By Sarah E. Streett, M.D., Chair, AGA Practice Management and Economics Committee, and Joel V. Brill, M.D., AGAF, AGA CPT Advisor
Have you taken steps to ensure that your practice will have a successful 2016? Here are six resolutions from AGA to help you improve your practice and prepare for the changing health-care environment.
1. Avoid penalties. Failing to demonstrate meaningful use with your electronic health records or failing to participate in the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) during 2016 will cost you in 2018. Stay up to date with the latest requirements. AGA can help you meet PQRS and avoid penalties with the Digestive Health Recognition Program.™
2. Prepare for reimbursement cuts.
Evaluate the operations of your practice to minimize waste, excess expense, and rework due to mistakes. Efficiency will become crucial to your success as reimbursement rates to physicians and ASCs for colonoscopy procedures decline. You can also find helpful hints for efficiency and quality of care from NIH and HHS.
Review your commercial contracts. With reimbursement decreasing each year, protect yourself now by renegotiating multi-year contract rates with payors based on the 2015 fee schedule.
3. Be sure you’re up to date on your CPT coding. Did you know that AGA members can get two free coding/billing questions answered every 30 days? Visit the AGA Coding and Billing Corner and get started today at www.gastro.org/practice-management/coding/coding-billing-corner.
4. Increase efficiency and efficacy to increase impact for patients. Ensure your practice is conducive to a positive patient experience. In the new health-care landscape, it is crucial that you not only provide top-notch patient care, but also an overall positive patient experience.
5. Utilize the patient census in your practice. Think about strategizing with your patient census to maintain your position as a viable health-care business. Which payors are most beneficial to your practice? Who owns your referral sources?
6. Know how to make the Affordable Care Act work for your practice. Effective Dec. 23, 2015, commercial payors (but not Medicare) are required to cover a pre-procedure consultation prior to a screening colonoscopy, as well as the pathology resulting from the screening colonoscopy procedure, without patient financial responsibility. Make sure that your billers and referring physicians are familiar with the new regulations.
