COVID

COVID

Employee Positive COVID OSHA

Employee With COVID-19: Prevent OSHA Violation

Question: We are testing employees daily for COVID-19 to protect staff and patients. If an employee tests positive for COVID-19, are we required to record an OSHA incident? Question from Los Angeles, CA subscriber Answer: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements mandate that you record certain work-related illnesses. COVID-19 is included in the regulation […]

CPT Code 99443 Reimbursement: New CMS Rules for 30 Min Calls

You can add thousands of dollars in revenue for your telephone calls (99441-99443) thanks to new CMS rules. Pre-coronavirus, these codes netted a big fat $0. But now Medicare is paying up to $110 for a 30-minute call if you get your billing right. To capture this added payment fast without facing improper claims penalties, […]
Reduced Hours Pay During Coronavirus

FFCRA: Comply with COVID-19 Employee ‘Reduced Hours’ Rules

QUESTION: Several of our staff have requested to work less hours per week because of the current unavailability of childcare due to COVID 19. Based on the recent pandemic-related employment rule changes, are we required to pay these employees for their full-time schedule or can we only pay them what they work? Question from Fort […]
restarting elective surgery after covid-19

2 Policies Restart Your Elective Surgeries Post Coronavirus

Your practice’s financial stability means you have to quickly scale your elective surgeries back to pre-coronavirus days while complying with new safety guidelines. Two of the top policies you need to iron out and then communicate are your pre-surgical COVID-19 screening processes and surgery visitation allowances. As you create and implement your new COVID-19 surgical […]
Practice opening PPE supplies

3 Steps to Preserve Your PPE and Keep Your Practice Open

As you reopen, or ramp up the volume of patients you see, you must have a specific plan in place to continuously keep your patients and staff safe. Doing so hinges on your ability to maintain a sufficient supply of personal protective equipment (PPE), but due to the COVID-19 supply chain disruptions attaining this supplies […]
Employee tests positive for COVID-19

Reduce Liability if Employee Tests Positive For COVID-19

QUESTION: During the COVID-19 shutdown, we continue to see patients in the office on a reduced schedule. Now, we are getting ready to bring back the majority of our staff and ramp up patient office visits. We are concerned that the increased interactions could result in an employee testing positive for coronavirus. Our small practice does […]
Reopen Practice Steps (2)

20 Steps to Successfully Reopen Your Practice

In a few short months, COVID-19 has turned your practice day-to-day upside down – clinically, operationally and financially. At least now there is light at the end of the tunnel. Whether you closed your practice completely, or were working on an abbreviated schedule, the decisions you make over the next few weeks will have a […]
Medicare AWV COVID

Rebuild Wellness Visit Revenue During COVID-19

Providing routine patient care under COVID-19 restrictions has been a delicate balance. While following physical distancing and infection control safeguards, you also have to protect your bottom line. These three strategies will help your practice more successfully offer Medicare annual wellness visits (AWV) and preventive services in new ways to restore your finances and provide […]
COVID Workplace Violence

4 Steps Prevent a Spike in Post-COVID Workplace Violence

Even before the recent pandemic, healthcare workers were four times more likely to be the victims of workplace violence than any other industry. Then, you add the fear, anger and stress of the recent COVID-19 outbreak, and the potential risk rises even further. Everyone is a little on edge (healthcare workers and patients alike). Being […]
WA ENT Practice

Return to ‘Normal,’ Recovery Lessons from First Hit Practice

As the pandemic surges around the country, practices in the earliest-hit locations are finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. Recently, Glenda Smith—a practice administrator at Proliance Surgeons Bellevue Ear Nose and Throat Clinic and Lake Washington Facial Plastics and Rejuvenation spoke with Healthcare Training Leader. Below, she shares her experiences both […]