Patients Safe and On Time

Here is a timely referral and referenced recommendation. It positions you as a “Concierge”. You can utilize the services of patient assistance, transportation and follow-up to extend both your reach of medical service and to build the commercial/cash segment of your practice.

We live in a world where many people are by themselves. Whether because of demands of work, personal separations, or by other personal decisions, there is a shortage of personal “back-up” systems in our culture. They can “Tweet”, use ‘Facebook” and such, but there may not be someone to take them to their physician’s office, check in early for minor surgery, or get home from therapy. That is what CareMinders Home Care is all about.

CareMinders Home Care is a mobile extension of your practice for cash and commercial patients. Yes, they do not take Medicare or Medicaid. And, the payment relationship is between CareMinders Home Care and the patient.

The Concierge service provides first-class transportation, a certified Nursing Assistant (CNAs), a Registered Nurse if appropriate, and management over-sight. If needed the care can be over-night. You provide the medical instruction and desired schedule for continuing treatment or a surgical appointment, etc. Your time is valuable and should be maximized. This program respects your time and strives to keep you in the office & the appointment book full of the desired reimbursement.

We see this as a way for new revenues with no more time used or hassle. It has great possibilities in getting people cared for and back to full-service.
If you wish more information: Contact Casey Martin at 214-570-9635.

E-Newsletter to Flagship Physician Network Brokers

WE HAVE EXPERIENCED THE POWER OF THE “WHITE COAT BRIGADE”. ACTUALLY, WE RECENTLY WALKED INTO A 55 LIFE COMPANY AND SAID. “HELLO, I AM DR. FLAGSHIP AND I REPRESENT YOUR COMMUNITY PHYSICIANS. MAY I SEE THE CEO?” THE PHYSICIAN ASKING TO SEE THE DECISION MAKER IS A MEMBER OF “THE WHITE COAT BRIGADE”. HE ALSO IS A LEADER OF A LARGE NUMBER OF FLAGSHIP PRACTITIONERS. HE MAY BE LICENSED AS A BENEFITS CONSULTANT & A GROUP ONE AGENT, IN WHICH CASE HE CAN HANDLE THE SALE AND EARN HIS OWN SALES COMMISSION. THESE ARE VERY CONVINCING SALES EMISSARIES.
THE RECEPTIONIST RETURNED WITH THE CEO. IN 40 MINUTES, BYRON GILLORY, VP OF SALES AND MARKETING, LEFT WITH A CENSUS. YOU CAN SEE THAT “THE WHITE COAT BRIGADE” IS A POWERFUL FORCE TO TRUMP COMPETITION AND GATEKEEPERS.

“THE WHITE COAT BRIGADE” OPENS DOORS AND CLOSES DEALS

THE SPECIAL FLAGSHIP AGENTS CAN SLOT A LICENSED PHYSICIAN AGENT INTO RESERVED TIME FRAMES. IT IS OUR EXPECTATION THAT OUR SPECIAL AGENTS AND “THE WHITE COAT BRIGADE” WILL MELD, BOND AND ROLL-UP COMPETITION. JUST CONSIDER THE TYPICAL COMPETITION’S BROKER ATTEMPTING TO ADDRESS THE EXPENSE OF INSULIN RESISTANCE ON AN EMPLOYEE POPULATION WHILE STARING DOWN ONE OF THE FLAGSHIP TDI LICENSED MEDICAL PROVIDERS AND A PROFESSIONAL SELF-INSURANCE CERTIFIED FLAGSHIP BENEFITS BROKER. WE PLAY TO WIN!

ICD-10 Delay

Postponed Again….

The inclusion of the ICD-10 delay in the bill came as a surprise to the industry because CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner stated one month ago that there would be no extension. This is really a circus! But, it could be worse.

Many providers are asking, “What is next?”

• Providers need to continue to take the necessary steps to transition to ICD-10.
• Review your organization’s readiness for ICD-10.
• Continue staff education efforts with training plans, utilizing this extension to ensure that you have a depth of team members trained across departments and functional responsibility areas.
• Continue to improve clinical documentation processes, while building a strong foundation for process improvement knowing that ICD-10 is a measure of quality and will be critical to the new quality measures included in the H.R. 4302 bill.
• Stay close to your IPA and practice advisors for insight into changes.
• The need to work with an EMR that supports clinical integration is still inescapable.

The Coming Benefits Storm

As the dysfunctional Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act lurches and staggers forward (Once again the site is down); the exceptions, exemptions and delayed deadlines are absolutely commonplace. Rather than provide a commentary on ObamaCare, the choice is to say “it is just what it is”. America has not decided to change the program, so it moves forward to an unclear destination.

This note is about a caution to PDA providers. Most of the PDA physicians are operators of a small business and have benefits to acquire or to maintain. And, that responsibility and related decisions are the reason for caution.

During the fourth quarter of 2013, many agent brokers and business owners/operators elected to work with BUCHA, i.e., big insurers, to early renew their benefit plans and thus postpone renewal decisions to the fourth quarter of 2014. This is a defensible plan if the primary goal is to buy time to see what happens in the future with the Affordable Healthcare Act. This is a type of hedging one’s benefit bet. No judgment is made as to whether that was prudent or not.

The message is to caution that the 4th quarter renewal rates of 2014 may be significantly more expensive. Also, the caution is that renewals and grandfathering in 2013 went very slowly through the insurance company processing systems. There is discussion that the insurance company administrative system may not have the “band width” to manage a later year rush of renewal volume. If there is truth to that possibility, then PPACA issues have yet another shoe to drop.

The Flagship partially self-insured product is an option to be considered. And, you possibly can do that today for your practice and as a valuable suggestion for your small business owning patients.