ISSUE MEA NEA NEWS 1 2 PRACTICE INSIGHTS 1 2 MEA NEA

Transcription

1 Upcoming Events (click event names to learn more) AAOMS Sept NADP Sept MEA NEA News Important Billing News Have you updated your billing election yet? There s still time before the July 31 deadline to make your choice for the Monthly or Annual plan pricing option. We have a few pointers for getting to the information. Read More... New Faces This Month: We ve brought some fresh, new recruits to the MEA NEA Team, and they re excited, and raring to help make the company better, so we can better serve you. Read More... Lunch & Learn Webinars: We ve got a series of webinars coming down the road, we d love to have you attend! Read More... Practice Insights... Stop Storing Your Physical Data Physically We know storing your data has its issues, but we re here to help you figure out how to navigate the cloudscape, and get your data digital with the right company. Read More... Spotlight On... Electronic Attachment Processing & Health Information Exchange: Benefits to The Provider Today s healthcare providers are still drowning in a sea of paper, even with ever continuous upgrades and enhancements to practice management systems and the push to electronic health records. One key component that is often overlooked, but can provide big benefits in this area is the use of electronic data exchange for claims attachments. Read More... 1

2 2 3 MEA NEA News Important Billing News: You ve all recently received communications from MEA NEA regarding pricing changes. We ve had some questions related to how to go online and make the pricing election, so here s a note from our billing team regarding what you need to know: Updating the pricing option is as easy as logging into the software. Step 1: Go to the update site (/neaupdate-pricing) and click the Login link under the Pricing Selection banner. Step 2: Enter the same NEA Fast Attach credentials you use to send attachments with. Step 3: Once Facility ID, Username and Password are entered, click the Dental button above that box. Step 4: Click Login at the bottom right of the Just follow these simple steps, and you will automatically be text window, and you will directed to the payment option selection screen immediately be given the option of selecting either the monthly option or the annual option. No actual billing information is entered into this website, however this screen will also tell you the last 4 digits of your current billing information on file. Once August 1 rolls around your account will be updated with the billing cycle you ve selected. And to make sure everyone has a record for their files, there is a confirmation of the selection along with a copy of our Terms and Conditions that is automatically sent to the provided once the selection has been made. Be sure to make your pricing election before July 31! 2

3 1 3 New Faces This Month Growing our Sales Team to Better Serve Our Customers MEA NEA Appoints Mary Dooley to Director of Sales, Partner and Channels In this role, Mary will be responsible for helping drive MEAINEA s growth in healthcare, as well as working to further establish strategic alliances with technology partners and grow the company s channel program. Mary has 19 years of experience in the electronic data interchange (EDI) industry, 15 of which include serving the healthcare sector. She joins MEA NEA from Cognizant Technology Solutions where she was information management director, and previously served as director of EDI for Xerox, servicing several Medicaid fiscal agent operations and commercial insurance plans. In that role, she led the operational development and support, strategic planning, resource management, HIPAA privacy and security and marketing. MEA NEA Appoints Lolagene Stevens Kent to Account Manager of Vendors and Partners In this role, Lola is responsible for managing and developing relationships with MEA NEA vendors and partners and assisting them in increasing their administrative efficiency and profitability. Lola brings more than 15 years of client relations experience, having spent the last five years in healthcare IT. She joins MEA NEA from Cognizant Technology Solutions where she focused on supporting Medicaid fiscal agents, commercial insurance payers, clearinghouses, software vendors and providers with ANSI X12N EDI transactions. MEA NEA Appoints Charles Hatfield to Account Manager of Payers and Partners In this role, Charles is responsible for managing and developing relationships with MEA NEA Payers and assisting them in increasing their administrative efficiency and profitability. Charles brings more than 10 years of Healthcare Insurance experience, having spent the last decade in the field. He joins MEA NEA from his previous position at Zirmed. 3

4 1 2 Lunch & Learn Webinars Join MEA NEA for free Monthly Lunch & Learn Webinars and learn special tips and tricks for getting the most out of FastAttach. Sign-up today! One participating office a month will be chosen at random to win a FREE lunch, courtesy of MEA NEA for you and your office staff. Who should attend: Office Managers Dentists Billing Team Members Insurance Clerks Dates: August 7th August 19th September 16th October 21st 4

