Posts tagged medical practice
Reimbursement and Practical Considerations for House Call Practices

Are you thinking about starting a new house call practice? There will be things you need to prepare for (and budget for), so Nixon Law Group compiled this information. Note that major concerns include whether commercial clients can reimburse, what kinds of safety needs there are, and Medicare requirements for a “practice location.” Read more below and feel free to contact us with questions!

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Compliance Alert: ACA Section 1557 Nondiscrimination Requirements for Medical Practices

Beginning on October 17, 2016, medical practices (and other Covered Entities) who serve Medicare, Medicaid, VA, or TRICARE beneficiaries will be required to implement new practices related to nondiscrimination. The Final Rule, nearly 6 years in the making, is commonly called “Section 1557”--it implements Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, the purpose of which is to prevent discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability

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Increase Medical Practice Revenue with Ancillary Services

As physician revenues decline, and medical practices are feeling the pressure of the shift to value-based payment, more physicians are choosing to add ancillary services to their practices to boost revenue. Ancillary services are healthcare services provided by a clinician that are in addition to or complementary to basic medical or surgical services. Examples include medication dispensing, radiography, weight-loss services, in-office diagnostic testing, nutrition counseling, alternative treatments, such as acupuncture and massage, physical therapy, immunotherapy, mental health counseling, urgent care, cosmetic (“med spa”) services, and many more.

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Payer Contract Negotiation Nuts and Bolts

Contracts are long and complicated, often missing or obscuring key information a provider needs to make an informed decision about whether to agree to the contract’s terms. In addition, insurance companies are incredibly resistant to modifying their contracts. Contract negotiation employees often say “no” to even minor changes, expecting that the provider will back down. It takes a significant amount of pushing back to gain access to the staff with the power to make changes. Many providers, we know, simply negotiate the fee schedule, and sign the payer contract without a full understanding of its content. We think that is a mistake—these contracts can have legal and financial impacts unrelated to the fee schedule rates, which outlive the contract itself. But, it's not always clear what parts of these gargantuan documents medical practices should be looking for to reduce their risk. In this post, we describe specific types of provisions to read carefully and consider, how easy it will be to change them, and why you may be agreeing to more than the language inside the contract:     

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