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Well MAS is here to tell you that medical billing is so much more than just submitting codes to insurance companies and following up to receive payment checks. In fact, we’re more than just medical billers, we are profit recovery specialists. We work proactively as an extension of your team to manage your revenue and cash flow so that you can focus on what’s important–patient care.

MAS understands that while it’s important to get the codes right, it’s also very important to remember the human conditions behind the codes. With our team of talented medical billing experts, Medical Account Solutions (MAS) can help your health care organization identify and focus on your unique problem filling in  the void to keep your billing processes running smoothly.

We look at monthly trends to see if there are any areas that we can help you improve and streamline your processes to maintain good cash flow. Our problem solving approach means we work harder to make sure that your patient’s important procedures are reimbursed because we know that denied claims hurts them and you.

Why do we care so much?  It’s not just about the codes and the numbers. Simply medical billing is fun to us.(when was the last time you heard that). We enjoy fighting on your behalf with the insurance company”s to get claims paid. Going the extra mile to get rejections over turn and doing our part to take the pressure off a growing medical group.When MAS processes your medical billing, we know we’re boosting your productivity so you can see more patients. We know that when we get it right, it’s a win for you and a win for your patients.

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60 minutes ran a story Sunday night Aug. 6, 2010 (originally published on Nov. 22, 2009). The Cost of Dying: End-of-Life Care .  It started with the statement “Every medical study ever conducted has concluded that 100 percent of all Americans will eventually die.  This comes as no great surprise, but the amount of money being spent at the very end of people’s lives probably will.” They also reported, that last year, Medicare paid $55 billion just for doctor and hospital bills during the last two months of patients’ lives. That’s more than the budget for the Department of Homeland Security, or the Department of Education.

This piece created a lot of emotions for me.  I don’t think it was an accident that I related to this story, considering that I have been working with colleagues who are experts in the field of eldercare and life coaching.

When I first decided to add this story to my blog;  it seemed like an easy angle to write about our role in the debate as medical billers.  (If you have any thoughts on what role we play, please comment.) After reporter Steve Kroft asked Dr. Elliott Fisher, a researcher at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy “How do so many people end up in the hospital?” and Fisher replied “It’s the path of least resistance”.  I realized I was about to take the same path with this blog–so here goes the harder way.

Perhaps we as a country need to take a step back and as hard as this is to say “decide how we want to die”.

Most Americans don’t like to focus on morbid thing like this, but I have to agree with the point of view held by Dr. Byock who leads a team that treats and counsels patients with advanced illnesses: “This is a hard time in human life. But it’s just a part of life. Collectively, as a culture, we really have to acknowledge that we’re mortal,” Dr. Byock said. “Get over it. And start looking at what a healthy, morally robust way for people to die looks like.”

Dale Carnegie once said “Prepare for the worst that can possibly happen” then “calmly try to improve upon the worst.”

I think that we should put some thought today into how we what to die, to maintain some control of our last days. I have  deeper understanding of how working with my end-of-life colleagues could help us live a better life. Attorney Craig Andreoli an estate planning expert, Stephanie Ethe long term insurance specialist and Jean Summit-Riker life coach can help us plan and ask ourselves the hard questions now so that we’re better prepared for death.

Jean Summit-Riker said “Life is a journey we all travel, but the choice to take the path to peace and happiness is yours alone.”  I think this is our chance to collectively leave a legacy to our children and grandchildren and show them that it is important to prepare for death and that is possible to do it gracefully.

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Check out Congressman Brady’s New Health Care Chart below. If there was ever a time to hire a Medical Billing company like Medical Account Solutions, it’s right about now!

I’m sure you’ll agree that when you’re face to face with a big shark,  it’s no time to go ” Rogue”. Don’t try to do it alone. MAS stands ready to help you navigate your way to firm footing in these uncertain waters.

Let MAS handle the details so your health care organization can stay afloat, because if you don’t move quickly,  this “shark” will swallow you whole.

Congressman Brady Introduces “Your New Health Care System” Chart

July, 28, 2010 — nicedeb

“

A little sunshine goes a long way”.

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The post highlights a study by a team from Massachusetts General Hospital and its physician’s organization. They examined the time and costs associated with the third-party billing system used in the U.S and calculated that they could save billions by just  streamlining  typical administrative inefficiencies.

The analysis, published in Health Affairs and funded by the Commonwealth Fund and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, looked at a large, multi-specialty group of doctors that uses the typical fee-for-service model. They looked at what might reduce some of the administrative burden – specifically, the time spent by physicians and office staff doing paperwork and going back and forth with payers.

“Achieving these savings would not require restructuring the basic market-system tenets of our complex health care system through, for example, mandating a single-payer approach,” the researchers write.

Medical billing companies like MAS have been on the front line of streamlining costs since the 1970’s and is a major reason why our industry has taken off since. Over the years. many doctor groups and hospital have taken advantage of our expertise to increase cash flow, including niche billing skills delivered by MAS,  such as Workers’ Compensation and No-Fault or Ambulance / Emergency Transport Billing.

Another trend that MAS has seen is for clients to use our billing company on a project basis, as with our Third-Party Follow-Up and Trial Balance Cash Improvement programs.  Our team literally becomes an extension of the client’s back office, benefiting them by keeping their office focused on the day to day’s most pressing needs.

