Small medical facility managers shifting their infrastructure to accommodate medical billing software may already be familiar with how healthcare IT can increase cost efficiency and productivity. However, electronic medical billing software can also serve an important security function, allowing practitioners to ensure all the facility's employees are using compliant, ethical principles when receiving compensation for services rendered.
This issue was highlighted in the news recently when Florida internist Dr. Juan Domingo, formerly of Lee Physician Group, noticed the practice was using false billing methods while educating himself on the company's updated electronic medical records system.
According to reports, after Domingo first noticed the suspicious activity in 2009, he began investigating hundreds of patient records and found that doctors were upcoding patient physicals to suggest a higher degree of analysis, allowing them to file for larger Medicare payouts.
Additionally, Domingo reportedly discovered that his former colleagues were also intentionally logging repeat patients as first-time patients, another tactic to yield higher Medicare reimbursement.
Domingo was later fired and has relocated to a private practice in Cape Coral, Florida.
This case illustrates how electronic billing practices increases accountability for healthcare professionals, and as such, it would greatly benefit a facility manager to purchase technology like Medisoft medical billing software so facility managers can similarly determine if doctors in the practice are being unethically compensated.
It would also be advantageous for a facility manager to deploy the services of a certified medical technology consulting company for seamless product implementation and training, allowing the practice to reap the full compliance, security and efficiency benefits of Medisoft.
Microwize Technology is a leading healthcare IT consultant offering products such as electronic medical records software and medical billing software from top providers like Allscripts and McKesson, including McKesson's Medisoft, Lytec and Practice Choice products.