creeping up on 120 days, those choices become meaningful. The way that's done is by utilizing the power of indexing to compare payment performance among insurance companies on a level playing field, which ranks payers according to selected criteria.

Medical Billing - Oxygen - February 15, 2008
Before we get into the record specifications for billing oxygen claims, we're going to briefly discuss what is involved with oxygen billing and what it covers. In spite of what a lot of people think, it's more than just the oxygen itself. Oxygen billing, as a part of medical billing itself, is one of the most widely billed items.

Outsourced Chiropractic Billing Service Performance Benchmark - September 2006 - February 15, 2008
September Billing Performance Index (BPI) underperformed August value by 5.6%, replacing five participants in the list of top ten performers and dropping the index from 16.3 down to 21.9. This article describes a fourth iteration of a prototype for a rule–based chiropractic billing index, including its coverage definition, update cycle, volume weighting, and provided information.

Electronic Medical Billing Software and Service Compliance in Chiropractic Offic - February 15, 2008
Over the course of the past two decades, federal and state enforcement agencies have investigated medical billing incidents and brought multiple enforcement actions against healthcare practices. The list of agencies tasked with billing compliance enforcement includes federal Department of Justice, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) at the Department of Health and Human Service, state Medicaid fraud control units, and others.

All About Medical Billing, Coding & Claims Modifiers - February 15, 2008
Importance of Using Proper Modifiers: 1. The physician performed multiple procedures 2. The procedure performed was bilateral

Physical Therapy Billing - Shared Knowledge Base For Improved Control and Compli - February 15, 2008
A new industry of high–technology rehab and physical therapy billing has mushroomed under the auspices of its promise to streamline the collections process and leave doctors with more time to care for their patients. Though many high–quality services and systems exist, an overwhelming variety of options and attractive (yet unsubstantiated) performance claims from some providers have charmed busy doctors into making poor strategic decisions for their practices.

Physical Therapy Billing - ROI and Price-Performance Calculation for Solving Out - February 15, 2008
Internet–based technology has been applied effectively to reduce physical therapy and rehab practice billing costs, especially at the stages of claims validity tests (scrubbing) and electronic submission. The decision about the scope of of automation depends on the total cost of ownership, which is often difficult to compute. Quantification of billing quality and its inclusion into price–performance equation of billing service yields more comprehensive financial picture and better decisions about billing service outsourcing and management. It is effective, however, only subject to controlled billing performance levels and process transparency.

Physical Therapy Billing - February 15, 2008
Physical therapy billing is often misunderstood and taken for granted by most private practices which result in thousands of dollars lost each month, if not more. Proper PT billing and CPT coding can make or break a practice. Those who know rehab billing secrets and techniques and do it well are more successful overall. Those who do not fully understand billing for physical therapy don't do as well.

Physical Therapy Billing - Will Outsourcing End in 2008? - February 15, 2008
The dramatic economic growth of India has created some negative implications for offshore Business Process Outsourcing organizations (BPO). Some of these implications can be directly attributed to the devaluation of the USD in comparison to the rupee. If this trend persists, and the USD continues to lose its value in comparison to the rupee, only the most efficient BPO's in India will be able to continue to make a profit.

Rehab Billing Service Outsourcing - Zero-Sum Argument and Cost-Benefit Analysis - February 15, 2008
Over 17 percent of accounts receivable for an average physical therapy practice are beyond 120 days since the date of service. Although this may not seem to be a problem, as it would be expected that the money will come eventually, in fact an unpaid claim that is 180 days overdue has less than 1% chance of ever being paid. In other words, the average rehab practice delivers almost one fifth of its services for free. Would billing outsourcing be an appropriate solution for this problem?

Falling into medical debt - February 15, 2008
Russ Shaheen didn't plan to fall off a ladder. After he did, the Peoria resident certainly didn't plan on $100,000 in medical bills.

Health care collections cause swelling of bills - February 15, 2008
The politicians have it all wrong, J.R. Thomas says. The biggest problem facing the health care industry isn't the quality or availability of treatment, he says. The real danger to our national medical system is the soaring cost of getting the bills collected.

Some hospitals won't bill you if they cause your death - February 15, 2008
AUGUSTA (Feb 6): A group of Maine hospitals have agreed to a voluntary policy of not charging patients or insurers for serious medical mistakes they could have prevented — including operating on the wrong body part or administering the wrong drug with fatal consequences — but at least one legislator wants the policy written into state law.

A path to better health - February 15, 2008
While state and federal elected officials are planning major surgery on the nation's health–care system, a local group is starting with a shrewder approach: taking the patient's temperature.

CMS agrees to keep Medicare for Northwoods - February 15, 2008
ALBANY — The federal government last month started to shut four Northwoods Rehabilitation and Extended Care facilities out of the Medicare program, potentially throwing the care of 400 patients into even greater uncertainty.

Physical Therapy Billing - Shared Knowledge Base For Improved Control and Compli - January 06, 2008
A new industry of high–technology rehab and physical therapy billing has mushroomed under the auspices of its promise to streamline the collections process and leave doctors with more time to care for their patients. Though many high–quality services and systems exist, an overwhelming variety of options and attractive (yet unsubstantiated) performance claims from some providers have charmed busy doctors into making poor strategic decisions for their practices.

Physical Therapy Billing - Will Outsourcing End in 2008? - January 06, 2008
The dramatic economic growth of India has created some negative implications for offshore Business Process Outsourcing organizations (BPO). Some of these implications can be directly attributed to the devaluation of the USD in comparison to the rupee. If this trend persists, and the USD continues to lose its value in comparison to the rupee, only the most efficient BPO's in India will be able to continue to make a profit.

