From the desk of James B. Miller, Director of Compliance and Quality Control

Now that April 17th is behind us, we can breathe a sigh of relief… for the tax year 2011. Review the tax section below for information about tax changes that are on the horizon for tax year 2013.

The month of April is an important month of the year with several national areas of focus.

Each year, Earth Day, April 22, marks the anniversary of what many consider the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970.

By Presidential Proclamation, April 2012 has been declared National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Over half a million American children suffer neglect or abuse every year. A strong and well informed family unit is the surest defense against child abuse. Parents and caregivers, who have support from relatives, friends, neighbors, and their communities, are more likely to provide safe and healthy homes for their children.

In order to highlight the growing need for concern and awareness about autism, the Autism Society has been celebrating National Autism Awareness Month since the 1970s. The United States recognizes April as a special opportunity to educate the public about autism and issues within the autism community.

Enjoy your time reviewing this edition of our newsletter. We have covered many issues that might affect you, your practice, or facility. From the introduction of our new QuicDoc Enterprise Portal to a report from the floor of the 42nd National Council Conference to proposed changes to the HCFA 1500 form, there is something here for everyone.

We are continually updating our Knowledgebase (KB) with new articles for Office Therapy Professional and QuicDoc Professional and Enterprise. If you use Office Therapy and are e-filing, this is the place where you will find help with common errors that result in claim rejections.

Working together as a team, DocuTrac Support, Sales, and Development staff all contribute KB articles to provide useful and accurate answers to customers’ questions.

Add our KB site to your favorites list.

Subscribe to updates and be notified when new articles are added.

Click HERE to visit the Knowledgebase.

We have just returned from exhibiting our QuicDoc® Enterprise Edition Software at the 42nd National Council Conference in Chicago.

The buzz on the floor and in the workshops centered on the interoperability of various EHR systems and of course, the “elephant in the room," the integration of Primary Care with Behavioral/Mental Healthcare.

It seems many forward thinking clinical and executive directors nationwide are getting out in front of all the different payer models being established today. By incorporating primary care in their facilities or community health agencies, directors are hoping to provide a foundation for financial support and successful patient care for the future.

Thanks to all of you that stopped by the booth to say “Hello." We always enjoy seeing our customers in person.

Click HERE to read the Press Release about the Conference.

The National Uniforms Claims Committee (NUCC) is releasing a revised version of the 1500 Health Insurance Claim Form (version 02/12) that will accommodate the Version 5010 837P changes and the ICD-10 implementation.

This revised version will update the current 1500 Claim Form, often referred to as the "HCFA 1500" or "CMS 1500." The current 1500 Claim Form will be discontinued, according to the transition time line, on October 1, 2013 when only the revised (02/12) 1500 Claim Form is to be used.

For more information see http://www.nucc.org/

I realize it is only April of 2012, however if you want to avoid the CMS e-Prescribing “payment adjustment” aka “penalty” of 1.5% for 2013 you must act soon to get your e-Prescribing system up and running and use it. Review the rule explanation below, reprinted from the CMS website.

2013 e-Rx Payment Adjustment

Individual eligible professionals and group practices participating in the e-Rx Group Practice Reporting Option (GPRO) who are not successful electronic prescribers will be subject to a 1.5% payment adjustment on their Medicare Part B services provided January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2013.

To avoid the 2013 e-Rx payment adjustment, individual eligible professionals would have had to have been a successful electronic prescriber in 2011 or will need to report the G8553 code via claims for at least 10 billable Medicare Part B PFS services provided January 1, 2012 through June 30, 2012.

For more detailed information covering the entire CMS ePrescribing Incentive program, click HERE.

Here’s what we learned…..

100% of our customers who responded to the survey have Personal Health Information (PHI) in their systems that can be associated with a particular individual.

Only 46% of those answering the survey questions reported having written policies and procedures in place to help them meet the requirements of HIPAA and the HITECH Act.

When asked what stood in the way of becoming compliant, two answers were echoed time and again, “the complexity of interpreting the requirements” and “the lack of time and resources to plan, develop, and implement a path to compliance."

We understand your frustration and fear when the issues of HIPAA compliance are raised and we have responded by providing tools and training materials for your use.

Click HERE for access to a training webcast, and a free compliance workbook that will help you plan and conduct your initial review.

According to a ‘Tax Planning 2012’ article in About.com, “The year 2012 could be the last year for America's current tax rate structure.”

“Many tax rates are set to increase in 2013,” says Rob Trammell, a principal at the Silicon Valley accounting firm of Abbott, Stringham & Lynch.  “This means taxpayers will want to plan now, and monitor that plan to ensure they take appropriate action throughout 2012 before tax rates increase next year.” 

Click HERE to check 2012 rates.

Have a look at the new Enterprise site, which now contains the Implementation Portal.

Enterprise customers can sign up for a login to the new and expanded Enterprise Portal. The web site allows customers to create and track support tickets, auto email all parties on the creation of each ticket, as well as each and every update. Another compelling feature of the new portal is the inclusion of our system setup, training, and meaningful use videos for informational purposes or to incorporate into your training program.

If you are a QuicDoc Enterprise customer, visit the Portal today and look in the center of the screen for the Register link to get started.

Create Custom Screens for your Notes…

You can create your own user forms or screens, and incorporate them as part of your notes or treatment plans. Let's say that you need a section for your progress note to document Activities of Daily Living. You can create a form or screen with text fields, drop-down pick lists, dates and numeric fields to capture the information you need to record.

Creating a User Form requires the Administrative logon. To get started, select User Forms from the Setup menu and refer to the HELP file for instructions.