Monthly Archives: December 2011

What We’re Reading – Top 10 Changes in Patient Expectations (Part I)

Undoubtedly, the first rule of customer service is to find out what your customers want and then to give it to them.  This article’s author states that, “Understanding how patient expectations and behaviors have changed is the first step toward … Read Full Post

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What We’re Reading – Five ways to fight diabetes

According to the National Institutes of Health, people can lower their risk of diabetes by doing five things: following a healthy diet, having a healthy weight, being physically active, limiting drinking, and not smoking. According to the researcher, “Each healthy … Read Full Post

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How are Depression and Major Depression Different?

According to Barron’s Medical guide Dictionary of Medical Terms, Fifth Edition by Mike A. Rothenberg, M.D., and Charles F. Chapman, depression (ICD-9-CM code 311) is a dejected state of mind with feelings of sadness, discouragement, and hopelessness, often accompanied by … Read Full Post

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What We’re Reading – 5 Ways to Improve Customer Service Starting Today

One good thing about improving customer service for your company is that it needn’t be expensive and your efforts will generally pay for themselves in faithful, happy clients.  The cornerstone of customer service is simply having people skills, and fortunately, … Read Full Post

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What We’re Reading – 20 Social Media Marketing Do’s & Don’ts

Last week, we explained how important using social media is to market your company and to help you stay in contact with your patients and/or clients.  Now with all the strategies out there – which can be confusing and overwhelming … Read Full Post

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Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate (HH PPS) Update For Calendar Year (CY) 2012

Policy Updates for CY2012 1) Market Basket Update: The home health market basket percentage increase for CY 2012 is 2.4 percent. After reducing it by 1 percentage point as required by the Affordable Care Act, the CY 2012 HH PPS … Read Full Post

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What We’re Reading – 5 Examples of Social Media in Healthcare Marketing

It’s amazing how social media has become more than a way for people to stay in touch or find a long-lost friend or colleague.  In the research for this article, the author found that 73% of patients use social media … Read Full Post

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What We’re Reading – How Does Technology Improve Customer Service?

There is nothing more frustrating than an automated operator system directing you to the wrong department after your umpteenth attempt to get a live operator on the phone. However, when technology is operating properly it can empower employees, educate customers … Read Full Post

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Home health PPS 2012 Final Rule is out!

CMS has issued the final rule to update the Home Health Prospective Payment System (HHPPS) for 2012, which includes an estimated decrease of 2.31% (or $431 million). The net effect for providers is a 1.4% payment update, the wage index … Read Full Post

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What We’re Reading – Solving Your 9 Biggest Billing Blunders

The author of this article consulted with several coding professionals to come up with a list of the nine most common mistakes physicians make when it comes to documentation and coding.  The coding professionals also weighed in on what they … Read Full Post