MEDHOST Partners With Nicka & Associates to Enhance Coding and Provide Auditing - January 04, 2008
ADDISON, TX –– (MARKET WIRE) –– 06/19/2006 –– MEDHOST, the leading provider of Emergency Department Information Systems (EDIS), today announced a partnership with Nicka & Associates, nationally recognized experts in emergency department (ED) practice management, documentation, coding, billing, reimbursement and compliance. Nicka & Associates will help MEDHOST ensure that its system's medical coding meets or exceeds new industry standards.

LighthouseMD Partners with Medi-Span - January 04, 2008
PROVIDENCE, R.I.––(BUSINESS WIRE)––Aug 22, 2006 – LighthouseMD, a leading provider of revenue cycle management, practice management and clinical workflow solutions to medical groups, today announced a new partnership agreement with Medi–Span, a leading provider of fully integrated electronic drug data and clinical information to healthcare professionals worldwide.

Memorial Hospital of Adel Selects LYNX Medical Systems Emergency Department Outp - January 04, 2008
BELLEVUE, Wash., July 25 /PRNewswire/ –– LYNX Medical Systems (LYNX), a leading provider of emergency medicine documentation and revenue management solutions, today announced that an agreement had been reached with Memorial Hospital of Adel in Georgia. Through the agreement, LYNX will implement its E/Point Online outpatient facility charging software application to better align Memorial Hospital's facility resource utilization with patient acuity in the Emergency Department (ED). Currently, LYNX serves more than 300 healthcare organizations nationwide representing more than 12 million annual encounters.

The Sullivan Group Announces Contract With Wood County Hospital Pioneering Solut - January 04, 2008
OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill., July 12 /PRNewswire/ –– The Sullivan Group (TSG), a leading provider of risk management solutions for medical professionals, announced today the signing of Wood County Hospital, Bowling Green, Ohio to its Emergency Medicine Risk Initiative (EMRI). EMRI has been proven to improve patient safety and reduce medical errors in the practice of emergency medicine.

Picis Names Mount Sinai Medical Center and Southern New Hampshire Medical Center - January 04, 2008
WAKEFIELD, Mass.––(BUSINESS WIRE)––June 26, 2006––Picis, Inc., the leading provider of high–acuity care automation and best practices software for hospitals, presented its 2006 User–of–the–Year awards at the annual Picis Exchange User Group Symposium, held in Palm Beach, Fla. In the emergency department (ED) excellence category, Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City was awarded the ED PulseCheck User of the Year for improving nursing and physician documentation and overall processes, which led to a $7.5 million increase in revenue and a 50 percent decrease in the average patient's length of stay. Perioperative suite user Southern New Hampshire Medical Center, the 2006 CareSuite(TM) User of the Year, was honored for advancing patient care through improved perioperative processes. This led to better patient flow, and enhanced data retrieval with simplified documentation. The Picis users were recognized for their broad use of product features and quantitative benefits realized while

Gov. Blagojevich Announces Sweeping Reforms To Improve Patient Safety Reduce Cos - January 04, 2008
In an effort to reduce the number of medical errors that claim the lives of more than 4,000 Illinoisans and nearly 100,000 Americans each year, Governor Rod R. Blagojevich today proposed sweeping and comprehensive changes to cut down on errors and improve patient safety. Medical errors cost $1.5 billion a year – in Illinois alone – contributing to higher insurance premiums, higher costs for hospital visits and treatments, higher co–pays, higher insurance rates for doctors and higher costs of prescription drugs. At Evanston Northwestern Healthcare, the Governor today proposed that all providers use “e–prescribing” to reduce errors and save time and money by eliminating paperwork. E–prescribing, or computerizing prescriptions, would mean doctors could easily see what other medications the patient is taking so there are no allergic reactions or other interactions, and then send the prescription to the patient's pharmacy electronically to avoid mix ups.

Plaza Selects ProVation® Software to Streamline Business Processes in Gastroente - January 04, 2008
FORT WORTH, Texas––(BUSINESS WIRE)––Plaza Medical Center took an important step today toward full implementation of its new gastroenterological laboratory, installing software from Minneapolis, Minn.–based ProVation® Medical, part of Wolters Kluwer Health, to manage the documentation, coding and billing of the procedures performed in the lab.

Governor Schwarzenegger Issues Directive to Protect Patients from Disputed Out-o - January 04, 2008
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today signed Executive Order S–13–06 to protect insured Californians from being charged for medical expenses that they do not owe. The executive order guards against "balance billing," a practice that makes patients – not providers or health plans – responsible for paying the disputed difference between their provider's bill and their health plan's coverage. In most cases, this dispute arises when a patient receives emergency care from a provider that does not have an agreement with the patient's health plan.

SUNY Downstate Medical Center Reduces Coding Backlog by 80% with the T SystemEV® - January 04, 2008
BROOKLYN, N.Y.––(BUSINESS WIRE)––SUNY Downstate Medical Center believes that efficiency directly translates to quality of patient care. Considering that the center—the only academic medical center in Brooklyn—serves a borough of 2.6 million people, the drive for efficiency is at the top of the hospital’s priorities.

El Centro Regional Medical Center to Implement MEDHOST's Emergency Department Te - January 04, 2008
ADDISON, TX –– (MARKET WIRE) –– 05/11/2006 –– El Centro Regional Medical Center, located in El Centro, Calif., today announced that it will implement MEDHOST's Emergency Department Information System (EDIS). MEDHOST's EDIS supplements hospital emergency departments (ED) with an easy–to–use and proficient technology platform that is proven to drastically improve charge capture, helps increase patient safety and reduces individual wait times. Accompanying its EDIS technologies, MEDHOST will provide El Centro Regional Medical Center with a full suite of consulting, support and training initiatives.

Myth Busting the Medical Billing and Coding Field - January 04, 2008
Seattle, WA (PRWEB) August 21, 2007 –– Leading health education directory has launched a 20–page career guide on becoming a medical billing and coding specialist.

