Humana Supports Urgent Care Centers

Humana is one managed care organization (MCO) that seems to "get it" when it comes to urgent care. On their website, Humana has a page devoted to guiding their members toward urgent care centers when appropriate.
Humana lists the advantages of urgent care as:

• Urgent care centers usually have extended and weekend hours.
• No appointment is needed.
• Generally wait times are short.
• Urgent care physicians can deal with a wide range of conditions.
• Members can be responsible for "most of the charges," if they use an ED "innapropriately."
• "Best of all... you'll probably just pay a set copayment."

Humana, also, regards hospital-based urgent care centers as overusing resources. They state:

Don't let the urgent care sign fool you!
All centers are not created equal, and the difference can affect your wallet. To reduce your costs, choose a free-standing urgent care center, one that isn't located in a hospital. These facilities are well equipped to provide medical care for minor illnesses or injuries. The only difference is the location. Your copayment and other costs could be a lot higher if you choose an urgent care center in a hospital.

We have not previously seen payors steering patients away from hospital-based urgent care centers. This directive seems to be an attempt by Humana to avoid paying the facility fees or ED codes that are sometimes charged in urgent care centers that are based on the hospital campus or centers that are fast track segments of the emergency department. If many payors put this type of pressure on patients to avoid hospital-based urgent care centers, financial pressures on hospitals to move urgent care centers off campus may not be far behind.

Few Practices Using Computer-Assisted Coding

Over 39% of medical offices and institutions are finding a very difficult or extremely difficult time finding coders—so says a survey conducted in May by the American Health Information Management Association and the American Hospital Association with support from the American Medical Association.

Despite this shortage, only 12% of health organizations are taking advantage of computer-assisted coding. Why the do practices disregard computer-assisted coding? There are several obstacles to implemenation of computer-aided coding--all of which have more than adequate solutions in Practice Velocity Templates, PiVoTs:

• Lack of awareness: Many physicians are unaware that Practice Velocity offers a solution that computerizes the coding of all E/M, ICD, and CLIA-waved test codes.
• Expensive systems: Most systems require massive up front outlays to implement the system. Not so for PiVoTs. With no up-front costs, simply try the PiVoTs for 30 days in one of your urgent care centers. If Practice Velocity does not speed up your patient flow and increase your practice revenues, simply stop using the system and pay us nothing. Every urgent care center that has installed PiVoTs in their clinics has immediately realized more revenue than the monthly subscription payment to Practice Velocity. Thus, Practice Velocity systems actually pay for themselves..
• Cumbersome systems: Practice Velocity has become the largest provider of urgent care software solutions for one main reason—the PiVoT is the easiest computerized charting and coding solution. Physician users need no computer skills and never have to deal with navigating computer screens. If you can write with a pen on paper, you can probably use the system with only an hour and a half of training.
• Protective coders: Many coders fear computer-assisted coding, because they have the mistaken impression that the computer will replace the coder. While this is true for the mundane work of coding each and every chart, coders will always be needed to code complex cases and to provide quality assurance. There already is a shortage of coders and high-quality coders will always be needed.

Is one of the reasons above holding back your urgent care from taking advantage of computer-assisted coding? Practice Velocity is your answer for your urgent care center or occupational medicine clinic. Why not sign up for the 30-day trial and watch Practice Velocity speed your charting, improve your coding compliance and improve your bottom line? Call today, and watch implement computerized coding and realize peace-of-mind profitability in your urgent care center.