Genius Solutions' September 1st Friday Conference Call

The next Genius Solutions First Friday of the Month Conference Call is scheduled for Friday September 4th at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time.

Planned topics for the conference call (so far) are:

Genius Seminars are @ Soaring Eagle Next

Be An Office Hero!

August 12

@Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort
6800 Soaring Eagle Blvd
Mt. Pleasant, MI  48858
888.732.4537

Morning Seminar Time: 9 am - 1 pm
Afternoon Seminar Time: 2 pm - 4:30 pm 

Click here for more information.
Click here to view and print the event flier with registration.

Genius First Friday of the Month Phone Conference

The next Genius Solutions First Friday of the Month Conference Call is scheduled for December 2, 2011.

The next conference call will be special because we will have TWO different calls:

• 10:00 a.m. for eTHOMAS clients
• 11:00 a.m. for dTHOMAS and THOMAS-Lite clients

You can attend both if you wish, or listen to the recordings on Monday at www.geniussolutions.com/news

I'm hoping this will be simpler for everyone and save time so you don't have to listen to the "other" THOMAS instructions.

I'm thinking this is a one time only event and we'll go back to the normal 10 a.m. time for everyone in January.

Current topics for the call include:

• How did the THOMAS Users Focus Group in Warren, MI go last week?
• CMS delays enforcement until 4/1/2012 but payors might not
• 5010 for THOMAS users not in Michigan: what to do
• BCBSM accepting some 5010 now - get started sending now
• Step by step THOMAS sending 5010 to BCBSM
• General interest questions and answers from the listeners
• Final comments

Save a Life Doc

Ok, you are probably going to have raised an eyebrow by now.  Good.  You doctors are trained to help people and save lives and we all know this, but what about the rest of your office staff?  Patients don’t come to your office because they feel good.  Heck, if they’re as bad as me, they won’t show up until they are dying or practically dead.  That being the case, are your staff trained as first responders?  When minutes count can they act until you can be grabbed or reached to help?  How about an AED machine?  Do you have one in your office?  Is it easy and quick to get to from the front or from one of your exam rooms?  You care about your patients enough to be there long hours every day; do you care enough to make sure your whole office is prepared to assist you in your work?

New Changes to RAC Program

Per an article by Sheri Porter on the AAFP website, Medicare is making a change to the RAC programs that might help out family physicians and their offices, beginning January 3, 2012.

The Google Health Experiment is Shutting Down

For the last four years or so I’ve been watching in the background as Google Health came out, followed shortly thereafter by Microsoft’s Healtvault and others.  PHR (personal health records) – take e-healthcare to the individual patient.  This was before the ARRA and the new EHR and meaningful use initiatives, before many people even knew what an EHR was, let alone a PHR.  Like many things Google had found a niche and was grabbing it by the horns to make it play nice for the average Joe.  Now it is over… they recently announced that the service will be completely shuttered on January 1, 2012.  At that point you will no longer be able to add info, search or view information etc.  They are giving you until the same time the following year to download or port your information into a new place.  Other PHR solutions like Microsoft’s HealthVault are already promoting the ease with which you can move your Google Health PHP information into their systems. 

eTHOMAS v 9.2+

Whoo-hooo!  We love a challenge and we love to add new accessories as much as you do, so I am pleased to give you a glimpse of the shiny, new, upcoming eTHOMAS v 9.2 release.  Now at the outset I can see your faces drooping saying “yeah, sure, new because you have to for the 5010 electronic format”.  However, we’re not just any software vendor, if we’re going to have a number change it’s because we want to give something more to our clients—YOU!  And did I mention?  We’re Genius.

UB-04

UB-04, also casually referred to as institutional or hospital billing, may be in your present or near future.  Many of you may work as outpatient facilities such as rehab or physical therapy facilities, etc. that may need to use this format.   At Genius we have been fielding an increasing number of calls regarding UB-04 billing:  Can eTHOMAS do it? Can we teach you UB-04 billing? Are there resources available for you “out there”?  So, here we go.

