VariantMD

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

We are grateful for the freedoms that we enjoy and those that gave their lives to create and keep them in this great Nation.

Happy Independence Day from all of us at VariantMD.

Attention independent physicians: Are you missing out on revenue by not being an in-network provider? Credentialing doesn't have to be complicated. Let us help you expand your reach in the payer market and boost your bottom line. Contact us today to learn how easy it can be!

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Thank you to all of the men and women who have served, and who are now serving, to protect our freedoms.

Happy 4th of July to our Clients and Vendors from all of us at VariantMD.

As a practice management service organization, it's our privilege to work with dedicated physicians like Dr. Espejo whose life's work is about medicine and caring for patients!

The month of September is dedicated to celebrating and honoring women in medicine. We are fortunate to work with some incredible physicians, such as Carol Espejo, MD.

Dr. Espejo has expertise in interventional and outpatient musculoskeletal physiatry with extensive experience in spine interventions, EMG, US-guided injections, and spasticity management. She is a member of the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine, the American Academy of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, and the Spine Intervention Society. Her knowledge, compassion, and sincere approach to her patient’s well-being are exceptional.

To schedule your appointment with Dr. Espejo, visit their website at asappainandspine.com.

VariantMD updated their business hours.

We would like to take this opportunity to pause and express our gratefulness for all the blessings we have, and to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to all our clients, vendors, and fellow healthcare community members.

May you have a blessed time and enjoy the day with your family and friends.

Most small independent physicians run their medical practices on a shoestring budget. With so much that goes on in a typical day, tasks and pieces of the process often goes unchecked. This can lead to both significant collection issues and revenue seepage. To minimize these losses, the most cost-effective path you can look to is outsourcing your billing and digitizing the entire patient experience with VariantMD. The best part? Your EHR and practice management software is offered to you at absolutely no cost! Please contact VariantMD today at 972-294-7550, extension 1.

February 24th - Lyft will work with CVS Health and non-profit partners to provide free or discounted rides to COVID-19 vaccination appointments for those individuals who do not have means of transportation.

All of us at VariantMD extend to our clients, vendors, families and friends, our best wishes for a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous 2021.

On this Veterans Day, join us in saluting the men and women who have given selflessly in serving our country in every branch of the United States Military. From all of us at VariantMD, thank you.

Labor Day represents our national tribute to the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. Let us celebrate those, past and present, who continue to strive to allow us to prosper and help build a better future for us all.

from all of us at VariantMD.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"

From all of us at VariantMD, Happy Independence Day to you and your family.

Today we remember the more than 1.3 million American military service members who gave their lives in our nation’s wars. We honor their ultimate sacrifice on our behalf, so that we may enjoy the freedoms and liberty that we have today. From all of us at VariantMD, you will never be forgotten.

This morning the U.S. Navy Blue Angels flew over the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex to salute all of our healthcare workers. VariantMD is grateful to all of the doctors, nurses, first responders, and other essential workers serving on the front lines as they continue the fight to keep us safe and combat COVID-19.

A new survey results published by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) says that the CFOs of healthcare organizations and other major companies are becoming increasingly pessimistic about the impact COVID-19 will have on their bottom lines.

About 80 percent of CFOs and other finance leaders expect COVID-19 to decrease revenue and/or profits this year, the survey of finance leaders in US and Mexico found. The 55 respondents of the March 23 survey included CFOs and finance leaders in healthcare, as well as Fortune 1000 companies, non-profit associations, and privately held companies. “Elective cases are the primary source of revenue for many hospitals, allowing them to take a loss on certain other services while remaining profitable,” researchers at Strata Decision Technology explained.

“The realization that the effects of COVID-19 aren’t going away quickly is settling in,” the authors of the survey report stated.

Most companies (87 percent) now believe COVID-19 will have a significant impact on business operations, and it is causing finance leaders a great concern, the survey found. That is up from 54 percent in the previous survey.

To mitigate the impact of these concerns, most companies have thrown out budgets created prior to the first COVID-19 outbreak. This may especially be true for healthcare organizations, which are currently facing an unprecedented shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other needed supplies to battle COVID-19. Hospitals have also reported higher vendor fees because of the shortages.

A COVID-19 Update from UnitedHealthcare's Chief Medical Officer

We understand that it’s a confusing time. Right now, you need all the resources and information you can get. We’re working to keep you updated so you can focus on keeping the country healthy and safe.

First and Foremost, Thank You
As the people on the front lines of COVID-19, we appreciate your efforts to fight this virus. To all health care professionals who are caring for sick patients and working around the clock to help find solutions – thank you for all you’re doing.

Expanding Access to Care and Resources
Here are key things to know, along with links, so you can get more information:
• Reduced prior authorization requirements: The changes affect transfers to a post-acute care setting and when members transfer to a new provider. In addition to what we announced in the press release, we are suspending review for site of service for the surgical codes listed here until April 30, 2020. LEARN MORE >>
• No cost share for COVID-19 testing and testing related visits: In addition to covering the test itself for our members, we’re waiving their copays, coinsurance and deductibles for COVID-19 testing related visits, whether the care is received in a physician’s office, an urgent care center, a telehealth visit or an emergency department. LEARN MORE >>
• Expanded provider telehealth access: Through June 18, 2020, eligible medical care providers who have the ability and want to connect with their patient through synchronous virtual care (live video-conferencing) can do so. Benefits will be processed in accordance with the member’s plan. LEARN MORE >>
• Updated diagnosis and laboratory codes: CMS and CDC guidance as well as input from the American Medical Association has helped inform all of our new coding requirements. LEARN MORE >>
•

Regardless of your practice specialty, size or location, as more and more people become infected with coronavirus, how do you plan to keep your practice open to your patients?

