It is a routine the front desk staff of a doctor’s office experiences tens, maybe hundreds, of times a day. A patient walks through the door, goes up to the front desk and proceeds to go about checking in for their appointment. There was once a time when most patients carried reliable healthcare plans and checking in for an appointment with their physician was simple. Today, with shaky economic times and a continuously evolving healthcare system, making sure that patients have the necessary health coverage to cover the cost of their office visit is harder than ever. According to a study published by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), the single, most important piece of technology a doctor’s office can have is an electronic eligibility verification tool. With an increase of more than 35% of patients being underinsured today, NexTech and Gateway EDI partnered to bring joint clients the ability to check the eligibility status of patients before they walk through the door. NexTech’s Practice Management and Electronic Medical Record solution integrates with Gateway EDI to verify eligibility through their nationwide network of thousands of payers in just seconds.

Those looking to attest Meaningful Use (MU) for the first time ought to be on the lookout for a fast approaching deadline! The final reporting period to attest Stage 1 of the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program, without penalty, begins October 1, 2013. Practices must show they have successfully, and effectively, implemented their EHR and have a solid 90-day record of its use. Preparing to attest MU can be a daunting task. NexTech EMR Specialist Kathy Claytor helps clients prepare for attestation. She offers the following tips: Pay attention to deadlines Claytor advises working closely with your NexTech EMR Specialist to get a complete understanding of requirements and due dates. Although the clock starts ticking October 1, 2013 for a 90-day reporting period, physicians have until February 28, 2014 to attest MU for 2013. “The last thing you want to do is be on the attestation website and realize that you did not capture everything you needed to properly attest,” says Claytor. Prepare for an audit, just in case According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), 1 out of every 20 physicians participating in the MU program will be audited. Claytor recommends all participating practices be prepared to provide checks and balances in the event they are audited. Claytor says a thorough account of your EHR from implementation to attestation will make auditing a smoother process. “We help prepare offices when setting up their EMR by having them take screenshots of implementation in case they get audited,” states Claytor. Don’t confuse your staff … keep it simple Proper MU training for your staff is critical to attestation. Claytor advices all of her clients to designate one person, perhaps the office manager, to be the “go-to” person on all things MU related. Your new office MU champion will be charged with learning the EMR software inside and out, then designating specific responsibilities to staff members. “Once everything is set up and the staff is trained on their areas of responsibility, each department has their own part to play and knows what they have to worry about,” explains Claytor. NexTech is ONC Certified to support MU. All EMR Specialists are equipped to properly assist clients in their attestation process for receiving incentive payouts. NexTech clients, to date, have received more than $14 million in MU incentive payments. Contact your representative for more information on getting started.