How Can I Protect My Best Interests After a Slip and Fall Accident?
Most people will slip and fall at some point in their life. However, not every person will be able to get up and have only a tinge of embarrassment to walk off. Some people will suffer from mild to severe injuries that may require medical care. It is possible that the accident wasn’t even their fault, but now they have to deal with physical pain and other losses as a result. Because a trip or slip and fall can happen to anyone, any time, and at any location, it is important to know what to do following the accident to protect your best interests. Is it necessary that I get medical care? What if I don’t have any pain? Even if you don’t have any pain immediately after the slip and fall accident it is possible that your body sustained injury. You may not experience any symptoms until the next day or two, as the body tells you that something is wrong. Seeing a doctor ensures that your injuries are properly documented and can be used as a vital piece of evidence if you choose to seek financial compensation for your losses. Do I have to file a report with the property I slipped and fell at? Yes, as part of handling the situation, you must notify the appropriate parties about your slip and fall accident. If you pursue a claim against the offending party but there is no record of the incident occurring on their end, it can hurt your claim. For example, if you slipped at a retail store and didn’t tell the staff and file a report, then they can claim the incident never happened since you didn’t speak up that day. When filing a report with the property owner or manager, ask for a copy so you can share this with the attorney helping your case. What is something people forget but that can be impactful in a slip and fall case? The clothes you were wearing at the time of the accident can be very influential to your slip and fall lawsuit if you so wish to take legal action. Your clothes may be assessed by a professional examiner as a relevant piece of evidence, as articles of clothing sometimes show signs that an injury was sustained. For instance, if you were wearing jeans at the time of your slip and fall and had caught your pants on a broken corner of a shelf, the tear in your jeans at that precise location can be used to support your claim. What if the property owner or their insurance company contacts me? The property owner or a representative from their insurance company may reach out to you for a statement about what happened. Of course, you may have already submitted a written report to them, so they probably know the details of what happened, but they may be trying to get you to say something that contradicts your claims so that they can weaken your side of the story. If you or someone you know has been in a slip and fall accident, contact a slip and fall law firm, like a Washington DC slip and fall law firm, today. Thanks to Cohen & Cohen, P.C. for their insight into slip and fall accidents.
Documentation | All Facets of Patient Care
Right at Your Fingertips Will Dr. Ben be thrilled with the Genesis Travel Card … or overwhelmed? “So did you finally get to see your friend, Steven?” asked Luisa on Thursday morning. “Yes, I did – we’ve both been so busy for the last few months and it was great to have a chance to catch up,” said Dr. Ben. “In fact, he told me about the new software they’re using at his practice. It’s helping them with their patient notes in particular – the entry is fast and accurate, and the system lets them know if there are any problems or areas of concern with the patient’s record.” Luisa regarded Ben hopefully. “So I expect you’ll be making a phone call to our good friend Charlie today?” she asked. Charlie was their Genesis coach. “You bet I will be,” said Ben. “Right after I get my coffee!” A few minutes later, Ben called Charlie and, after some small talk, they settled down to business. Charlie directed Ben to the test system, and after giving his screen a quick glance, Ben was ready to learn more. “So my friend Steven was raving about how his office has managed to cut down on their time entering patient notes all while increasing their accuracy,” Ben said. “I’d like to see how this might work for us.” “Of course, Ben, I’ll be happy to take you through it,” Charlie said. “To begin, I’d like to emphasize that our system takes all the facets of patient care and enables you to see it just as you would look at your patients. Just as you wouldn’t just only one symptom of a complex medical condition, we wouldn’t want your practice to see just one part of your patient’s record at a time. You can treat a patient most successfully if you can see his or her care plan, visit notes, appointments made and/or missed, where in the insurance cycle the patient is … with Genesis, you can really have every detail at your fingertips.” “That certainly sounds good – can you show me around a bit?” “Of course – let’s have a look around the Travel Card!” Charlie said. “First, you can see a column of patient visits down the left side. You know what’s really cool? Missed appointments are marked in red and that’s extremely valuable information to have at a glance.” “Have you ever had a patient who completely flummoxed you? Perhaps they’re not getting better, or maybe they’re getting worse – and you’re starting to think that maybe it’s your fault?” continued Charlie. “Well, if you were using Genesis, you’d see easily that, perhaps, this patient was missing one or two appointments each week, or month. Maybe you don’t realize it because you’ve got a lot of patients and because memory management doesn’t always kick in until there’s an issue.” “Sure, with our patient load I don’t always know how often a patient is supposed to be coming to see me,” admitted Ben. “If I don’t have an easy way to see if they’re showing up or not, I won’t know if they’re getting the care I think they need.” “Right! Now look at the bottom left-hand side of the screen. There’s a button you click when you need to add a picture or file,” Charlie said. “Now look at the top for the billable codes: ICDs on the left – we recommend that method if you use XMR notes to enter a diagnosis using the assessment tab – and CPTs on the right.” “Well that seems pretty straightforward,” said Ben. “It sure is! If you’re not going to use XMR notes, you just have to go to the diagnosis tab, select the area on the left and then choose the diagnosis code you need. Same for procedures – select the area or type on the left, and the procedure code from the right.” “Mmm hmm,” Ben said. He was surprised how easy this was to follow. He had expected to be more intimidated. “Now when you bill, if there are any issues, you’ll get a message in red and a