EZClaim’s Best Blog Posts of 2020

EZClaim’s Best Blog Posts of 2020

It goes without saying that 2020 will go down in the history books as unprecedented for us at EZClaim. Still, we worked hard to stay positive and navigate the storm by offering resources to you, our clients, the content that matters to you. As an end-of-year bonus, and a ‘kick-off’ for 2021, we reviewed the blogs and social posts you read and reacted to the most and thought we would share them.  

 

So, here are the best blog posts of 2020:

#1: How to Improve Medical Billing Revenues
As a medical billing company, we work hard to understand how we can help our clients increase their revenue and improve their billing process. Those who do this best are experts in the medical billing and coding industry. So, it makes complete sense that your interest peaked on our article concerning improving revenues. Enjoy reviewing our number one article of 2020!  [ Click to read the post ].

#2: What Will Be New for E/M Coding in 2021? 
Last year brought about a long list of changes to billing and coding, as well as, the medical industry as a whole. From the obvious boom in Telehealth, to the updates in evaluation and management services, those working in the industry were impacted immensely. Based on these shifts in industry and the impact on you, our clients, we thought a look into what was coming in 2021 would be useful—and so did you. You read, reacted, and shared the value of this content with others. Now we are sending you a reminder that this was our number two article for the year.  [ Click to read the post ].

#3: Collecting Payments from Patients. Find Out How.
No matter how chaotic things get, there is still a practical side of our industry that needs to be addressed. That is why we worked to keep the focus on the basics, speaking about the ‘bread and butter’ of our industry, collections. In this practical article, we focused on the keys to educating the patient and how doing so will help keep you ahead of the collection as a whole.  [ Click to read the post ].

#4: Reports – Nuisance or Necessity?
At the end of the day, you want to go home and no one wants to be stuck in the office doing double-duty on reports. You know as well as we, that getting reports done correctly the first time is key to reducing stress and going home happy. That is why we distilled some of the keys in running reports that would make your life more straightforward. The fourth article on our list will do just that by helping you make sure the dates, details, and destination of your reports are in the right place.  [ Click to read the post ].

#5: Why Do I Have A Balance? – Patient Payments
Saving the best for last, especially as we approach tax season, we come in with our final of our best of 2020 by talking about balances. Every practice ends up spending those final hours of the year figuring out where those dollars and cents went. In this article, we gave you tips on deductibles, co-pays, and max out-of-pocket that helps your bottom line. Closing out 2020, don’t miss a few keys to help you balance the books.  [ Click to read the post ].

 

These are EZClaim’s best blog posts of 2020, but these were not the only blog posts we did. So, if you would like to explore the other blog posts we did, click here for our blog page.

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ABOUT EZCLAIM:
EZClaim is a medical billing and scheduling software company that provides a best-in-class product, with correspondingly exceptional service and support. Combined, they help improve medical billing revenues. To learn more, visit EZClaim’s website, e-mail support, or call a sales representative today at 877.650.0904.

2020 MIPS Reporting is Half Over. What Do You Need to Do Right Now?

2020 MIPS Reporting is Half Over. What Do You Need to Do Right Now?

The 2020 MIPS reporting is already half done, and given that MIPS (Merit-based Incentive Payment System) is a points-based program, the goal is to earn as many points as possible to avoid this year’s 9% penalty and potentially even earn a positive payment adjustment.  However, earning the 45 points necessary to avoid the penalty for the 2020 reporting period will be no easy feat. With over half of the reporting period already behind us, it is imperative you ACT NOW so you don’t find yourself in a position later in the year that you can’t recover from in terms of earning points.

 

With all the complexities and nuances of the program, it’s challenging to know what you can do to impact your score.  Here are three critical actions to take right now so that you will still optimize your ability to earn points for the 2020 reporting period:

1. Focus on the Quality Category
There are various points available within each of the categories and the Quality Category has the most points associated with it. Based on a number of factors, the category is worth anywhere from 45 to 85 points.  This is a critical category to be focused on throughout the year, so now is the time to ensure that you are tracking all relevant data so that it can be properly reported on within your submission.

2. Understand the Timeframe Requirements
Two of these categories, Promoting Interoperability and Improvement Activities, have timeframe requirements where you must perform for a minimum of 90 continuous days.  These are not easy categories in which to be successful and so if you wait too long in the year you will find it impossible to put the right actions in place in order to complete the activities necessary to earn any of the points in these categories.

