Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement

Tap these resources to optimize payment during Medicare's period of indecision. With Medicare payments precariously hanging on repeated 30-day extensions, most practices can't afford not to squeeze every penny out of their reimbursement. For most practices, now is the time to take a long hard look at whether you've overlooked a few common areas where you can optimize reimbursement. Following are three methods you may not have considered that can help you improve your practice's income, submitted by Creta Corrigan, CPC of Gulfcoast Billing & Professional Services in Venice, Fla. 1. Collect Deductibles at the Time of Service. You should be able to verify the patient's deductible amount before the patient arrives for his visit. When you make the patient reminder call, tell him approximately how much he'll owe you when he arrives. That way you don't have to chase down the money later. 2. Open Your Practice on Saturdays. [...]