CMS is now waiving Medicare restrictions with new COVID-19 Telehealth Rules.

Seeing your patients and providing the service "virtually" will help you treat more patients with fewer staff, prevent virus spread, and protect the health of your entire team. With these new rules, Medicare is paying for non-face-to-face services (even in non-emergency areas). The question is do you know how to accurately code for telemedicine and virtual care services? To gain expertise and prepare for these services, you can contact VariantMD at 877-290-8920.

The Coronavirus is garnering extensive media attention. You can’t turn on a TV, radio or log onto a news site without it being one of the top stories, which may make it seem that it won’t be long before we’re all impacted. That’s not likely, according to numerous, credible medical sources, principally among them the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, as well as the World Health Organization (WHO) and many others. That said, we should take the Coronavirus very seriously, just like it’s critical that we take the flu seriously every year. While news continues to evolve, the best way to protect yourself is to proactively practice good hygiene behaviors that help to prevent the spread of illnesses. The CDC lists the following tips:

Avoid close contact with people who are sick;

Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth;

Stay home when you are sick;

Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash;

Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using regular household cleaning spray or wipes;

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.

Choose to elbow-bump rather than shake hands.

Great day of RCM system training with our newest client, Gloria Gamboa, MD. If you’re in eastern Collin County and are looking for a Family Medicine practice, please contact Dr Gamboa-Parsley at (972) 782-7430. They’re conveniently located at 103 McKinney St. in Farmersville, TX and accept most major payers!

While we mourn the handful of US citizens who have died from COVID 19, please consider this: the CDC estimates that between October 1st, 2019 and February 29th, 2020, there have been between 20,000 and 52,000 deaths in the US from the flu. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/preliminary-in-season-estimates.htm

The good news is that a simple program of awareness, prevention and common sense can decrease your risk of succumbing to a viral illness in the months to come.

Wash your hands frequently including before eating and after handling money
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
Avoid people who are coughing and sneezing
Optimize the health of your immune system by getting a full night’s sleep, eating well and exercising regularly
Cover your coughs and sneezes
Stay home if you are sick
Stay informed by visiting reliable sources of ongoing updates as we learn more about COVID 19.
Manage your stresses

Preliminary In-Season 2019-2020 Flu Burden Estimates CDC's weekly cumulative in-season estimates of flu cases, medical visits, hospitalizations and deaths in the United States.

Zeroing in on Trouble Spots
Most doctors offices and medical practice leadership understand the financial risk with denied claims. Yet the struggle continues when it comes to eliminating new denials and resolving existing ones. Root cause management is unattainable when day after day you are dealing with staffing issues, not-so-streamlined processes in revenue cycle and constant changes with payers policies and rules. How can providers identify and mitigate claim denials? Contact us today if you want to gain control over claim denials.

For any questions regarding Medicare Provider Enrollment Reactivation Cycle 2, please open the link below for CMS’s comprehensive FAQ:
https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Provider-Enrollment-and-Certification/MedicareProviderSupEnroll/Downloads/Reval_Cycle2_FAQs.pdf

www.cms.gov

All of us at VariantMD extend to our clients, vendors, families and friends our best wishes for a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous 2020.

Top Key Trends That Increase Healthcare Administrative
Costs:
1. Upcoding-consistently coding services at a too-high level
2. Claim denials-payer rejects a claim for an administrative reason (sometimes an automatic event)
3. Overpayment-clawbacks as an expected
budget line item
4. Stacking post-payment audits-multiple audit vendors and contractors auditing the same claim or set of claims, duplicating requests for the same backup material

To Improve Your Practice's Workflow and Claims Billing, Contact us at [email protected].

Nov 1, 2019 -- Utah Valley Eye Center Hacking Incident Leads to Phishing Attack on Patients Reported by The HIPAA Desk

Utah Valley Eye Center in Provo, UT is warning patients that some of their personal information may have been accessed by an unauthorized individual following a security breach involving its scheduling reminder portal on June 28, 2018. The hacker obtained the email addresses of 5,764 patients and sent each a phishing email in an attempt to gain access to PayPal credentials.

Telehealth 2020 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will change how they cover telehealth in Medicare Advantage plans by shifting connected health services from a supplemental benefit to an essential benefit. Moreover, CMS is waiving the originating site requirement for accountable care organizations, opening the door for ACOs to use—and be reimbursed for—telehealth. With the passage of the SUPPORT Act, Medicare will also now cover telehealth services used in opioid abuse treatment and co-occurring mental health treatment delivered to the home or other remote locations, like a clinic or health center.
Finally, CMS has introduced three new CPT codes to the 2020 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, allowing providers more opportunities to be reimbursed for the use of telehealth in substance abuse treatment. Those codes will also go into effect beginning next year, pending their inclusion in a final draft due out in November.

Celebrating our freedom!

VariantMD updated their phone number.

Earlier today president Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) to expand price transparency. The purpose of the EO is to lower the cost of healthcare. Within 90 days of the issuance of the EO, the Secretaries of HHS, Labor and Treasury will issue an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rule-making (ANRPM) on ways that Health Plans can make out-of-pocket cost information available to patients BEFORE they have a scheduled procedure rather than after according to HBMA.