3. Choose the Right Reporting Methodology
Not all reporting methodologies are the same and the reporting methodology you select has a significant impact on the points you could earn.  Additionally, there is strategic maneuvering that can be done throughout the reporting period with exemptions and reweighting of points that can set you up to optimize your performance and your score.  Therefore, you must select a reporting partner that will help you earn the most points available and leverages technology to facilitate the ease, accuracy, and completeness of tracking and reporting to maximize your score.  Reporting via a CEHRT, like Health eFilings, is the best approach because it optimizes the points that could be earned and therefore, maximizes Medicare reimbursements.


Health eFilings
is a certified EHR technology (CEHRT) and the national leader in automated MIPS reporting. Their cloud-based ONC-certified software fully automates the reporting process.  Because Health eFilings’ service is an end-to-end electronic solution that doesn’t require any IT resources, administrative support, or workflow changes from you, the practice will save significant time while maximizing its financial upside.

To learn more about how to properly perform your 2020 MIPS reporting, contact EZClaim’s partner, Health eFilings, so they can help before it’s too late!


For details and features about EZClaim’s medical billing software, or general information about the company, visit their website
.

[ Written by Sarah Reiter, SVP Strategic Partnerships, Health eFilings ]

Webinar: Understanding QPP MIPS Measure Specifications on July 28, 2020

Webinar: Understanding QPP MIPS Measure Specifications on July 28, 2020

WEBINAR: Understanding QPP MIPS Measure Specifications

Hear it from the experts! Learn how to interpret Quality and Promoting Interoperability Measure Specifications from Alpha II’s Qualified Registry auditors.

They will reveal the most common mistakes found in quality reporting and show the importance of understanding your measures. Topics include:

• Understanding denominator exclusions
• Adding required denominator G-codes
• Visit requirements
• Importance of notes
• Numerator instructions
• Special numerator criteria such as minimum day requirements
• Promoting Interoperability measure requirements and more…

Understanding QPP MIPS Webinar details:

• Date: July 28, 2020 @ 1pm (EST)
EZClaim Link: https://alphaii.zoom.us/webinar/register/2915940667921/WN_7pUJlJs3RGSytrMoNsrYJQ

Webinar: Understanding QPP MIPS Measure Specifications on July 28, 2020

MIPS Reporting Webinar on July 22, 2020

Join this MIPS Reporting Webinar to be sure you are up to speed on the latest updates and changes.

Now that the MIPS (Merit-based Incentive Payment System) submission period is drawing to a close, join our partner, Alpha II, as they review the updates and changes for MIPS reporting in 2020. This session will discuss important program updates for 2020 reporting including:

• Eligibility requirements
• Performance thresholds
• Payment adjustments
• Performance category weighting
• Measure updates and more…

MIPS Reporting Webinar details:

Start reporting correctly now to ensure success for the 2020 performance year!

Free MIPS Compliance Webinar

Free MIPS Compliance Webinar

Join Health eFilings, the national leader in automated MIPS compliance for a free educational webinar on what you need to know about MIPS and what you can do now to optimize your score with minimal resources or time on your part.

Session Title: MIPS Compliance: What to do now to avoid penalties and maximize revenue

Overview: With the end of the 2019 MIPS Reporting Period and the start of the 2020 Reporting Period, it’s clear that the stakes have been raised yet again making it even harder to avoid significant penalties. The MIPS program is even more complex than it has been in the past, further increasing the stress, burden, and financial risk to providers like you.

Even though the 2019 Reporting Period is over, there is still an opportunity to avoid an automatic 7% penalty for non-compliance. And its never too early to learn more about MIPS and what you can do in 2020 to maximize your Medicare reimbursements.

By attending the webinar, you will learn:

  • How to avoid the automatic penalty for the 2019 Reporting Period
  • The elements of each of the four MIPS components and how they apply to you
  • The complexities of each category and how to navigate them to optimize your MIPS score
  • The importance of starting to capture the required data now to earn MIPS points for 2020
  • The fundamental and critical differences between reporting methodologies

 

Day & Time: Thursday, January 30, 2020, from 1:00 – 2:00 pm EST

Presenter: Sarah Reiter, Vice President Strategic Partnerships of Health eFilings

Presenter Bio: Sarah Reiter is the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships with Health eFilings. Health eFilings is a national leader in automated MIPS compliance and data management. Health eFilings’ proprietary, cloud-based, ONC certified software is the most effective and efficient reporting methodology as it automatically extracts, formats, benchmarks, and electronically submits quality measure data to CMS so providers avoid significant penalties and earn maximum reimbursements.

