Questions for Dr. Stern
About Your Urgent Care Center
109. We are two board certified FPs starting an FP practice which will include a lab and an x-ray machine. We are thinking to cross over to a UCC before and after hours. A few questions: 1)does this theory work 2)can we make extra money this way by billing with different codes 3)we are thinking of eventually having a concurrent FP practice with the UCC. Does this work? Is it legal? Does it have to be set up as two separate corporations?
Thanks for contacting Practice Velocity, the leader in providing software solutions to urgent care centers.
1)does this theory work. After hours walk-in can work, but if you want to hire other providers to provide only after-hours service, it may be somewhat difficult to find willing employee providers.
2)can we make extra money this way by billing with different codes. Some payors may be willing to reimburse for the services rendered on Sat/Sun/Holiday or Evening services. Reimbursement is hit and miss, depending on your contracts and payor discretion. I would discourage you from using the code for services rendered in an urgent care, because a family practice that offers after-hours services does not meet the UCAOA definition of an urgent care center.
3)we are thinking of eventually having a concurrent FP practice with the UCC. Does this work? Is it legal? Does it have to be set up as two separate corporations? Sure it can work. I don’t know of any legal obstacles. It can be done under the same TIN, but for contracting better UCC rates and using UCC codes it makes sense to separate the businesses.
Practice Velocity is involved in helping urgent care centers in several ways. Let me review several of our affiliated businesses (all owned by the same three urgent care physicians):
- Practice Velocity: software solutions for marketing, charting, automated coding, billing, occupational medicine protocols and collections.
- NMN Consultants: has consulted more than 100 startup urgent care centers. Consulting services include pro-forma help, purchasing advice, floor plan review, and a checklist of over 1,500 items to complete in the startup of an urgent care center.
- PV Billing® : with over 50 billers, we provide full-service billing services and managed care contracting and credentialing for urgent care centers in many states.
- Physicians Immediate Care: We have operated urgent care centers for over twenty years, and our twelve-clinic network is the foundation and launching pad for all of our other businesses. We will be opening two additional centers circa June, 2008. We have done one joint-venture clinic and are actively developing a framework for (but are not yet offering) franchising opportunities.
With over 750 urgent care centers in 49 states, Practice Velocity now serves more urgent care centers for charting and coding than all other systems combined.
Our Guarantee: Practice Velocity will exceed your expectations with the:
- fastest charting
- easiest implementation
- most return on investment (usually over $10 increased revenue per patient)
Thirty-Day Trial: Try PiVoTs for charting and coding for 30-days. If we don’t deliver, simply stop using the product and you don’t pay a thing. No questions asked.
We would be delighted to host your team for a full-day tour of our urgent care centers and software company. Feel free to call and schedule a visit to our urgent care headquarters (only one hour from O’Hare Airport). Over 300 urgent care professionals took advantage of tours of our urgent care operations last year. During the tour, we outline our entire operation, including:
- Reception
- Marketing
- Site selection
- Added services
- Occupational medicine
- Patient flow
- Whatever else you wish to review
We would be delighted to serve you in your new endeavor. To schedule a web demo or phone call or to schedule a tour of our headquarters, call 888-357-4209 and ask for Dana (ext. 2051).