pop-up alerting you to possible problem, maybe with validation, or perhaps the service date is out of the care plan date range,” Charlie said. “We even color code the billing section so that you’ll know if you’re in the insurance phase, cash phase or if the visit is free.” “But is there a place where I can enter notes that are for my own purposes?” asked Ben. “What if I have a conversation with my patient that I don’t need to document for insurance purposes – I just want to make sure I have important information readily available?” “If you look to the right of the screen, you’ll see rectangular boxes – we call them ‘sticky notes,’” said Charlie. “They’re like Post-It Notes where you can document reminders for yourself, personal information the patient shared with you or perhaps even some thoughts for the next phase of the patient’s care.” “This is incredible,” said Ben. “By having all of this information right at my fingertips I feel like I could really maximize my time with my patients and much less time in the system.” “That’s the whole point,” said Charlie. “By connecting all facets of a patient’s care, scheduling, billing, personal notations, history … all of that is critical to ensuring that patient gets the best care possible.” “Well let’s not waste any more time,” said Ben. “We’re ready to put your system to work for us!” Dr. Ben is ready to launch his next Genesis adventure! Disclaimer: For HIPAA compliance, all characters appearing in this post are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons or actual events is purely coincidental.
Revenue | Committing to a Software Solution
Much Ado About Data Committing to a Software Solution Can Dr. Ben move past being overwhelmed by data and commit to Genesis? As he made his way into work on Monday, Ben was preparing himself to take the next step in his Genesis journey. He knew that the software was going to help in innumerable ways, from records management, to tracking insurance payments, to helping to get patients reinvested in their own care plans. But with reports come data – a TON of data – and what on earth were he and Luisa going to do with all of those numbers? “Good morning Luisa,” Ben said as he entered the office. “Hello Dr. Ben – how was your weekend?” asked Luisa. “It was great,” Ben answered. “Carmen and I tried out the new downtown Indian buffet. It’s really good – and I even have leftovers to enjoy for lunch today!” “Hopefully Jonathan found something he liked to eat, too,” said Luisa. She stopped for a minute, then continued, “So… have you given any thought to moving forward on Genesis?” Ben sighed. It was going to be difficult to put this off for any longer. “I know, I know, we shouldn’t wait any longer,” he said. “Before we get started, I’m going to call our coach, Charlie, and ask her a few questions.” “Let me know if there’s anything I can do,” said Luisa. Ben placed his lunch in the refrigerator and then went into his office, closing the door. He stared at the phone for a minute and then laughed at himself. Boy, change can really be hard, he thought. He picked up the phone and, within a minute, he was connected with his Genesis coach, Charlie. “How are things going, Dr. Ben?” Charlie asked. “Well, we’re doing fine but … I have to admit, we understand that this software is going to help us manage the office more professionally and efficiently but we’re having trouble taking that last big step and rolling it out,” Ben admitted. “Oh, you’re not alone,” Charlie said. “Ask me anything – we’re here to help!” “I guess we’re overwhelmed by all the data,” said Ben. “Neither Luisa nor I are number crunchers, and the reports can get so complex. How can we be sure that this is going to help us, rather than adding to our already busy workdays?” “One of the wonderful things about the billing stats report is that it will help you to create consistent, repeatable processes for collecting patient information and assessing billing performance,” Charlie said. “It might be daunting looking at the possibilities from the outside in, but once you’ve got things set up, it will actually help you to get a handle on your office cash flow and more easily identify where – and why – things are being held up in the reimbursements pipeline.” He continued, “Have you ever looked at your revenue stream over a period of a few months and seen a decline, and panicked? With the billing stats report, instead of trying to go patient by patient, week by week, month by month, and guess what the problems are, you can actually run reports with up to 45 different parameters and pinpoint where exactly in the process things are breaking.” “I don’t see how that is possible,” protested Ben. “Let me put it this way: you can run a 60-day report and get a breakdown of the status of each claim,” said Charlie. “If the claim is not at the insurance company, then you’ll be able to figure out if you’ve got an intake problem, if your claims are going out in a timely fashion, or if there are issues with the information you’re sending out with the claim. You can also look at which CPT codes are getting paid or underpaid. With the power of accurate statistics, you can have the right conversations with front desk staff, your office manager and billers.” “What’s also great is that with the radar chart, you can set parameters for your practice,” Charlie continued. “If you get to a point where everything is within the parameters you’ve set, then you will render the billing stats report unnecessary. That’s a terrific thing about Genesis – we help you achieve best practices in your office management so that you can be in control of your practice and focus more on your patients.” “That’s exactly what we want,” said Ben. “I don’t know anyone who went into medicine so that they could spend most of their day staring at a computer screen!” “But do you want to hear the most wonderful thing of all about Genesis?” Charlie asked. “Of course,” said Ben. “Whenever you have a question, a concern or simply want to talk through some numbers that don’t seem to make sense, you can call me,” Charlie said. “We are committed to being here when you need us.” “Well, that is the most wonderful thing I’ve heard all day!” laughed Ben. “I can’t thank you enough for your time today.” After a few more minutes of small talk, Ben emerged from his office and walked toward Luisa, who knew just by looking at him that change was afoot. “That must have been some phone call,” said Luisa. “It was,” smiled Ben. “I think we’re ready to begin our Genesis adventure – together!” Is Dr. Ben ready for launch? Disclaimer: For HIPAA compliance, all characters appearing in this post are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons or actual events is purely coincidental.
