To RLF... I am just starting out.. I am looking for a course to take to get
certified.. the only one I have found is thru the community college here in
El Paso, and it is a 15 month course... I am looking for a shorter more
concise course..Do you know of one?? Does anyone on this list know where I
can get some training without having to go thru a full year..... Thanks,...
Sandy

Hi Sandy,

NEBA has a good course you can do at home. Time it takes depends on how
quick you catch on and how much time you spend on it. WHile I have not
purchased it myself, those I know of who have have been pleased.

Their link is:

http://www.NEBA.com


Dottie Hanussak L.P.N., C.M.A., C.M.O.M.
Express Medical Billing
Member of NEBA,  PAHCOM,  A.H.I.M.A., A.A.M.A.,


On Fri, 1 Oct 1999 20:17:25 EDT MISSDEBT@... writes:
> From: MISSDEBT@...
>
> To RLF... I am just starting out.. I am looking for a course to take
> to get
> certified.. the only one I have found is thru the community college
> here in
> El Paso, and it is a 15 month course... I am looking for a shorter
> more
> concise course..Do you know of one?? Does anyone on this list know
> where I
> can get some training without having to go thru a full year.....
> Thanks,...
> Sandy
>
> --------------------------- ONElist Sponsor
> ----------------------------
>
> Choose from a wide selection of high-quality newsletters at ONElist.
> For details on ONElist's PROS&PUNDITS newsletters, click below.
> <a href=" http://clickme.onelist.com/ad/prospun2 ">Click Here</a>
>
>
------------------------------------------------------------------------
> A list where we can all help each obtain maximum reimbursement!

Where do you live?  I teach in southern NJ.  I am thinking about distance
learning with the use of a weekly Teleconference.  The book I highly
recommend is Marilyn Fordney's "Insurance Handbook"  there is also a student
workbook.  If you go thru the book chapter by chapter and do the exercises
you will have the knowledge you seek.  You can get the books at barnes and
noble (cheaper than amazon and amazon doesn't have the workbook).  We can
also get them for you as we are a school.  I think you save $5.

I also highly recommend taking advantage of the free training programs you
can download at www.medicaretraining.com.  I use these as lab exercises with
my students and they love them.  Very interactive.  I used the ICD-9 one
last night for their quiz (well that part they weren't happy about <g>).

I have a lot of links on my website you may want to check out.  We're
endeavoring to add to it every week.

Hope this helps!

--Laureen

Laureen Jandroep, OTR, CPC
A+ Medical Management & Education
http://www.apmed.com (check out my new LINKS and NEWS page!)

----- Original Message -----
From: <MISSDEBT@...>
To: <MedicalBillers@onelist.com>
Sent: Friday, October 01, 1999 8:17 PM
Subject: Re: [MedicalBillers] Digest Number 109


> From: MISSDEBT@...
>
> To RLF... I am just starting out.. I am looking for a course to take to
get
> certified.. the only one I have found is thru the community college here
in
> El Paso, and it is a 15 month course... I am looking for a shorter more
> concise course..Do you know of one?? Does anyone on this list know where I
> can get some training without having to go thru a full year.....
Thanks,...
> Sandy
>
> > A list where we can all help each obtain maximum reimbursement!
>

An Inquiry to other billers;

Here in CA the largest portion of claims I work are to
HMO's & other managed care plans. Talk about headaches.
I'm just curious as to whether others of you also work
the follow up. The biggest dilemma I find with managed
care plans is which CPT codes are allowable for which
plans. For example, I can bill Aetna for a procedure &
it will be reimbursable. But if I use that same CPT to
say, Blue Cross, I will get a denial as not an allowable
code. ALthough I can appeal these & usually get the
reimbursement, it's very tedious. It appears that these
insurance carriers are just so large,they cannot handle
the volume. And the errored out claims become the
providers responsibility to follow up. Also, while
writing, I wish to inquire as to where can I get a
listing of the rev codes used? I have my CPT manual, and
my ICD-9 book, but questions do arise concerning rev
codes. Any suggetions? Thanks.
Renee

Two of the courses I did were at home courses.

