TRS Includes Medical Billing & Coding in its Career Training Programs

TRS Institute, the nation’s leading provider of AHDI-approved online medical transcription and speech recognition training programs, announced that it was adding a Medical Billing and Coding curriculum to its course offerings.

The new curriculum will include:

    1. Medical Billing & Reimbursement career preparation
    2. Certified Professional Coding for physician’s offices and hospital facilities
    3. Accelerated program for Medial Billing and Coding

      Click here to read the entire article in the Kansas City Star.

      Nuance and IBM Collaborate on CLU

      Nuance Communications (the maker of speech-recognition software) made an announcement today that it has entered into a new collaboration with IBM.

      According to an article on the HealthcareIT News web site, “the two companies aim to help advance the state-of-the-art in clinical language understanding (CLU) technologies.” Moreover, a team of leading natural language processing (NLP) researchers at IBM will collaborate with Nuance’s research and development team to integrate the their technologies.

      The vice president of software in IBM Research, Charles Lickel, was quoted in the article: “With Nuance, we’ll work to ensure healthcare organizations can gain access to, and classify health data to improve patient outcomes and to help lower the cost of healthcare today.”

      AHDI Seeking Topics for 2011 ACE

      According to AHDI’s blog, the 2011 ACE Programming Committee is in the process of creating developing the 2011 ACE breakout sessions, workshops and special events.

      The committee is asking all medical transcriptionists and medical transcription service owners for their input on these cutting edge programs.

      They’re asking MTs and MTSOs to complete a single question poll to give their input.

      Medical Billing Services NEED a Contract

      Alice Scott and Michele Redmond, co-authors of 12 books on medical billing and medical credentialing and co-owners of Solutions Medical Billing in Rome, NY, recently wrote an article in BC Advantage entitled: Protect Your Business with Your Medical Billing Service Contract.

      The medical billing factoring specialists at PRN Funding pulled the highlights of the article for our medical billing service business owners’ benefit:

      For the most part, the authors stressed that the importance of having a specifically tailored contract for medical billing services in place was to help medical billing business owners in the event that something goes wrong in the relationship.

      The contract should include the following:

      • Specifics for your company. Don’t just use a sample contract. Make it entirely about your medical billing company.
      • All the services the medical billing company will provide and their fees.
      • How and when the billing company will be paid.
      • Provider’s responsabilities.
      • How the medical billing service will receive patient and claims information.
      • What happens if the the billing service doesn’t get paid.
      • Termination policies.

      The co-authors also highly recommend for medical billing business owners to hire a lawyer to write the contract. If that’s too costly, then at least have one look it over before using it.

      Doing so will prevent medical billing companies from having a huge problem on down the line.

      Check out page 12-13 of the latest BC Advantage for the entire article.

      For The Record – MTSOs, Mergers & Matchmaking

      Did any MTSOs get a chance to read For The Record’s August article entitled: MTSOs, Mergers and Matchmaking?

      In it, the writer discussed how brokers in the healthcare industry and medical transcription services owners view the buying and selling process within the medical transcription industry.

      On the broker side, the writer interviewed Jason Robinett, the VP of Corporate Finance Advisors in Cleveland, Ohio.

      He said that potential buyers are attracted to several qualities, including top-line revenue; large, positive cash flow; stable management; industry experience; a strong software platform; large hospital accounts; smaller ambulatory accounts; and strategic geographic locations.

      Robinett also pointed out four main types of buyers (all with different motivations): other MTSOs that want to grow their business’ financial buyers, including private equity and venture capital groups; businesses in related industries such as medical billing or EMRs who want to cross-pollinate their business; and individuals.

      The writer also interviewed Linda M. Sullivan, the president of New England Medical Transcription. She said that brokers and investors actively seek out companies for acquisition, and she uses those encounters to help her learn more about the current state of the industry.

      Click here to read the entire article: MTSOs, Mergers and Matchmaking.

      Medquist and Trascend Host Congressional Visits

      Hired by MTIA and AHDI, the Dewey Square Group (along with MTIA staff) has started eliciting member-hosted congressional district visits to help build legislative relationships and better educate key members on the work that the medical transcription industry does and the challenges it faces.

      According to MTIA’s eNewsletter, “Congressman John Adler (D-NJ) was hosted by Peter Masanotti, president and CEO, Michael Clark, senior VP of sales, marketing and operations, and Eileen Dwyer, corporate vice president at MedQuist Headquarters in August.

      MedQuist discussed meaningful use as well as the medical transcription industry’s overall role in healthcare reform and workforce/job development during a roundtable discussion with the congressman.

      While only two MTIA member companies participated, the visits initiated the opportunity to build a relationship with these offices and continue to work together on Capitol Hill briefings, testimony, and potential industry-related hearings.”

      2010 Healthcare Staffing Summit Starts This Week

      The American Staffing Association (ASA) is holding it’s annual Healthcare Staffing Summit September 21 and 22 at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, IL.

      According to ASA’s web site, “the annual Healthcare Staffing Summit brings CEOs, owners, and senior level executives together to focus on topics of both strategic and tactical interest to the full range of healthcare staffing segments — travel nursing, per diem nursing, locum tenens, and allied medical…Attendees listen to and interact with healthcare staffing industry leaders and analysts, gather best practices and proprietary information, and enjoy extensive peer networking.”

      For more information, visit ASA’s site.

      AAPC is Looking for 2011 Conference Speakers

      The American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) will be holding it’s 2011 Conference in Long Beach, CA April 3-6.

      Currently, the medical coding organization is looking for speakers to to present on current topics and the latest trends in health care and welcomes submissions from all specialties and sectors of the health care community.

      Those interested in being considered as a 2011 AAPC Conference speaker need to submit a completed application no later than September 30, 2010.

      According to AAPC’s web site, “The AAPC Speaker Selection Committee will review all applications and select those topics that are fresh, relevant, and engaging to the intended audience.”

      For more information, visit the AAPC web site or email Sandra Nestman in the conference department at: sandra.nestman@aapc.com.

      ASA Offers Fundementals on Joint Commission Certification

      The American Staffing Association is presenting a webinar for its healthcare staffing members entitled: Joint Commission Certification of Health Care Staffing Firms: The Fundamentals.

      Executive director for the health care staffing services certification program at the Joint Commission, Michele Sacco, will cover the following topics during the webinar:

      • Requirements to becoming certified
      • Tips on how to best prepare your healthcare staffing agency to begin the certification process
      • Walk through the steps to follow to apply for certification

      Click here for more details on the Joint Commission Certification Fundamentals.

      AHDI Kicks of 2010 Summer G.A.M.E.

      The Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI) has a fun game  for its Individual Professional members to play this summer.

      The G.A.M.E. (Get a Member Event) is a fun way for current members to recruit new members to the transcription association and earn discounts on their own membership renewal in the process.

      According to AHDI’s web site, all you have to do to play the G.A.M.E. is download a Summer G.A.M.E. scorecard, tell your friends and family to join the association, and send in your completed scorecard once they join.

      Here’s a list of the rewards:

      • First new Individual Professional member: receive 50% off your membership
      • Second new Individual Professional member: additional $22.50 off your membership
      • Third new Individual Professional member: additional $22.50 off your membership
      • Fourth new Individual Professional member: FREE membership renewal

      Visit AHDI’s Summer Rewards G.A.M.E. page for more details.

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