Give Your Practice the Raise it Deserves in 2011

Genius Solutions announces new "Give Your Practice the Raise it Deserves in 2011" seminars, featuring Karen Zook CPC, CCP.

Click here to download PDF

Everything you every wanted to know about HIPAA & Privacy, but were afraid to ask

Ok, during the ONC HIT conference this week, they gave an invaluable link for everything you might want or need to know about HIPAA and privacy concerns and here it is:
http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/

Back in the News- Medicare 23% Pay Cuts- Again!

As most of you are well aware, it took about six months to get a longer than 1 month extension to stave off the Medicare pay cuts earlier this year. Well, that extension is about to expire next Tuesday, November 30th, 2010, at the end of the day.

So, what can you expect?

eT v9.1 You've been Asking; We Deliver!

We know that many of you have been waiting for v9.1, now it is here.  New bells, whistles, and even niftier, make your life easier tools.

We strongly recommend that you update eTHOMAS now to enjoy not only the new features that have been added, but to make sure that you have the most current healthcare reform changes as well.

dTHOMAS clients: AutoUpdate now!

We strongly recommend that you update your dTHOMAS systems now, so that you will be on the most current version of the program.  This will keep you in step with the current changes in the healthcare and billing arenas that may affect your office and your billing.

Also know that we will be personally contacting you to invite you to update THOMAS as well as to discuss your current plans and hopes for EHR in your office.  We look forward to speaking with you soon.

Podiatrists: We Salute You With your Own EHR!

Visit Us and have a chance to experience something truly unique:  Our new touch screen EHR developed specifically for podiatrists!

We all know it’s coming; the mandate to move into an EHR for performance and payment.  What you might not know is how it can make your life better and easier.  At Genius Solutions we know you’ve been looking for an EHR product that will give you full service office templates, notes, front desk check-in, and in a perfect world, fully integrate with your THOMAS program.  Well, your wish has been granted.  Our EHR genies have been working on a new Podiatry EHR just for you.  

The Big Healthcare Squeeze

Are you feeling the pressure yet?  PricewaterhouseCoopers’ (PwC) Health Research Institute just released their well researched and considered opinion of the “Top 10 health industry issues in 2010:  Squeezing the juice out of healthcare” (December 2009).  As they note, the entire healthcare industry is trying to squeeze out “inefficiencies and duplication”, reductions are being tried and made from the top, middle, sideways, and trickling down.  Standing in the shadow of impending healthcare legislation, their first paragraph contains the ultimate in understatements by mentioning that the government is taking an active role in healthcare. 

Meaningful Use, does anyone know what it means yet?

The Health IT Policy Committee is supposed to be finalizing and publishing the definition of Meaningful Use for EHRs.  This definition is to be publicly released and available for review.  Basically the committee’s goal was to have a working definition, versus the amorphous definition floating around right now.  It was thought that this would happen this month.  After the issuance of the NPRM [notice for proposed rulemaking] for meaningful use happens, there will be a 60-day window for people to review and comment on the proposed definition, followed by review and any revision before a final definition is reached for release.

Welcome to the GeniusPodiatry News Blog

Thanks for joining us at our new news blog.  Flash of Genius: The Sole Scene is now officially, and truly, electronic. 

We will no longer be publishing our quarterly newsletter, although the older newsletters will continue to be available on our website.  Mark’s hot news flash items will also be worked into this news forum.  We wanted to be more vibrant and timely in our news delivery to you.  We will continue to present the feature articles that you have come to expect and look forward to in our newsletters and more.  We will now be able to deliver interesting and timely news that we find, but was too stale to post by the time the quarterly newsletter came out.  It will also allow us to get and keep in touch with you even faster.

You can view the news blog at time by linking from our web site at www.geniussolutions.com, by saving the link to this blog on your computer, or better yet, join up and follow us so that you know as soon as we post new news.  You can follow us at this blog; you can also sign up to follow us on Twitter and Facebook (see links on the right).

Thanks again for reading,
Penny Henriksen
Genius Solutions’ newsletter writer and editor
As always you can reach me at newsletter2009 @geniussolutions.com
Visit us at www.geniussolutions.com