Medical billing woes persist - January 04, 2008
A Waterville clinical psychologist and an Augusta podiatrist continue to have trouble with the state's Medicaid billing system, more than two years after it was launched.

WAL-MART, BANK BACK INCUBATOR - January 04, 2008
Simmons First National Bank and Wal–Mart have pledged support to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff’s business support incubator.

TA Associates and Twin Med Management Complete a $102.5 Million Recapitalization - January 04, 2008
BOSTON––(BUSINESS WIRE)––TA Associates, a leading growth private equity and buyout firm, today announced that it has teamed with Twin Med founders Steve and Shlomo Rechnitz in a $102.5 million recapitalization of Twin Med, LLC. Twin Med is a leading medical supplies distributor serving long–term care facilities throughout the United States.

IntelliDose(R) Unveils IntelliCharge - January 04, 2008
WALTHAM, Mass., June 1 /PRNewswire/ –– IntrinsiQ, LLC, a leader in medical oncology care software, unveiled its IntelliCharge module for IntelliDose(R), the oncology clinical information solution developed to automate the complex process of chemotherapy care. The announcement was made in conjunction with the opening of the 43rd annual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting today in Chicago, IL. IntelliCharge improves control and billing of costly chemotherapy drugs through automatic and precise calculation of chemotherapy encounter charges, all taken directly from detailed nursing notes. Drug and professional services codes are seamlessly passed to the billing system via an HL7 interface. Based on feedback from thousands of oncology practices, of all types and sizes, the newest enhancements to IntelliDose continue to provide the highest level of efficiency, safety, and integration to meet the diverse needs of the oncology market. By linking IntelliDose to a Practice Ma

Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates Selects ProVation® Software for Procedure Do - January 04, 2008
MINNEAPOLIS––(BUSINESS WIRE)––ProVation Medical, part of Wolters Kluwer Health, announced today that Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates, LLC (AGA) has selected its ProVation® MD software for gastroenterology documentation and coding, as well as its ProVation® MultiCaregiver software for perioperative documentation. The software will be implemented at seven locations throughout Atlanta and North Georgia, and will replace AGA’s current procedure documentation software.

SA lawyer warns of healthcare fraud - January 04, 2008
An Adelaide lawyer has warned of a new wave of healthcare fraud that could cost Australian taxpayers billions of dollars each year.

'Incident to' rules violation results in false claims allegation against physici - January 04, 2008
A Massachusetts physician has agreed to pay $150,000 to settle allegations that he submitted false claims to Medicare and Medicaid for office and nursing home visits performed by employed nurse practitioners and physician assistants without appropriate supervision. It is believed to be the first case of its kind to focus exclusively on violations of the 'incident to' rules.

Aged, Frail and Denied Care by Their Insurers - January 04, 2008
CONRAD, Mont. — Mary Rose Derks was a 65–year–old widow in 1990, when she began preparing for the day she could no longer care for herself. Every month, out of her grocery fund, she scrimped together about $100 for an insurance policy that promised to pay eventually for a room in an assisted living home.

HCPro Launches Coding Manuals for 2008 ICD-9-CM and HCPCS Codes - January 04, 2008
MARBLEHEAD, Mass.––(BUSINESS WIRE)––HCPro Inc., a leading publisher of coding education and training products for health information management (HIM) professionals, announces the development of coding manuals for 2008 ICD–9–CM and HCPCS codes.

MedAptus' Facility Charge Capture Solution Deployed at Lahey Clinic Medical Cent - January 04, 2008
BOSTON, June 21 /PRNewswire/ –– MedAptus(R) today announced that the newest offering in its suite of revenue cycle solutions, Facility Charge Capture, is now live and in the process of enterprise–wide deployment at the world–class Lahey Clinic Medical Center.

National Health Law Group of Ober|Kaler Welcomes Four New Attorneys to Washingto - January 04, 2008
WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 /PRNewswire/ –– Adding still more depth to one of the region's powerhouses in health care law, Ober|Kaler has hired four new attorneys in its Washington, D.C. office, including lawyers whose legal victories include the largest single health care settlement ever and favorable Supreme Court rulings.

Biden Outlines Health Care Plan For All Americans - January 04, 2008
Des Moines, IA (October 23, 2007) – Today Sen. Joe Biden announced his health care plan for all Americans.

Heal Thyself - January 04, 2008
The power of mind over biology is a mystery that science has just begun to understand, but healers from the the Eastern world did not wait for science to break the mind–body code. Elaborate systems of curing and preventing disease have been developed by trial and error, and applied by faith in an invisible energy called “qi.”

Two or Three Components? - January 04, 2008
Let's face it, evaluation and management (E&M) coding is confusing. So I'd like to review some basic concepts.

Quick Study
Private Schools Offer Fast Track for Career Training - January 04, 2008
The first step into many careers is through the door of a training facility. And when it comes to gaining the credentials you need to be hired in the shortest possible time, there is no better entry point than a private vocational school.

Outsourcing is 'In' - January 04, 2008
A couple of months back, Wockhardt Hospital, Mumbai took the strategic decision to outsource its payroll activity to Mafoi, a leader in handling HR solutions for a range of industries. The key decision has saved manpower and time for the Hospital as the central HR team at Bangalore can collate the data and send it for further processing to the vendor company (Mafoi). The result is that the HR team is able to concentrate on other important aspects.

Ohio Hospitals Select Allscripts for Emergency Department Automation and Informa - January 04, 2008
CHICAGO––(BUSINESS WIRE)––June 30, 2006––Allscripts (Nasdaq:MDRX), the leading provider of clinical software, connectivity and information solutions that physicians use to improve healthcare, today announced that Ohio's Fisher–Titus Medical Center (FTMC) and Magruder Hospital will both implement the HealthMatics(R) ED Emergency Department Information System from Allscripts to automate the more than 41,000 emergency room visits annually at the two organizations.

