Physicians

“Health care demand actually began softening before last fall’s thunderous financial market collapse. The downturn began in 2007 and may have been a leading indicator of a spreading family-cash-flow crisis…. Most [medical practices] report rising bad debt and charity care, as people lose health insurance coverage along with their jobs. It should concern [doctors] that the customer is less and less able to afford their product.” (Written by Jeff Goldsmith, Hospitals and the Recession was featured in HHN Magazine online on July 6, 2009)

Money is of great concern for consumers, providers, insurers, etc. Consumers are less and less able to afford healthcare. Medical practices’ case volume is down. Practices are also going to face challenges in Medicare funding reductions and might have to run their hospitals on “regular gas”.

So where does this leave us? We need to do the best with what we’ve got. Medical practices need to maximize their resources. Budgets are getting tight; capital spending budgets, especially. But spending can’t just automatically stop. With healthcare, you’ve got to keep moving forward, especially in the world of technology solutions. So providers must ensure they are spending wisely, and captilizing on the maximum reimbursements.

PAHCS has arranged for top coding experts from around the country to meet coders and have in-depth discussions and training on the 2010 coding changes and updates and how to continue to use all codes for maximum legal reimbursement in your practice. In addition, medical coders will have the opportunity to become certified through certification exams, gain knowledge through "round table" discussion groups, and have numerous opportunities for networking with other medical coders.