Register today for this free informative webinar to learn more about MIPS Compliance. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and/or LinkedIn to keep up with all the latest from EZClaim.

Top Three Reasons CEHRT Reporting Will Earn More Points and Maximize Reimbursements

Top Three Reasons CEHRT Reporting Will Earn More Points and Maximize Reimbursements

Top Three Reasons CEHRT Reporting Will Earn More Points and Maximize Reimbursements

Guest Author: Sarah Reiter of Health eFilings

The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) and the program designed to implement the law, Merit-based Incentive Payments Systems (MIPS), have raised the financial stakes and the complexity of regulatory compliance for all healthcare systems.  Simply put, healthcare organizations, like yours, have no choice but to engage and embrace the shift to value-based care to improve outcomes and therefore maximize your reimbursements.

And the method of reporting for the MIPS program can have a significant impact on your ability to earn points.  Not all reporting methodologies are the same. There are BIG differences between MIPS reporting methods and what you don’t know could result in a 7% penalty increasing to 9% penalty for the 2020 Reporting Period, not to mention lost bonuses! The most effective, and most efficient, reporting methodology is known as Certified EHR Technology or CEHRT.   

But why is CEHRT reporting the superior method?  In this post, we will address the comparison of CEHRT reporting with the legacy “Registry” reporting method.  Here are the top three reasons that working with a CEHRT, like Health eFilings, is the superior approach:

1. The software does all the work

Health eFilings’ ONC certified software is an “end to end electronic solution”.  The software will extract, analyze and prepare the data in the most complete and accurate manner without requiring any administrative or IT support from you, the practice. 

In contrast, registry reporting is fully a manual process and simply is a combination of purchased forms and a submittal vehicle.  With a registry, the burden of all the administrative work is placed on staff and requires manual measure calculation and measure selection, all with no visibility to the measure benchmarks.

2. eCQMs earn more points

Health eFilings uses eCQMs (electronic Clinical Quality Measures) for purposes of reporting, and eCQMS offer more and better measures to optimize the points that can be earned.  Almost all eCQMs have benchmarks that provide a clearer and more concise way to determine your performance and earn more points. As a point of insight, think of how points are earned as grading on a curve, where your actual performance percentage is irrelevant but what is relevant is the way that percentage compares to your peers, and my peers, it means all providers, regardless of specialty or geographic location, who submit data for that measure.

As a point of comparison, almost half of registry measures don’t have benchmarks which mean no matter how well you do on that measure, your score (or points earned) will be significantly limited, resulting in few overall points.  

3. End-to-end electronic solution and earns bonus points

CMS has determined that the data submitted via technology is more complete and accurate, and because of this, CMS is incentivizing clinicians and practices by awarding them bonus points toward their MIPS score when they use a CEHRT like Health eFilings.

However, a registry is not a CEHRT and does not meet CMS’s definition of technology and as such does not provide verified accurate and complete data.  Therefore, a registry provides no opportunity for any bonus points for the practice.

So, when complying with MIPS, it’s critical to utilize the reporting method that optimizes the points that could be earned and leverages technology to facilitate the ease, accuracy, and completeness of tracking and reporting to maximize the score.   Reporting via a CEHRT like Health eFilings is the best approach because it optimizes the points that could be earned and therefore, maximizes Medicare reimbursements.

Beyond the inherent benefits of leveraging technology, working with Health eFilings has many advantages versus any other reporting methodology:

  • Seamless integration with any EHR or billing system
  • No IT or Administrative resources needed from the practice
  • Tracks and reports for all MIPS categories 
  • Earn bonus points because Health eFilings is an “end to end electronic solution”
  • A proprietary algorithm evaluates 9 million combinations to select the best quality measures to optimize the score
  • Electronically submits all data to CMS

Is there anything I can still do for 2019 reporting?

Even though the end of the 2019 reporting period is quickly approaching, you do not need to accept that you must take the automatic penalty for this year.  Health eFilings can support you with reporting for the 2019 reporting period and also advise you on your situation to set you up to be ready for the start of the 2020 reporting so you are able to optimize your score.

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