Doctors Improve Patient Care with Affinity Billing
Integrated Workflow Helps - January 04, 2008
Dr. Gamil Makar, Family Medicine, St. Joseph’s Health System in New Jersey, has seen his appointment frequency grow by 24% since engaging Affinity Billing. Integrated practice workflow ties together patient scheduling, SOAP notes, and revenue cycle management.

Nursing Home Industry - Breeding Ground For Whistleblowers - January 04, 2008
One of the most effective weapons the government has for unearthing fraud against Medicare and Medicaid in the nursing home industry is the False Claims Act. The fraud is so rampant in that industry that it should be officially designated as a breeding ground for whistleblowers.

Three Rochester health care workers charged with false billing for phantom work - January 04, 2008
Albany –– Attorney General Andrew Cuomo Monday announced the arrests of two Rochester area health care workers who stole from taxpayers by submitting false timesheets for work they never performed. A third health care worker who was paid over $12,000 by a nursing home for hours she did not work was also charged.

Smyrna nursing home pays $550K to settle Medicaid fraud case - January 04, 2008
State and federal officials announced today a $550,000 settlement in a fraudulent medical billing case against Green Valley Pavilion of Smyrna.

MedSynergies and Practice Performance Inc. Merge to Offer Complete Solutions Por - December 29, 2007
DALLAS, Sept. 18 /PRNewswire/ –– MedSynergies Inc., a leading provider of healthcare revenue cycle services and technology that includes advanced analytics and reporting platforms, announced it has completed a merger with Dallas–based healthcare management and technology company Practice Performance Inc. (PPI), effective August 31.

How healthy is your medical credit score?
System being designed to help hosp - December 29, 2007
Mortgage lenders aren't the only ones showing more interest in your credit score these days – the health industry is creating its own score to judge your ability to pay.

North St. Louis County nursing home among the nation's worst - December 29, 2007
A north St. Louis County nursing home is among the worst of more than 16,000 in the nation and could be forced to close unless it improves, a federal agency said Thursday.

Sybase iAnywhere Helps Healthcare Industry Revolutionize and Improve Patient Car - December 29, 2007
DUBLIN, Calif., Feb. 26 /PRNewswire–FirstCall/ –– Sybase iAnywhere today announced continuing momentum for the adoption of its leading technologies to power innovative healthcare applications developed by organizations such as Peoplefirst Rehabilitation, Per–Se Technologies, STI Computing, and IDEXX. Sybase iAnywhere helps vendors deliver powerful, flexible, and cost–effective human and animal healthcare solutions that enable organizations of any size to deliver timely access to critical patient information, streamline business processes and reduce administrative costs.

Highline Medical Center Selects Patient Communication Services from Per-Se Techn - December 29, 2007
ALPHARETTA, Ga.––(BUSINESS WIRE)––Sept. 13, 2006––Highline Medical Center has selected Per–Se Technologies (Nasdaq: PSTI), the leader in Connective Healthcare solutions that help physicians, pharmacies and hospitals realize their financial goals, to generate, print and mail patient communication. Highline Medical Center will also make available a patient self–service portal, PerYourHealth.com(R), powered by Per–Se.

Campbell Clinic Selects athenahealth's On-Demand Practice Management Service for - December 29, 2007
GERMANTOWN, Tenn. and WATERTOWN, Mass., Oct. 29, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) –– pic For Immediate Release athenahealth, Inc. (Nasdaq:ATHN), a leading provider of Internet–based business services for physician practices, today announced at the Medical Group Management Association's (MGMA) national convention in Philadelphia, that the Campbell Clinic, one of the world's premier orthopaedic centers, has selected athenahealth's on–demand practice management and billing service, athenaCollector(SM), for its four facilities throughout the state of Tennessee.

Medicare bill summary - December 29, 2007
Here’s a summary of the proposed Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 as released by the Senate Finance Committee.

New York Doctor Pleads Guilty to Health Care Claims Fraud
Doctor Stole Over - December 29, 2007
May 24, 2007 –– TRENTON – New Jersey Attorney General Stuart Rabner and Division of Criminal Justice Director Gregory A. Paw announced that a New York physician pleaded guilty today to defrauding insurance companies by submitting numerous false Personal Injury Protection (PIP) auto insurance claims.

Oswego Hospital Goes Live with Web-Based Clinical Suite from IntraNexus
Comm - December 29, 2007
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.––(BUSINESS WIRE)––June 28, 2006––IntraNexus Inc., an innovator in healthcare information systems, announced today that Oswego Hospital in Oswego, NY, has successfully launched Sapphire, their Web–based, comprehensive healthcare information system. Sapphire provides clinicians with an all–inclusive electronic medical record (EMR), including CPOE, results reporting, and a clinical data repository. Sapphire also enables clinicians to remotely access secure, any–time/anywhere patient information using any device with Web access.

Nightingale signs US$3.1 million enterprise agreement with Baltimore hospital - December 29, 2007
MARKHAM, Ontario, Dec 20, 2007 (BUSINESS WIRE) –– Nightingale Informatix Corporation ("Nightingale") (TSX VENTURE: NGH), one of North America's fastest growing healthcare software and services providers, today announced that it has signed a three–year $3.1 million revenue cycle management contract with Baltimore, Maryland–based Harbor Hospital, a 203–bed hospital with 52 employed physicians and an affiliated network of more than 200 active physicians. All financial terms are in U.S. dollars.