5 2 3 Practice Insights... Stop Storing Your Physical Data Physically You ve got the most hardcore file cabinets available, your practice s filing system is flawless, and you re more HIPAA secure than any office that ever was But you re still on paper. So, all that bravado is only as strong as your walls the next time some ridiculous catastrophe takes place Fire, tornado, hurricane, tsunami, asteroid, war, Hitchcock-style avian holocaust, H.P. Lovecraft being right H.G. Wells being right Pick your disaster. When it clears, will your data still be around? Here are a few tips on how to find the right group to safely and effectively store your data electronically, so you don t have to dig back up your back-ups. Along the lines of storing data, there s one thing to keep clear in mind: Not all data servers are created equal. There are a few things that separate clouds (a fancy term coined to make you think of fluffy, happy puffs of data floating out in the ether, when in reality it usually means off-site, climate controlled, lifeless server farm holding and managing your data It s important to understand that, as, when you truly know what you re shopping for, you can do better research and comparison.) Chief among these is what kind of server farm is it? There is a whole army of server or cloud companies out there If you pay attention there is one key distinction between all of them: Intent. There are two type of clouds : Computing, and Storage. The difference is pretty self-explanatory, but I ve got experts who can explain it better than I can: Cloud storage is a subcategory of cloud computing. Cloud computing systems offer users access to not only storage, but also processing power and computer applications installed on a remote network. HowStuffWorks.com Now, with that in mind, you ll not be needing cloud computing, unless your practice doubles as a visual effects firm in need of a render farm which, while potentially the coolest idea for a healthcare office in the history of man, is probably not the case. Storage is the name of the game in the data world, and safe storage is key which brings us to our next point. Security. Everyone needs it. Now, while it seems this should be an obvious portion of the whole storage thing shouldn t it be safe if it s stored on computer? Data storage should be safe, and it should be locked down, but organizations will always be happy to pass out bags of cash to keep their company s right to sell your life away to the highest bidder. If your cloud server doesn t say outright that they don t sell or use your data, it means they can, and they most likely will. Unfortunately most of the most secure options out there do have a fee, but that fee is to maintain the highly advanced security measures set in place to keep your data safe, so the fee is a sign of advanced security upkeep, which is a good thing. Continued on next page... 5

6 1 3 Practice Insights... Stop Storing Your Physical Data Physically (Contd. from pg. 4) For some of these companies, that fee existing entails extremely intricate, custom built server technology that is on par with, or exceeds the capabilities of their less security oriented relatives. With individual accounts, total security is not as much of an issue, as most people don t care who can see their family photos They re already on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and their blog, right? Well, with companies it s a bit different, and for the Healthcare Industry, it s vital for the practice to be completely locked down, or suffer the wrath of HIPAA. Fortunately, there are measures in place to make sure that your data stays secure: 1- Encryption, which means they use a complex algorithm to encode information. To decode the encrypted files, a user needs the encryption key. While it s possible to crack encrypted information, most hackers don t have access to the amount of computer processing power they would need to decrypt information. -HowStuffWorks.com 2- Authorization practices -- the client lists the people who are authorized to access information stored on the cloud system. Many corporations have multiple levels of authorization. For example, a front-line employee might have very limited access to data stored on a cloud system, while the head of human resources might have extensive access to files. HowStuffWorks.com 3- Reliability, is just as important as security. An unstable cloud storage system is a liability. No one wants to save data to a failure-prone system, nor do they want to trust a company that isn t financially stable. Most cloud storage systems try to address this concern through redundancy techniques, there s still the possibility that an entire system could crash and leave clients with no way to access their saved data. Cloud storage companies invest a lot of money in security measures in order to limit the possibility of data theft or corruption. HowStuffWorks.com A good number of other fail-safes exist, but the server architecture is uniquely designed, and engineered to function in various ways, differing in a huge way from company to company. Finally is the issue of reputation. Companies all have various strengths and weaknesses, and in our niche of the information market, it s vital to go with a company that has a strong background in what you re going to be using them for. In other words, if Facebook releases a cloud storage platform, you probably wouldn t want to use that particular set-up to store all Think of a good cloud storage company as a high-tech bank who s vaults are full of vital information rather than cash. your sensitive PHI, and credentialing information, as Facebook has a history of selling info, sharing every facet of your life with the world, and making connections to people you don t know via things you barely knew about yourself. Continued on next page... 6

7 1 2 Practice Insights... Stop Storing Your Physical Data Physically (Contd. from pg. 5) Those are all great things for what they do, and hallmarks of the Social Media world, but HIPAA wouldn t be too keen on you sharing client data. Go with a company that has dealt in security, privacy, and protection in the digital space for years, or understands the ins and outs of computing like the back of their hand. Healthcare providers must be certain that their cloud provider is HIPAA-compliant if they are storing protected health information (PHI), and the provider must be willing to sign business associate agreements (BAAs). -HealthITSecurity.com The last thing a good practice wants to do is gamble with their data, and HIPAA isn t the only worry they should have. As providers adopt cloud services, there tends to be a focus on the product s HIPAAcompliance. There are more things to consider, however, including the role vendors are willing to play as a business associate (BA), the frequency of a vendor s risk assessments, HIPAA audit preparedness, a vendor s service outage procedures, and encryption practices. - HealthITSecurity.com Clouds are actually off-site, climate controlled server facilities, holding and managing your data via hundreds of massive server towers. In this day and age, it s getting to be almost impossible to stay away from online, digital back-up, but we hope this article has helped your office better understand the nitty-gritty of the amorphous cloud, and will serve as an aid in making an educated decision on who to use. To sum it all up, use a company who deals in cloud storage, has their security measures locked down, and has enough technology to upkeep that they have a cost to them, and, finally, one that understands what you do and need on a fundamental level. 7