One was Medical Billing by At-Home Professions and the other was from Meditech. 
Both were very informative and gave excellent detail.

The software I bought is by Claimtek.  check out their website at
www.claimtek.com.  they have a pretty unique product.

Pam Braue, Jackson, NJ


______________________________________________________________
Get your FREE Web based email account now at www.up2mail.com -
and send and receive emails worldwide!

In a message dated 10/1/99 8:17:47 PM Eastern Daylight Time, MISSDEBT@...
writes:

<< To RLF... I am just starting out.. I am looking for a course to take to
get
  certified.. the only one I have found is thru the community college here in
  El Paso, and it is a 15 month course... I am looking for a shorter more
  concise course..Do you know of one?? Does anyone on this list know where I
  can get some training without having to go thru a full year..... Thanks,...
  Sandy >>

Hi Sandy,
You may want to look into a homestudy course. One I reccomend is by NEBA
located at http://www.nebazone.com

Good luck to you!

Linda Walker
http://www.walkerinc.com
http://wwwbizopsmarts.com

Hello Renee!

Here is Michigan  we use the CPT manual for coding most COmmerical Insurance
CLaims.  We use the MUPC manual for BCBS of MIchingan and HICPICS for
Medicare ...combined with CPT.  THe MUPC manual tells us if BCBSM coveres any
procedure listed, it's restrictions and limitation.   For thoes not familiar
with the MUPC it is Michigan Uniform Procedure Coding Manual.  It carries
both local and CPT coding.  One great thing about this manual is for the most
part we can tell when where and if the procedure   is payable and under what
contracts it is!    We also have the Denis and Hart Systems for coverage and
further contract information.    The Caren System is great for spot checking
the BCBSM cardholders benefits by the telephone.

Dealing with HMO's and there ever changing rules is a nightmare..But I will
tell you the one that gets to me is the PPO's  the so called open ended HMO's
that is supposed to give the patient some flexability in providers.   YOu
find that this is not always the case without  approval like the gatekeeper
concept of the HMO's.

  I was at a office the other day and the topic of discussion was the "Front
Desk Staff"!   With all of the new insurances rules and regulation it amazes
me that Dr's in my area do not make a bigger financial investment in getting
some highly trained front desk staff to help eliminate  some of the HMO
nightmares from the beginning.  Many times by the time the biller gets the
rejection the claim may be out of hand.  Some providers in this State have
the front desk key in demographic information and do data entry of the
patient's charges.   This leads  to many problems in a busy office!  It
usually show  when the  Month End Reports are printed.

Jo An
Given her mouth a rest  hehehe!
Sorry for the long wind!

In a message dated 10/1/99 10:53:38 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
braues@... writes:

<< he software I bought is by Claimtek.  check out their website at
www.claimtek.com.  they have a pretty unique product.

  Pam Braue, Jackson, NJ >>

Thank you Pam for the information.  I have never heard of this one before.  I
am going to check it out !  Oh boy!   a new one! ;)

Jo An

Listen to me   I get all excited about a new Medical Billing Software...Do I
have a life????  ;)

http://www.wedi.org/

This link takes you to a site I thought some of you may be interested in - here
is an excerpt from their mission statement page:

WEDi Vision, Mission and Guiding Principles

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VISION:  Improving  healthcare through Electronic Commerce.
MISSION:  To foster widespread support for the adoption of electronic commerce
within healthcare.



Laureen Jandroep, OTR, CPC
A+ Medical Management & Education
http://www.apmed.com (check out my new LINKS and NEWS page!)

Thank You Dorothy...I will definitely look into that..

Thanks Laureen.. I live in El Paso.. a few miles from NJ.. :)    If you do
decide to teach your course long distance, let me know....
Sandy

Dont worry Jo An,,,, I am doing the same.. I am checking them all out..this
is fun!!!!
Sandy

In a message dated 10/2/99 2:29:38 PM Eastern Daylight Time, MISSDEBT@...
writes:

<< Dont worry Jo An,,,, I am doing the same.. I am checking them all
out..this
  is fun!!!!
  Sandy >>

There are alot of scams and companies that misrepresent the business, make
sure you reasearch each company thoroughly!