Lack of medical bills dogs prisons
Officials catching heat for their account - December 29, 2007
Not reviewing itemized bills for tens of millions of taxpayer dollars spent annually on inmate medical care didn't make sense to state Sen. John A. Carey Jr.

athenahealth Helps Physicians Maximize Revenue Under New National Medicare Pay-f - December 29, 2007
WATERTOWN, Mass., March 23, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) (PRIMEZONE) –– athenahealth, Inc., the premier provider of web–based services, knowledge, and software for medical practices, today announced that its web–based athenaNet(r) practice management system now includes new physician quality measures and coding rules for its entire national client base as part of the new Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 (TRHCA) that was signed into law in December 2006.

QuadraMed Converts Enterprise Scheduling Clients To Advanced Access Management S - December 29, 2007
RESTON, Va.––(BUSINESS WIRE)––QuadraMed® Corporation (Amex: QD) today announced the company has completed migration of all U.S. clients from its QuadraMed Encompass scheduling product to QuadraMed Enterprise Scheduling for Access Management. QuadraMed Enterprise Scheduling features more than 100 software enhancements, including a leading–edge rehab scheduler and a comprehensive audit log. A real time Web–based Physician Web Scheduling module along with medical necessity and automated call–back reminder products are power add–ons to improve revenue.

Audit: DOH Overpaid Medical Providers $25 Million - December 29, 2007
ALBANY–––The New York State Department of Health overpaid medical providers $25.7 million for clinic services for hospitalized Medicaid recipients because controls within DOH's eMedNY claims processing system designed to prevent double payments for services were not being used and the clinics were not following Medicaid billing guidelines, according to an audit released Friday by the state Comptroller's office.

Coffee Health Group Earns User Excellence Award for Innovative Use of Technology - December 29, 2007
SHERBORN, MA––(Marketwire – June 12, 2007) – Boston Software Systems™, the leader in workflow automation technology to the healthcare market, today named Coffee Health Group as the winner of the first annual Boston WorkStation™ User Excellence Award. This honor recognizes Coffee Health Group for its successful business office application, which is generating an estimated $30,000 per month increase in revenues.

National Medical Imaging Installs SourceRad Throughout Its 21 Facilities - December 29, 2007
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.––(BUSINESS WIRE)––SourceMedical, a leader in information management solutions for outpatient and diagnostic imaging centers, today added 21 new SourceRad integrated RIS/PACS/Billing solution installations to its customer base. National Medical Imaging (NMI), a national provider of diagnostic imaging services, has signed up to install SourceRad in all of its facilities.

Tech-Savvy Gulf Coast Chiropractor Cures Practice Headaches with RAPID Chiroprac - December 29, 2007
Florida chiropractor Dr. Joseph Ferrantelli enhanced the efficiency and productivity of his practice as well as his relationships with referral sources with the implementation of RAPID chiropractic software from the ACOM Healthcare Business Division.

AlphaQuest and Care2Learn Launch E-learning Solution for Billing, Coding and Com - December 29, 2007
Care2Learn and AlphaQuest, LLC announce a new E–learning solution for billing, coding and compliance professionals. The customized online learning management system, known as AlphaQuest University (“AQU”), http://www.alphaquestllc.com; or www.codingacademy.com;, was developed to serve the greater than 100,000 certified billing, coding and compliance professionals in the healthcare industry.

Langer, Inc. Signs Preferred Provider Agreement With Genesis Rehabilitation Serv - December 29, 2007
DEER PARK, N.Y., June 29, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) –– Langer, Inc. (Nasdaq:GAIT) "Langer" or the "Company") today announced the signing of a two year agreement with Genesis Rehabilitation Services ("GRS"), a subsidiary of Genesis HealthCare Corporation, designating Regal Medical, Inc. ("Regal"), a subsidiary of Langer, as a preferred provider of contracture management products and services to patients in long–term care facilities where GRS provides rehabilitation services.

GeBBS secures a contract to provide RCM services in the Rehabilitation Segment - December 29, 2007
GeBBS Healthcare Solutions, one of India’s leading healthcare BPO providers, today announced a deal to deliver value–added and exclusive ARM services in the Rehabilitation arena. This further augments GeBBS’ position in the RCM outsourcing space.

Physical therapist teaches board new exercises - December 29, 2007
Before getting down to business matters, the Teton County Hospital District Board, meeting Sept. 24, learned about a new exercise program, "Beyond Kegels," that Teton Medical Center physical therapists are promoting to strengthen pelvic floor muscles.

Triangle Orthopaedic Associates Selects athenahealth’s Web-Based Practice Manage - December 29, 2007
WATERTOWN, Mass. & DURHAM, N.C.––(BUSINESS WIRE)––athenahealth, Inc., the premier provider of web–based services, knowledge, and software for medical practices, today announced that Triangle Orthopaedic Associates, P.A., a leading orthopaedic surgical group with over 60 providers and nine locations, has selected athenahealth’s athenaNet® practice management system to bolster its financial and operational performance.

Misys EMR(R)'s Flexible Products Strengthen Business Performance at Tidewater Ph - December 29, 2007
RALEIGH, N.C.––(BUSINESS WIRE)––May 30, 2006––Misys Healthcare Systems, a market leader in healthcare IT, today announced that Tidewater Physical Therapy, Inc. (TPTI) has selected Misys EMR(R) to clinically automate the 20–location, 50–therapist practice in Virginia and North Carolina, freeing the clinicians to devote more time to patient care. TPTI considered a range of solutions before concluding that Misys EMR, a flexible electronic medical record solution, will best meet the specific needs of their large, multi–site physical therapy practice.

Medical Transcription Industry Moving to Make the Philippines a Major Global Pla - December 29, 2007
(PRWEB) September 6, 2006 –– A significant growth is being envisioned for the Philippine business processing industry in the near future; much of this growth is centered in medical transcription.

FONAR Announces Fiscal 2006 Year-End Financial Results - December 29, 2007
MELVILLE, N.Y.––(BUSINESS WIRE)––Sept. 15, 2006––FONAR Corporation (NASDAQ:FONR), The Inventor of MR Scanning(TM), today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full year of fiscal 2006, which ended June 30, 2006.