8 2 3 Spotlight On... Electronic Attachment Processing & Health Information Exchange: Benefits to Providers Integrating an electronic request and response process into the workflow can potentially help health systems better control administrative and storage costs, comply with regulations, respond to Medicare audits and reduce the time it takes payers to process claims. Additionally, these electronic request and response systems help improve security of records during the transfer process and eliminate the numerous boxes of files that providers may currently be required to ship to payers during the claims adjudication process. From a claims perspective, electronic data exchange automates and streamlines adjudication, helping hospitals save money each year related to the identifying, processing, storing and tracking attachments; decreasing paper volume; and increasing paid claims volumes. In most cases, electronic attachment and data exchange solutions are compatible with existing PM and EHR systems and they can enable providers to create an electronic envelope containing all requested documents needed for medical record reviews. Data Security is Key Electronic health information and data exchange solutions, in a secure and HIPAA-compliant manner, do exist. Most importantly, these solutions address one of the biggest challenges in healthcare costs and time delays associated with the retrieval and transmission of medical documentation. By providing an information repository that is both HIPAA-secure and readily accessible, health systems and health plans have a means by which protected health data can be shared easily and efficiently while eliminating waste in the process. Many organizations are seeing a significant impact to workflow efficiency because the process of requesting and preparing paper submittals, claims adjudication and Medicare audits requests is bulky and overwhelming to manage. Recent proof of the efficiencies that can be gained was exhibited by a hospital that added an electronic attachment solution into their Medicare audit requests and claims processing workflow. In addition to implementing the electronic attachment solution, he hired several employees to manage the process and, as a direct result of the changes, the hospital saved nearly $1 million. Continued on next page... 8

9 1 3 Spotlight On... Electronic Attachment Processing & Health Information Exchange: Benefits to Providers For those managing processes for revenue cycle enhancement, electronic attachment and health information exchange solutions provide: Reduced turnaround time for claims requiring attachments from weeks down to days Secure, HIPAA-compliant attachment processing and storage Document retention for disaster recovery, business continuity and compliance 24/7 online access to attachments Streamlined receipt and tracking of correspondence via electronic communications containing the Document Control Number (DCN) Improved staff productivity and billing efficiency Easily Managing Attachments The desktop solutions enable information to be gathered and uploaded to the secure repository using a variety of acquisition methods mobile device capture, scanning images, print capture, screen capture or file import. Rather than relying on a single acquisition method, information can be captured at its source by any contributor using the easiest method possible. Additionally, the information exchange stores a number of many types of documents, images, records and files critical to key healthcare business processes and can connect various stakeholder participants in healthcare information exchange. For health system leaders concerned about security of multiple claim-related documents, a robust health information exchange solution allows for the creation of a single unique identifier or electronic envelope that contains all the required documentation to support the clinical coding on a claim. Providers place the unique identifier in the claim then transmit it electronically to the payer or to Medicare auditors. Once the payer (or Medicare or its third party) receives the claim, examiners there have the ability to view supporting documentation and attachments that are stored in a central repository and are easily accessible. Continued on next page... 9

10 1 2 Spotlight On... Electronic Attachment Processing & Health Information Exchange: Benefits to Providers Attachments can include ADRs, lab reports, OP reports, ER records, certificates of medical necessity and any other documentation required by a payer to adjudicate a healthcare claim, and can be sent along with the initial claim submission (unsolicited) or in response to a request for additional information (solicited). esmd Program Facilitates Medicare Reviews Electronic submission of medical documentation (esmd) was launched by CMS to provide a mechanism for providers to electronically submit documentation in response to additional requests and audits. By implementing such electronic attachment solutions, providers and health systems can respond quickly and securely to time-sensitive RAC, MAC, MIC, CERT, PERM and ZPIC audits through a connection to the esmd program. Solution providers that are certified Health Information Handlers (HIH) can deliver and track patient medical records for healthcare providers through CMS gateway. The gateway is the National Health Information Network s (NwHIN) transmission mode for esmd and it gives providers an on ramp to submit secure electronic documentation to CMS and participating review contractors with tracking features to ensure records are received within the specified deadline. Once documentation is submitted, the health information exchange solution routes it to the appropriate Medicare review contractor through the gateway. What to Look for When Seeking an Attachment Solution Providers and health systems leaders should seek a solution that: Adheres to the security and privacy requirements of HIPAA to ensure that PHI is exchanged over a secure standardized NwHIN connection. Provides a variety of document and image capture methods for maximum flexibility. Supports the transmission and retrieval of multiple file types including PDF, TIFF and other popular file types. Works with any claims clearinghouse as long as it supports HIPAAmandated standards, specifically the PWK segment in the 837 file. Provides connectivity to a wide range of payers. 10