Have you heard this yet?

Bronx-Lebanon Hospital owes Alexis Rodriguez, and several hundred other patients, an apology.  It was just “a simple mistake,” of course.  But tell that to Alexis Rodriguez. 

Basically, the billing firm handling invoicing for Bronx-Lebanon Hospital made a data entry error that placed the invoice number in the “Amount Owed” field.  So several hundred patients received bills to the tune of eight digits!

Here’s a link to the full article: “You’re Better – and You Owe $44 Million.”

Now, don’t get me wrong.  I’m not faulting Bronx-Lebanon for outsourcing their billing.  We think outsourcing is one of the smartest things a hospital can do.

But here’s the thing:   The company they chose to trust with invoicing their patients fell short when it to came time to quality review.

And that, my friends, created a mess.

Outsourcing can be a risky business when you don’t hire the best.  Here are some tips to keep in mind if you’re considering outsourcing:

1. Details, details, details:  In this case, this little faux pas happened because the company Bronx-Lebanon chose to use didn’t pay attention to the details.  It’s vital for a company to pay attention to little details that can make the difference between a job well done and an embarrassing mess. So when you’re considering outsourcing a job to a company, pay attention to little details like what kind of presence they have on social media or how they handle communications such as responses to your e-mails.  These little clues can give you insight into how they may handle your job.
2. Pricing:  Outsourcing can’t be a matter of finding the lowest bid and running with it.  Who knows how much money Bronx-Lebanon has lost in cleaning up this snafu, but you can bet they’ve lost quite a bit in future earnings just based on a sullied reputation.  And errors like this aren’t the only possibility when you go with the lowest bidder.  Any time corners get cut or quality is sacrificed for price, you run the risk of looking bad, or possibly even running into legal trouble.
3. Reputation:  You’ve got to be able to trust the company you’re working with to have the same quality standards as you and your facility.  A solid firm you’re going to hire needs to have a strong reputation you can trust.  A history of success you can research and rely on.  I wasn’t able to find much about the company Bronx-Lebanon used for their invoicing.  Maybe that says something.

I know from my own experience, outsourcing has its pros and cons.  So if you’re going to enjoy the benefits and steer clear of the potential hazards, you need to be able to settle on a company with the history and reputation to stand behind their work and keep your name out of the headlines.

Tell me, what guidelines do you follow when hiring a vendor? Any best practices you look for when outsourcing?  What do you do to pay attention to details?  Let me know in the comments.

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Zachary Foundation

Come join Michael Friedberg of HNLY, and other healthcare industry members in support of the Zachary Foundation on October 5, 2011 at the Barry L. Schiff Memorial Healthcare Classic golfing event. 

The Zachary Foundation was founded by the parents and friends of Zachary Friedberg of Morganville, New Jersey who suffers from a rare form of Mitochondrial Disease.

Bring your golf game and come out.

MAS has been in many of The Zachary Foundation golf outings and they have always been a lot of fun. This year they are honoring three of the long time supporters Andrew Goold, VP of The Healthsearch Group, James Y. Lee, FACHE Executive VP and  COO of Lawrence Hospital Center and Adam K. Weinstein, FACHE VP for Regulatory Affairs and Corporate Compliance New York Hospital Queens.

Michael Friedberg who has played an important role in healthcare through the years and deserves our industry’s full support, says “Throughout the years we have been privileged to have support from many people and organizations, it is the commitment of these three individuals that has been the driving force for our success. Their gift to Zachary and children like him who suffer from Mitochondrial Disease has been given not for recognition or personal gain but only due to each of their own selflessness. My family and the entire Mitochondrial Disease community are forever in their debt.”

Registration is still open! I look forward to seeing you there!

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As stated in the article “for the first time in its history, Medicare will soon track spending on millions of individual beneficiaries, reward hospitals that hold down costs and penalize those whose patients prove most expensive.”

It’s another take on pay for performance which can leave hospitals responsible for the cost of care rendered not only by them, but also by any doctors the patient sees after they leave the hospital.

We’d love to know what you think about this plan to “pay 4 performance”. Leave us a comment after you’ve read the article.