Revenue | Automating Billing Reports
Where Should We Go Tonight? Can Dr. Ben make the commitment to automate his billing reports and take control of his office finances? Ben and Carmen were having a familiar conversation: what should we do about dinner? They had both returned home from busy days at work, both were a little frazzled and hungry and – as usual – the refrigerator was lacking in appetizing options. “I’ve heard that the new Indian buffet is very good,” said Carmen. “But it’s downtown and it’s almost 6:30, so there might be a bit of a wait.” Ben thought about that. “That sounds delicious and we should definitely get there at some point, but I’m too hungry for a long wait. Why don’t we just go grab some Chinese at our usual place – there’s never a wait there.” “You know, Ben, we’re never thrilled with our meals there and we’ve tried everything on the menu,” Carmen said. “There’s a pretty good reason why there’s never a wait there.” They looked at each other testily for a moment – hunger and a lack of accord might become a threat to their nice evening out. Just then Jonathan came running out of the living room and hugged Ben, happy to see his father. “Daddy, you’ve got to see my new art book – I drew all of the pictures myself!” “Of course, Jonathan, I’d love to see it,” Ben said. “Listen, Carmen, I’m going to look at Jonathan’s artwork and then we can go try that new restaurant downtown. It sounds like fun.” He went into the living room with Jonathan and sat down on the couch with him. He wondered why he was so irritable this evening as he turned the pages of the book. Ben’s thoughts kept returning to earlier in the week, when Luisa explained the difficulty she was having keeping track of the office finances. Too often they were surprised to learn that some patients had accounts that were past due. And between varying accounts receivable windows and some insurance companies that were dragging out the reimbursement process due to even minor errors in data entry, it was making confident budgeting impossible. Ben pondered how difficult it was for him to keep track of crucial patient information until he put a system in place. Between his voice recorder, written notes and meticulously organized files on his computer, he felt confident in his mastery of the most important details for each patient. But then he thought about how many areas of office management that Luisa was expected to stay abreast of: office supplies, scheduling, working with outside vendors, insurance reimbursements… her plate was truly full, even with Pam’s able assistance. And considering that third parties don’t always respond when and how you want them to, the level of complexity and the time it takes to handle each task can be multiplied exponentially. Carmen – who had a business degree and always seemed to be several steps ahead of Ben in understanding the ins and outs of finance – and he had talked about the program that could automate many of the functions of his office and Ben had been serious about actually following through and implementing it. But there always seemed to be a crisis to attend to… trying to collect from patients who owe balances beyond a certain date, trying to figure out where long-overdue insurance reimbursements were. Ben knew when he started his practice that it wouldn’t only be about attending to patients – he knew there would be crucial administrative work that would have to be handled by his staff. Luisa had certainly had shown she understood the benefits of having data to inform business decisions. But customization is key when reviewing large amounts of detailed data and it didn’t seem like Luisa was tapping the full potential of the system when it came to the billing reports. Ben knew that there were reports that could be broken down in a number of different ways and could be endlessly customized so that they could stay on top of potential problems. Well, maybe we should take some time to figure it out together, Ben thought. Without getting these reports done – and done right – we really have no idea how well our office is functioning. This sounds like something we should talk about on Monday. But first he wanted to enjoy a nice dinner with Carmen and Jonathan. He appreciated how Carmen listening to him talk about the various issues in his office, and she often responded with some great feedback. That business degree had served both of them well over the years. When Ben had finished looking at Jonathan’s artwork and congratulating him on being the next Rembrandt, he found Carmen in the hallway, ready to go – her purse in one hand and a small lunchbox in the other. “What’s in the lunchbox, Carmen?” Ben asked. “Well, since you’ve agreed to my pick of restaurants, I wanted to reciprocate by packing some snacks for the drive so you won’t be starving while we wait for a table,” Carmen said with a smile. “I’ve got some fruit, cheese and crackers, and your favorite – cashews.” Ben took Jonathan’s hand and smiled at Carmen, who never failed to make even the most hectic and frustrating day better. “We’d better get going,” he said. “Maybe we can be on the lookout for a new Chinese place on our way there.” Both were laughing on their way out the door. Can Dr. Ben make the commitment to automate his billing reports and take control of his office finances? Disclaimer: For HIPAA compliance, all characters appearing in this post are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons or actual events is purely coincidental.