Wyoming Hospital Selects Medsphere OpenVista® Electronic Health Record - December 29, 2007
NEW ORLEANS –– Third Adoption in a Month for Commercial VistA–Based System HIMSS 2007 Annual Conference. Medsphere Systems Corporation, the leading provider of professional open source–based electronic health record (EHR) systems and services, today announced a five–year agreement to deploy its OpenVista® EHR platform at Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County (MHSC) in Rock Springs, Wyoming. The 99–bed not–for–profit facility is the third community hospital to adopt OpenVista’s paperless system in the last month.

Clinic-and-Medical-School-to-Benefit-From-Electronic-Patient-Records'>Des Moines University Clinic Selects InteGreat's IC-Chart EHR
Clinic and Med - December 29, 2007
SCOTTSDALE, AZ –– (MARKET WIRE) –– October 09, 2006 –– Des Moines University Clinic, a multi–specialty medical clinic affiliated with Des Moines University in Des Moines, Iowa, has selected InteGreat's IC–Chart® as its electronic health records (EHR) system based on its ease of use, reporting functions and ability to interface with Groupcast®, its new IDX®–based software billing system, which currently is in the installation stage. IC–Chart implementation is tentatively scheduled for spring 2007.

MDwerks Signs Marketing Agreement with Thera-Med - December 29, 2007
DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla.––(BUSINESS WIRE)––MDwerks, Inc. (OTCBB:MDWK), a provider of innovative Web–based, electronic claims management and funding solutions for healthcare professionals, announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Thera–Med Systems, LLC to provide various marketing, telemarketing and other performance–based sales services to the Company.

5 Ways to Lower Your Medical Bills - December 29, 2007
Sanjiv Luthra of Los Altos, Calif., suffered from the pain and fatigue of rapid–onset arthritis so severe that he couldn't walk 10 feet until he underwent double knee replacement surgery last year. Almost two years later, he can walk and run but still suffers the fallout from another ailment: medical bills.

American Consumer Council Criticizes Cigna and Healthcare System in Death of Tee - December 29, 2007
The American Consumer Council criticized health insurance giant Cigna Corp for denying approval for a liver transplant operation that led to the death of 17–year old Nataline Sarkisyan.

Qui Tam/Whistleblower Case Histories In The Healthcare Industry - December 29, 2007
Here are some examples of recent Qui Tam cases from all over the United States. Approximately one of every three dollars recovered through false claims cases relate to healthcare fraud.

GORILLABILL.COM HELPS CONSUMERS DIAGNOSE MEDICAL BILLS - December 29, 2007
(openPR) – NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Gone are the days of letting your insurance company handle your health care expenses. For many Americans, out–of–pocket medical expenses have soared because of higher insurance premiums, larger deductibles and an increasing number of medical services that are excluded from coverage. More individuals are managing their own expenses and utilizing Heath care Savings Accounts, while the number of uninsured individuals continues to grow.

Rush-Copley Medical Group Selects athenahealth for Improved Financial and Clinic - December 28, 2007
AURORA, Ill. and WATERTOWN, Mass., Sept. 12, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) –– athenahealth, Inc., a provider of internet–based business services to physician practices, today announced that Rush–Copley Medical Group, which is part of Rush–Copley Medical Center, a 183–bed hospital with over 1,500 employees and 500 physicians on staff, has selected athenahealth's practice management service, athenaCollector(sm), for its physician organization. Rush–Copley will also be using Eclipsys Corporation's(r) (Nasdaq:ECLP) Sunrise Ambulatory Care(tm) offering as part of a new integrated clinical and financial ambulatory care solution.

MediSys Corporation Finalizes Multi-Million Dollar Distribution Agreement With G - December 28, 2007
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla., July 25 /PRNewswire–FirstCall/ –– MediSys Corporation (Pink Sheets: MDYS – News) announced it has executed a definitive Distribution Agreement with Innovative Practice Solutions, Inc., a Georgia based Medical Practice Management firm. Innovative Practice Solutions (IPS) will represent MediSys Corporation as an exclusive distributor of the MaxLife Center for Men(TM) in Georgia.

Pair operates international business in their basement - December 28, 2007
Nicole and Mike Robeck have teamed up to make their Black Hills Medical Billing Service the 2007 Small Business Association South Dakota Home–Based Business of the Year. They work together in their basement along with Lucy, their new Labradoodle, a Labrador and poodle mix. (Steve McEnroe/Journal staff)

More moms start businesses to stay at home with families - December 28, 2007
Ranadene Tapio believes in signs. The Sauk Rapids woman should have noticed the emotional sign when she cried every day during her almost one–hour commute.

Newington therapist allegedly got paid for work he never provided - December 28, 2007
NEWINGTON – A local physical therapist was arrested Thursday on suspicions that he billed the state's Medicaid program for services that he never provided to the residents of a Newington group home.

HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) Reports Criminal Enforcement Actions for H - December 28, 2007
In Tennessee, the owner of a physical therapy company pled guilty to violating the anti–kickback statute and was sentenced to 4 months in prison and ordered to pay $173,000 in restitution. The woman paid kickbacks to doctors based on the percentage of her profits for the patients referred to her company for physical therapy services. During the investigation, it was also revealed that the woman employed unlicensed physical therapists, billed for more therapy than was provided, and prepared fraudulent medical records for a Medicare audit.

FBI: Detroit-area Medicare Fraud "out of control - December 28, 2007
DETROIT –– A web of low–income residents, doctors and sham physical therapy centers here is costing millions of dollars in bogus Medicare claims, making the region one of the nation's worst for fraud in the federal program, the FBI said.