What also works well is a contingency billing scale in which healthcare organizations take advantage of a sliding pay schedule that adjusts with need and patient volume. This becomes a win-win when hospital and physician organizations protect bottom line costs while still having a trained staff  available when they need them the most.

There is no doubt the battle in streamlining costs in healthcare is a challenging one. When I read a report like this one I get energized and it reminds me that success can be ours!  By working together and relying on the various industry segments to do their part,  MAS believes that our healthcare industry can save billions. The model is there for us to follow. We look forward to doing our part to streamlining costs– one doctor office, one clinic, one doctor group and one hospital at a time.

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 Nothing is perfect, but if you were to talk to a friend or family member overseas about their universal healthcare system, you realize that we have what people in other countries wish they had!                                                               

Of the various clients I have been blessed to have throughout the years, I particularly enjoy doing work for large, inner-city hospitals.   Often times, these clients have a large mental health, obstetrical and renal failure population, among others.  When I see this type of billing, I think of the lives behind it–the mentally ill patients who are able to lead a better life due to the help they receive, the babies who are born healthy because of pre-natal care and the dialysis patients who are buying more time with their families until a kidney becomes available.  

Their lives literally depend upon the fiscal stability of their community hospital!  I feel a sense of accomplishment when I get their claims paid because I know that I am helping to keep these hospitals fiscally sound so they can be there for those patients who need them the most!

Recently, we witnessed the closing of a fine institution who served New York City for so many years, that they treated survivors of the Titanic!!  St. Vincent’s Hospital was a beloved fixture in the lower Manhattan community that serviced families from the cradle to the grave.  Its closing left a hole in the healthcare system of New York City that cannot be fixed.  It makes me terribly sad to think there have patients who have suffered, and perhaps even lost their lives, due to the shutdown of this hospital.  Would things have been different if they had properly utilized all available resources?

Numbers don’t lie.  According to a 2006 Newsweek article, there are approximately $60 billion in unpaid medical bills per year!  Our work, of supplementing an over-burdened hospital staff, helps to keep hospitals functioning in our communities so they can continue to serve the patients who walk through their doors everyday! 

I have watched the struggles of New York’s inner-city hospitals now for many years and have grown increasingly frustrated as they resist outsourcing their medical billing to an agency, such as MAS.  Surely they can do it themselves, why do they need to pay an outside company to do what their internal staff can?  Perhaps because, according to the CDC, in 2006 there were 119.2 million emergency department visits alone. 

Yes, we want to be leaders in the medical billing industry but my company and I focus on the bigger picture.  We know that our efforts and collections help to secure and  maintain our cutting-edge American healthcare system.  With this in mind, I believe our contributions at MAS could just be a “higher calling”!

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We need jobs here first!  I could never understand why so many of our jobs have been sent over seas, especially service sector jobs.  I have no doubt that we can get the job done better here at home, with more impact to the client’s bottomline, and, with greater customer satisfaction.  Cheaper does not always mean better!

We just feel its good policy to shop locally.  At MAS, we use our local pharmacist and food market.  The owners and workers of these businesses know us, they know our likes and dislikes and they do the little things that keep us coming back again and again.  It’s a great investment in our community to buy in our own backyard when it makes sense.  American’s know what they want when it comes to service and it makes sense to me to turn to our own backyard when hiring a service oriented company.

We at MAS welcome the challenge to prove why Long Island ”Rural Sourcing” is the way to go with your medical billing needs!

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Now imagine if you were a physician and could come to your office everyday knowing that you could practice medicine instead of constantly worry about cashflow?

In reality, utilizing a professional medical billing agency will transform your practice.  Imagine how efficient an office can be when working together with a medical billing company who is handling the details of generated cash flow.  Instead of arguing with insurance companies, your staff can focus on complementing you as a healer, perhaps by generating a new patient flow or simply maintaining patient satisfaction and rapport.  A professional medical billing agency will possess and utilize their strengths in organization, billing and collections and allow your staff to focus on your patient’s needs.  You can now refocus your staff on supporting you as a healer.

The power is yours when you find the right company.  When you begin your search, we hope you will consider Medical Account Solutions!

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My concern is this: how much can we abdicate our responsibility as human beings to take care of ourselves?  Do you really need to be paid everyday to take a medication that prevents you from dropping dead within minutes due to a heart attack, stroke or any other malady one can think of?  I can recall when my son took Singulair to prevent the terrible asthma attacks he would get, often sending him to the hospital.  To me, there was nothing more important than making sure that child had that medicine that kept him healthy!  I created a routine to assure myself that I would never forget his daily dose.

That being said, there is a bigger issue, at least for me, in question here or the next layer, if you will: how has the government gotten so intimately involved in maintaining or treating our health and our bodies?  In the words of the great Ronald Reagan, “Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.” Yes, I know that paying people may prevent hospitalizations, spending a lot of money, etc…but involving the government in personal health compliance seems like a potentially slippery slope.

Another thought I have is, would these same people being paid to essentially take care of themselves be willing to get paid to take poison, that is, if the government offered it at a good payout?  I mean, if it could turn a good profit and one doesn’t care about their health anyway, why not right??

What do you think??

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