Linda Walker, HRS
<A HREF="http://www.bizopsmarts.com/">Don't get scammed! Get Bizop Smart!</A>

In a message dated 09/30/1999 4:01:59 PM Central Daylight Time,
dottieh1@... writes:

<< There really is no good source for software which would please everybody.
  While I like Lytec and Practice Pro, I hate Medisoft.  >>

Dottie,

Just wondering why you hate Medisoft.  I've been told Medisoft & Lytec are
very similar (since they were actually developed by the basically the same
group of people), but I've never actually checked out Lytec, just Medisoft.
Just wondering...

Bethany Daniels
JD Billing Systems
<A HREF="http://www.webcom.com/medical/AMBA.htm">AMBA</A> Conduct & Ethics
Standards Committee Member
JDBillSys@...
<A HREF="http://www.webcom.com/medical/tour.htm">Take advantage of a FREE
tour of AMBA's Members Only Site</A>

Hi Bethany,

All I can tell you is they are not even close.
Payments are often hard to put into Medisoft and not hard to put in
Lytec.
Printing a claim in M is (for me) impossible as I can't seem to get the
thing lined up right. Believe me when I tell you I tried,,,


Dottie Hanussak L.P.N., C.M.A., C.M.O.M.
Express Medical Billing
Member of NEBA,  PAHCOM,  A.H.I.M.A., A.A.M.A.,


On Sat, 2 Oct 1999 16:13:34 EDT JDBillSys@... writes:
> From: JDBillSys@...
>
> In a message dated 09/30/1999 4:01:59 PM Central Daylight Time,
> dottieh1@... writes:
>
> << There really is no good source for software which would please
> everybody.
>  While I like Lytec and Practice Pro, I hate Medisoft.  >>
>
> Dottie,
>
> Just wondering why you hate Medisoft.  I've been told Medisoft &
> Lytec are
> very similar (since they were actually developed by the basically
> the same
> group of people), but I've never actually checked out Lytec, just
> Medisoft.
> Just wondering...
>
> Bethany Daniels
> JD Billing Systems
> <A HREF="http://www.webcom.com/medical/AMBA.htm">AMBA</A> Conduct &
> Ethics
> Standards Committee Member
> JDBillSys@...
> <A HREF="http://www.webcom.com/medical/tour.htm">Take advantage of a
> FREE
> tour of AMBA's Members Only Site</A>
>
> --------------------------- ONElist Sponsor
> ----------------------------
>
> Choose from a wide selection of high-quality newsletters at ONElist.
> For details on ONElist's PROS&PUNDITS newsletters, click below.
> <a href=" http://clickme.onelist.com/ad/prospun2 ">Click Here</a>
>
>
------------------------------------------------------------------------
> A list where we can all help each obtain maximum reimbursement!

In a message dated 10/01/1999 11:08:16 PM Central Daylight Time,
Reeki8@... writes:

<< Here is Michigan  we use the CPT manual for coding most COmmerical
Insurance CLaims.  We use the MUPC manual for BCBS of MIchingan and HICPICS
for Medicare ...combined with CPT.  THe MUPC manual tells us if BCBSM coveres
any procedure listed, it's restrictions and limitation.   For thoes not
familiar with the MUPC it is Michigan Uniform Procedure Coding Manual.  It
carries both local and CPT coding.  One great thing about this manual is for
the most part we can tell when where and if the procedure   is payable and
under what contracts it is!    We also have the Denis and Hart Systems for
coverage and further contract information.   The Caren System is great for
spot checking the BCBSM cardholders benefits by the telephone. >>

Jo Ann,
Do you know if other states have a Uniform Procedure Coding Manual?  I am in
TX & would love to get my hands on something like that.  Is the Denis & Hart
& the Caren Sysytem something from your BCBS carrier as well?

Thanks for any input!!