FBI zeros in on Medicare fraud Metro Detroit
Agent: Schemes problem in area - December 28, 2007
Medicare is being bilked out of millions of dollars in metro Detroit, which the FBI on Thursday called one of the nation's worst areas for such fraud.

Doctor indicted in Verizon health plan billing scam - December 28, 2007
NEW YORK (AP) _ A physician whose wife vanished and was later found dead in the East River was arraigned Thursday on charges of running a "medical mill" that cheated the Verizon Communications Inc. health plan by fraudulent billing.

Patterson Cos. buys software firm - December 28, 2007
Patterson Cos. Inc. said Monday it has bought Advanced Practice Systems, a California firm that makes software used by physical therapy practices.

Patterson Companies Acquires Developer and Marketer Of Industry-Leading Practice - December 28, 2007
ST. PAUL, Minn.––(BUSINESS WIRE)––Patterson Companies, Inc. (Nasdaq:PDCO) today announced the acquisition of Advanced Practice Systems (known in the marketplace as PTOS Software), the developer and marketer of the industry–leading practice management software for physical therapists. PTOS will become part of Patterson Medical, Patterson’s rehabilitation supply and equipment unit. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

ACOM Healthcare Business Division Introduces RAPID Complete - Enterprise Edition - December 28, 2007
Recognizing a strong trend toward the establishment of chiropractic–centric, multi–specialty, multi–location pain management clinics, the ACOM Healthcare Business Division has introduced RAPID Complete – Enterprise Edition, as a comprehensive office management solution that supports the billing, reporting and office management requirements of all of the specialties involved.

Southwestern Medical Clinic Selects Allscripts to Automate Clinical and Back-Off - December 28, 2007
CHICAGO, and BERRIEN SPRINGS, Mich., Aug. 28 /PRNewswire/ –– Allscripts , the leading provider of clinical software, connectivity and information solutions that physicians use to improve healthcare, today announced that Southwestern Medical Clinic has selected Allscripts as their provider of an integrated Electronic Health Record and Practice Management solution to automate clinical and financial operations for the group's nearly 70 healthcare providers.

Siemens Soarian Health Information Management is Widely Adopted by Leading Healt - December 28, 2007
MALVERN, Pa., Oct. 8 /PRNewswire–FirstCall/ –– Siemens Medical Solutions (http://www.usa.siemens.com/healthcareit) is fulfilling the demand for a workflow–oriented, patient–centric approach to healthcare with its Enterprise Document Management (EDM) and Soarian(R) Healthcare Information Management (HIM) solutions, which are helping healthcare institutions enhance patient care, improve patient safety initiatives, and reduce healthcare costs. Leading healthcare organizations, like many of those which will be participating in this year's 79th Annual American Health and Information Management Association (AHIMA) Convention and Exhibit, have adopted these solutions as a means to assist in streamlining patient data and making information readily available to those in the organizations who need it most.

Nightingale signs $1.6 million software license agreement with Center for Disabi - December 27, 2007
MARKHAM, ON, Jan. 2 /CNW/ – Nightingale Informatix Corporation ("Nightingale"), (TSX–V: NGH), one of North America's fastest growing healthcare providers of Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and Practice Management solutions, announces a $1.6 million contract to provide its enterprise EMR application to the Center for Disability Services (CFDS), based in Albany, New York. CFDS is an existing customer utilizing Nightingale's Entity Practice Management solution and will acquire Nightingale's EMR solution in order to better track clinical information on patients and improve operational efficiency.

Update on the alleged loss of a CD containing member data - December 26, 2007
Update on the alleged loss of a CD containing member personal health and identity information: Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield was just informed that Magellan Behavioral Health Services has located the CD sent via UPS by Health Data Management Solutions (HDMS), a third party vendor to Magellan, an Empire benefit program administrator, that included some members’ personal health information. The CD was lost in transit and was located this afternoon.

Critical Access Hospitals Purchase Chargemaster Toolkit – CAH - December 25, 2007
Orlando, FL (PRWEB) June 21, 2006 –– Craneware, Inc., a leading supplier of chargemaster management and revenue cycle software solutions, today announced that Blowing Rock Hospital in Blowing Rock, North Carolina; Skyline Hospital in White Salmon, Washington; and Bayside Community Hospital and Clinic in Anahuac, Texas, have joined the growing number of critical access hospitals and small rural facilities using Chargemaster Toolkit – CAH™, the first revenue cycle solution designed for specific billing, coding, revenue capture and reporting needs of critical access hospitals.

American Consumer Council Criticizes Cigna and Healthcare System in Death of Te - December 24, 2007
The American Consumer Council criticized health insurance giant Cigna Corp for denying approval for a liver transplant operation that led to the death of 17–year old Nataline Sarkisyan. Thomas Hinton, president of the 82,000 member non–profit American Consumer Council (ACC), said, “Health insurance companies like Cigna continue to put their financial interest ahead of patient survival and urgent treatment when medical procedures such as liver transplants are deemed too costly. Ms. Sarkisyan and her family suffered needlessly because of Cigna's flip–flopping and delay tactics.”

14 Step Selection of Outsourced Billing Software and Service for a Physical Ther - December 24, 2007
Over four thousand vendors of medical billing services offer solutions to Physical Therapy and Rehab practices nationwide in response to poor in–house billing performance and increasing regulatory scrutiny of billing processes. On one hand, such a large number of outsourced billing solutions ensure continued competitiveness in terms of both service quality and pricing. On the other hand, the lack of uniform service standards and metrics among the vendors, combined with their large numbers, makes the process of vendor selection difficult and error–prone.

Massage, Just What The Doctor Ordered? - December 16, 2007
The most prevalent use and only guaranteed way for insurance to cover prescribed therapeutic massage is for anyone involved in an auto accident or who has a workman's compensation claim. In both cases, massage can and should be an important part of their treatment plan as prescribed by their physician. Work related conditions such as back pain, headaches, and repetitive motion injuries respond extremely well with massage therapy, as do many other problems.

