Physicians Practice - October 2008 - (Page 58)

ASK THE EXPERTS NEGOTIATE Start by asking for more come contract renewal time. A couple ideas to tackle the problem: You sure can try to negotiate with payers, especially if you know your end game (i.e., would you drop them if they don’t negotiate?). Start just by asking for more come contract renewal time. It would be helpful to point out (likely in a letter unless you can actually get to a payer rep) that their rates are below those of other payers or that you offer something unique (e.g., you take care of most of the teachers in a 20-mile radius, and you’d hate to see the payer lose its contract with the teacher’s union. Or, failure a scenario like that, prove your high-quality expertise.) IN-OFFICE DISPENSING NEAR YOU • Make sure the rates you’re actually getting are the rates you contracted for. Usually, contracts are written to provide a percentage of Medicare’s rates in a given year. Payers are big organizations with technology problems, so what they pay isn’t always what they contracted to pay. So start there. • If you have bad contracts, analyze which contracts you can drop. Look A I’m afraid I don’t know. But to ﬁnd out, I’d contact your state medical association, state MGMA, and, even more likely, several vendors offering in-ofﬁce dispensing solutions to ask if they have clients in your area that you could talk to. Some vendors, among many, are: • Allscripts • Dispense Quick • Physician Partner Also, search PhysiciansPractice.com for “in-ofﬁce dispensing” for an article on pros, cons, and related issues. • at your worst payers (in terms of rate and pain of collection) and at what percentage of your patient panel is with that payer/plan. If you have payers that stink and only a small percentage of patients use this insurance, then it’s a nobrainer — drop the payer. Pamela Moore, PhD, CPC, editorial director for Physicians Practice, is this month’s expert. Moore has been writing for physicians on practice management issues for 10 years, and she is a recognized speaker and commentator on healthcare management. She can be reached at pmoore@physicianspractice.com. Q Are there any pediatric practices in West Virginia selling standard prescriptions in the office? 58 | PHYSICIANS PRACTICE | OCTOBER 2008 WWW.PHYSICIANSPRACTICE.COM http://www.PhysiciansPractice.com http://medical.konicaminolta.us http://medical.konicaminolta.us http://WWW.PHYSICIANSPRACTICE.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Physicians Practice - October 2008

Physicians Practice - October 2008 Contents Another Reason to Go Cash-Only? Letters How ’Bout Them Gas Prices? Second Opinion: Oh, Canada! Noteworthy Cover Story: Fixing the Leaks: How to Tighten Your Money Spigot Navigating a Lawsuit Ask the Experts The Administrators Desk: What’s Your Mission? EMR: Help or Hindrance? Dealing with Dr. Dangerous E-Mail Abuse Primer The Road to EMR Interoperability Don’t Let Staff Costs Stifle Profits Coding Classifieds Advertiser Index

Physicians Practice - October 2008

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