Dea Ann Kipp
Billing Management Services

Hello List,

Please..a dear friend of mine is  about to  purchased the Infinity Software.
I know that there was big problems with it.  Can someone help me with the
information?       I believe it is Linda that has the information!

Thank you

Jo An

In a message dated 10/5/99 11:51:48 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Reeki8@...
writes:

<< Please..a dear friend of mine is  about to  purchased the Infinity
Software.
  I know that there was big problems with it.  Can someone help me with the
  information?       I believe it is Linda that has the information!  >>

Joan Ann,
Aside from the software being REALLY bad, the vendors that sell the Infinity
Software are the big problem. People are complaining of misrepresentation,
and the biggest one of course is not being able to return it within the
refund time limit and receive their full refund. The owner of one of the
vendors has closed down a few times and had gone on to open up other
companies only to pull the same devious *&$#@
Tell your friend NOT to buy, and if she has specific questions to contact me
directly.

  <A HREF="http://www.bizopsmarts.com/">Don't get scammed! Get Bizop Smart!</A>

Pam
How did you like the course offered by At Home Profs. What did you get at the
end of the course a certificate, or diploma?

  Tara, Tuckerton NJ

Jo An my advice to your friend is
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
stay away from Infinity. I bought it a year ago and still have not used it
because you can only put one practice on it. Plus the
company I bought it from went chapter 13 and now I can't get my money back.

Tara

Tara:

I wasn't as impressed with At-Home Professions as I was Meditech.  I got a
certificate at the end.

With Meditech you take a test at the end.  No tests in between.  Meditech really
made me work for my knowledge, where At-Home was like an open book test.  They
made it way too easy.

Pam, Jackson, NJ


______________________________________________________________
Get your FREE Web based email account now at www.up2mail.com -
and send and receive emails worldwide!

Dear Pam..I tried to look up Meditech.. I couldnt find anything on Medical
Billing, only Medical Transcription... Could you tell me how to get in touch
with them..I am very interested in getting certified...Thanks!!!
Sandy

In a message dated 10/7/99 6:54:09 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
TLCBillInc@... writes:

<< How did you like the course offered by At Home Profs. What did you get at
the
  end of the course a certificate, or diploma? >>

Hi Tara, I didn't take this course. You may have me confused with someone
else.

Linda Walker
  <A HREF="http://www.bizopsmarts.com/">Don't get scammed! Get Bizop Smart!</A>

In a message dated 10/7/99 10:10:10 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
MISSDEBT@... writes:

<< Dear Pam..I tried to look up Meditech.. I couldnt find anything on Medical
  Billing, only Medical Transcription... Could you tell me how to get in touch
  with them..I am very interested in getting certified...Thanks!!! >>


Meditech is another one of those low end vendors that have a bad reputation
as well.

Linda Walker, HRS
  <A HREF="http://www.bizopsmarts.com/">Don't get scammed! Get Bizop Smart!</A>

Hello to everyone on the list!  My name is Tammie Womack and I'm from Indiana.
I've been in medical billing for 11 years and have billed for many specialties.
I've recently been recruited by a Physician who is starting a private practice
and wants me to "be the boss".  It's been a few years since I've been in the
physician billing specialty as I've been in hospital billing for the last
few years so I'm sure I'll be asking a few questions in the near future to get
myself back on track.  I have read many of the archive messages on this list
and must say I'm glad to have found such a remarkable group of people to
correspond with.  Currently I am in the process of choosing a Medical Billing
Practice Management Software for this physician and would appreciate any
input good or bad from any of you.

Tammie

Pam ,,
How did you get into MedTeck, and how much was the course?

Tara

Tammy,
I have been in physician billing for 18 yrs. and have used several different
products.  Take a look at Medicoms software, it is by far the BEST I have ever
run across and the software people can modify it any way you need. Such as I
also do Ambulance and DME billing and they came up with the parameters I needed
in order to do these specialties.
The tele# is 502-683-9176 contact person is John Dawson.
Johni Allen

----------
From:  tammie@...[SMTP:tammie@...]
Sent:  Friday, October 08, 1999 10:10 PM
To:  MedicalBillers@onelist.com
Subject:  [MedicalBillers] New Member

From: tammie@...