Physical Therapy Billing Software and Service Performance Metrics - December 04, 2007
Billing performance measurement is an integral part of physical therapy practice billing process and a prerequisite to effective rehab practice management. Systematic measurement becomes mission–critical with growth of billing complexity or outsourcing of the billing function. Traditional billing metrics are limited in scope and focus on claim submission process, ignoring process imperfections on the insurance (payer) side. Modern computer technologies allow both productive measurement and effective action by the disciplined billing office to improve claim submission and payment processes.

Southwestern Medical Clinic Selects Allscripts to Automate Clinical and Back-Off - December 03, 2007
Allscripts, the leading provider of clinical software, connectivity and information solutions that physicians use to improve healthcare, today announced that Southwestern Medical Clinic has selected Allscripts as their provider of an integrated Electronic Health Record and Practice Management solution to automate clinical and financial operations for the group's nearly 70 healthcare providers.

Siemens Soarian Health Information Management is Widely Adopted by Leading Healt - December 03, 2007
Leading Healthcare Institutions Embrace Technology That Enables Free Flow of Patient Documentation Throughout the Enterprise Siemens Medical Solutions is fulfilling the demand for a workflow–oriented, patient–centric approach to healthcare with its Enterprise Document Management (EDM) and Soarian(R) Healthcare Information Management (HIM) solutions, which are helping healthcare institutions enhance patient care, improve patient safety initiatives, and reduce healthcare costs.

Boston Area Medical Providers Named In Multimillion Dollar Healthcare Fraud Sche - December 01, 2007
Owners and employees of Boston Regional Physical Therapy, Inc., and its sister corporation, Central Metropolitan Billing Services, Inc., have been named as defendants in a multi–million dollar lawsuit before the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts; recoveries in the lawsuit could top $5 million.

Grasso, Stevens alumni deploy next generation information systems platform - December 01, 2007
Platform will be used at Newark's Industrial Rehabilitation Clinic. Dr. S. Vincent Grasso, an adjunct professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Stevens Institute of Technology and founder of Technology Integrations for Medical Applications, Inc. (TIMA) has collaborated with Stu Patel and Sub Prabhakaran of Universal Industrial Clinic (UIC), in the deployment of an advanced healthcare information system platform for the rehabilitation clinic.

GeBBS secures a contract to provide RCM services in the Rehabilitation Segment - November 24, 2007
GeBBS Healthcare Solutions, one of India's leading healthcare BPO providers, today announced a deal to deliver value–added and exclusive ARM services in the Rehabilitation arena. This further augments GeBBS' position in the RCM outsourcing space.

Guidelines for the New Graduate: Easing into the World of Therapy - November 24, 2007
New graduates have succeeded in our work environment. We pride ourselves on providing training, clinical education and a continuous support network. Browse through some examples from Yaffa Liebermann's up coming book entitled: "Guidelines for the New Graduate: Easing into the World of Therapy."

Medicare Continues to Reduce Improper Claims Payments - November 24, 2007
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced today that aggressive oversight efforts have resulted in a further reduction of the number of improper Medicare claims payments, which declined from 14.2 percent in 1996, to 4.4 percent in 2006, to 3.9 percent in 2007.

Physical therapist pleads to fraud scam - His seven-month scheme stole more than - November 23, 2007
A physical therapist has admitted scheming with his wife, a Wayne County doctor and the doctor's wife to steal more than $700,000 in government health–care reimbursements over a seven–month period.

Billing for services of physical therapists - November 23, 2007
Given today's health care climate, physicians welcome the opportunity to generate additional income within their practices. In searching for ways to generate income, physicians often look to sources of revenue generated from the provision of services ancillary to their own, since most physicians cannot pack any more patient care hours into the day than they already provide now.

Rehab Billing Service Outsourcing Dilemma - November 22, 2007
Can an outsourced medical billing service improve or expedite payments and reduce costs? This article revisits key arguments for and against billing outsourcing in light of increasing complexity and regulatory scrutiny of billing processes.

Physical Therapy Billing Software, HIPAA Compliance, and Role Based Access Contr - November 21, 2007
HIPAA compliance requires special focus. A rehab practice with multiple separate systems for patient scheduling, electronic medical records, and billing, requires multiple separate HIPAA management efforts. This article presents an integrated approach to HIPAA compliance and outlines HIPAA terminology, principles, and requirements to help the physical therapy practice owner to ensure HIPAA compliance by medical billing service and software vendors.

Rehab Practice Billing Control with Computer Aided Coding Software - November 21, 2007
The average rehab practice submits half of its codes wrong, while some practices rarely exceed more than one code right out of every five codes. Computer aided coding with integrated superbill places the physical therapist in control and enables dynamic, precise, reliable, consistent, defensive, and inexpensive coding process.

Physical Therapy Billing - November 20, 2007
Your billing system is the life blood of your private practice. The billing system keeps the revenue flowing that in turn keeps the business going. Most physical therapists want to treat patients and not deal with the billing.

Boston Area Medical Providers Named In Multimillion Dollar Healthcare Fraud Sche - November 20, 2007
Owners and employees of Boston Regional Physical Therapy, Inc., and its sister corporation, Central Metropolitan Billing Services, Inc., have been named as defendants in a multi–million dollar lawsuit.

Are You a Good Rehab Practice for an Outsourced Billing Service Vendor? - November 20, 2007
Dr. John Doe woke up at two AM and was unable to fall asleep again. He went to his desk, logged onto his computer and looked for the termination clause in the Agreement with his billing service.

CMS Physical Therapy Resources - November 09, 2007
Additional resources for rehab and therapy services from CMS.