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If you’ve never worked a sales position, then you pretty much got paid just for showing up to work, even if you don’t perform your best.  Imagine if the amount of money you earned was directly tied into your level of performance on the job? Most people avoid sales positions because they need the guarantee of steady income and don’t want to be judged on the job.

Lately, a lot of industries are using a pay for performance strategy, including healthcare. Pay for performance can impact the state of the industry by affecting the cost and quality of healthcare. We like to see the healthcare industry is taking a page out of the business handbook.

At MAS, we love the concept and practice it with our Pay 4 Performance guarantee. Our medical billing clients don’t pay us until they get paid. We love accepting the challenge of hitting account receivables and collections goals for our clients.

We see “pay 4 performance” as an incentive produce. We know when we work hard we’ll get paid for the results. Here’s a question for you. Would you “work for performance”? Let us know what you think about the pay for performance concept.

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Please join us for a special fundraiser six years in making. MAS is proud to support Transitional Services for New York, Inc. (TSINY) in their efforts to send “Lenny” a Special Olympic hopeful to Greece. TSINY is a not for profit multi-faceted mental health corporation that seeks to enrich the lives of the mentally ill.

Lenny Wilkens, our athlete came to TSINY unable to complete basic, daily functions.  She was so wild that her own family rejected her.  The TSINY staff worked  persistently with Lenny at Hope House, their residence in Queens Village, and offered her the opportunity to exercise, where they noted our athlete’s propensity to excel at Power Lifting and began helping her.

Lenny began participating in the Special Olympics six years ago and has now been chosen to represent the United States in Greece. She will compete in power lifting, a strength sport that includes bench press, squat and the dead lift. Our athlete has enjoyed competing and making friends. We know her life has been enhanced by her participation.

It costs nearly $9,000 to send Lenny to Greece and she must be accompanied by a TSINY staff member. To this end, we are trying to raise $20,000 and greatly appreciate your support. Donations are also being accepted.

Come out and support our efforts to send this great athlete to the Special Olympics. Join us at the TSINY fundraiser luncheon on Thursday, May 12 at the Douglaston Club, Douglaston, NY.

Guest speakers include Dean Mercado of Online Marketing Muscle, who will be presenting  a seminar on mastering social networking and Wendi Caplan-Carroll, Regional Director of Constant Contact who will be presenting on using Constant Contact to promote your business or organization.

We look forward to your support and seeing you there. Click here to register for this fundraiser event now or contact Terry LoPiano directly to purchase tickets or make a donation via phone (718) 746-6647 ext 11 or email at tlopiano@tsiny.org

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With the new law, doctors who advise patients on end of life planning will be paid by the government. As quoted in the article “The new rule says Medicare will cover “voluntary advance care planning,” to discuss end-of-life treatment, as part of the annual visit.”

The article also goes on to discuss concerns expressed by opponents of the new regulation that “…the Obama administration was bringing back a procedure that could be used to justify the premature withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment from people with severe illnesses and disabilities.”

Read more about this new legislation and then come back and  tell us what you think about “end-of-life planning”

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With the new law, doctors who advise patients on end of life planning will be paid by the government. As quoted in the article “The new rule says Medicare will cover “voluntary advance care planning,” to discuss end-of-life treatment, as part of the annual visit.”

The article also goes on to discuss concerns expressed by opponents of the new regulation that “…the Obama administration was bringing back a procedure that could be used to justify the premature withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment from people with severe illnesses and disabilities.”

Read more about this new legislation and then come back and  tell us what you think about “end-of-life planning”

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We have found that the goodwill of those we serve and partner with  is the foundation of our success. It’s a real pleasure at this holiday time to say “Thank You” as we wish you a full year of happiness and prosperity!

As 2010 comes to an end we find ourselves reflecting on the past year and on those who have helped to shape our business in a most significant way. We value our relationship with you and look forward to working with you and making even more amazing things happen in the year to come.

We like to leave you with a positive thought as we fight on in 2011!

“Another fresh new year is here . . .
Another year to live!
To banish worry, doubt, and fear,
To love and laugh and give!

This bright new year is given me
To live each day with zest . . .
To daily grow and try to be
My highest and my best!

I have the opportunity
Once more to right some wrongs,
To pray for peace, to plant a tree,
And sing more joyful songs!”

Warmest regards,

Bill & Susan Baylis and the MAS Team!

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