Hello to everyone on the list!  My name is Tammie Womack and I'm from Indiana.
I've been in medical billing for 11 years and have billed for many specialties.
I've recently been recruited by a Physician who is starting a private practice
and wants me to "be the boss".  It's been a few years since I've been in the
physician billing specialty as I've been in hospital billing for the last
few years so I'm sure I'll be asking a few questions in the near future to get
myself back on track.  I have read many of the archive messages on this list
and must say I'm glad to have found such a remarkable group of people to
correspond with.  Currently I am in the process of choosing a Medical Billing
Practice Management Software for this physician and would appreciate any
input good or bad from any of you.

Tammie

A list where we can all help each obtain maximum reimbursement!

Thanks so much Johni!

Tammie

Johni Allen wrote:

> Tammy,
> I have been in physician billing for 18 yrs. and have used several different
products.  Take a look at Medicoms software, it is by far the BEST I have ever
run across and the software people can modify it any way you need. Such as I
also do Ambulance and DME billing and they came up with the parameters I needed
in order to do these specialties.
> The tele# is 502-683-9176 contact person is John Dawson.
> Johni Allen
>
> ----------
> From:   tammie@...[SMTP:tammie@...]
> Sent:   Friday, October 08, 1999 10:10 PM
> To:     MedicalBillers@onelist.com
> Subject:        [MedicalBillers] New Member
>
> From: tammie@...
>
> Hello to everyone on the list!  My name is Tammie Womack and I'm from Indiana.
> I've been in medical billing for 11 years and have billed for many
specialties.
> I've recently been recruited by a Physician who is starting a private practice
> and wants me to "be the boss".  It's been a few years since I've been in the
> physician billing specialty as I've been in hospital billing for the last
> few years so I'm sure I'll be asking a few questions in the near future to get
> myself back on track.  I have read many of the archive messages on this list
> and must say I'm glad to have found such a remarkable group of people to
> correspond with.  Currently I am in the process of choosing a Medical Billing
> Practice Management Software for this physician and would appreciate any
> input good or bad from any of you.
>
> Tammie
>
> A list where we can all help each obtain maximum reimbursement!
>
>   ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>    Part 1.2    Type: application/ms-tnef
>            Encoding: base64

Hello, looking to file insurance claims for a group of doctors. Can anyone
direct me to a good source for the software?

I was told about http://www.richman-company.com

Any ideas?
Jane


>From: RLF650221@...
>Reply-To: MedicalBillers@onelist.com
>To: MedicalBillers@onelist.com (MedicalBillers)
>Subject: [MedicalBillers] managed care claims
>Date: Sat, 02 Oct 1999 02:12:12 +0000
>
>From: RLF650221@...
>
>An Inquiry to other billers;
>
>Here in CA the largest portion of claims I work are to
>HMO's & other managed care plans. Talk about headaches.
>I'm just curious as to whether others of you also work
>the follow up. The biggest dilemma I find with managed
>care plans is which CPT codes are allowable for which
>plans. For example, I can bill Aetna for a procedure &
>it will be reimbursable. But if I use that same CPT to
>say, Blue Cross, I will get a denial as not an allowable
>code. ALthough I can appeal these & usually get the
>reimbursement, it's very tedious. It appears that these
>insurance carriers are just so large,they cannot handle
>the volume. And the errored out claims become the
>providers responsibility to follow up. Also, while
>writing, I wish to inquire as to where can I get a
>listing of the rev codes used? I have my CPT manual, and
>my ICD-9 book, but questions do arise concerning rev
>codes. Any suggetions? Thanks.
>Renee
>
>>A list where we can all help each obtain maximum reimbursement!

Sandy,

      I went took the Medical Billing/Claims Examiner course at Western
Technical Institute in El Paso, TX.   The course ran 8 mos and  was very
involved, and worth it.  If you want to know more, e-mail me.

Lisa