Further Your Education
Published October 20, 2011 | 
Let’s face it, we all get into this line of work to make money. It is a job and some of us even make it a career. There are literally hundreds of different educational opportunities out there to learn how to do this job or portions of it. I learned this job the hard way..by doing it and keeping myself abreast of changes happening around me. But with today’s economy and the problems that we face everyday learning a new career or getting more education in your current career is now a necessity rather than a luxury. Keep yourself abreast of the current requirements in your job, read articles about how to improve yourself in your job, take a class online, and take advantage of any educational opportunities offered by your current employer. These are the things that we really need to do in order to keep the money rolling into the family coffers.
If you are really serious about getting a new job or even keeping your current job you will need to pay for some of that education yourself. Yes, it is nice to get reimbursed for education expenses but more and more companies are making it harder for their employees to seek a new degree or get certified in a new field. I know it is all “economics” and companies trying to improve their “bottom-line” but that is the point. They are looking out for themselves and not necessarily their employees. So, join a business social network like LinkedIn and become a part of some of the groups there in your field. Network with the people and participate in the discussions. There are lots of different groups on this website that talk about Patient Access Reps duties, new legislation, and improvements needed in the field. You can even view new job opportunities that are available now that you can apply for but most importantly you can talk to some of the people who are doing the hiring at these facilities, get to know them, what they are looking for in employees and read about some of the ways they keep themselves educated in this field.
FYI, for those of you who haven’t visited our bookstore, please check it out, we have combed through the Amazon website for books, reference material and software that is pertinent to our chosen field: http://medicalofficeclerk.info/wordpress/medical-office-clerk-bookstore/
Here is an example of just one of the reference materials available in the bookstore:
Patient Access Technology
Published March 3, 2011 | We are required to use and learn about a variety of different technologies everyday in our job. Our industry is forever changing and we are required to keep up with it. From copiers that can not only copy insurance cards but can also fax them or upload them to your computer to touch I-Pads for bedside registrations. We are also required to learn all the software that controls those machines as well. With the enactment of HITECH – Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act that is requiring medical providers to adopt health information technology and to ensure that all electronic medical information is protected and the privacy of the patient is maintained. Our industry depends on electronic transmission of claims, online verification of insurance and precertification of services and we are being tasked with identity theft protection as well (Red-Flag Rules).
One of the solutions that is coming of age is the medical smart card. The Smart Card Alliance has a website with an abundance of helpful information that explains what they are and how they work. These are general credit cards with special chips that hold information on patients and can include demographic, insurance and patient medical records. Some have pictures on the card or within the demographic info section. They can be plastic cards, fobs, subscriber identity modules (SIMs) used in GSM mobile phones, or USB-based tokens (kind of like a flash drive you put into a USB port). The Alliance even offers certification classes for those who wish to take them. Check out their website to read more at: http://www.smartcardalliance.org We have even read about a Patient Access Kiosk that will allow the patients to check themselves in for services, pay copays and updated their own demographic and insurance information! (Watch Out We May Become Obsolete)
Health Care Reform For Patient Access Reps
Published May 1, 2010 | Of course the most talked about subject in healthcare is the new Healthcare Plan that is now a law. As Medical Clerks we really need to understand the changes coming and to be able to help our patients understand some of their rights under the new plan. There are literally hundreds of different websites that have information on the changes that are taking place now and in the future. Which one you choose to read is really up to you. Read your employers information as well as some of the different medical associations websites for updates now and in the future. Be sure to bookmark the ones you find the most useful.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/health-care
Here is an excerpt from their website:
“It makes insurance more affordable by providing the largest middle class tax cut for health care in history, reducing premium costs for tens of millions of families and small business owners who are priced out of coverage today. This helps 32 million Americans afford health care who do not get it today – and makes
coverage more affordable for many more. Under the plan, 95% of Americans will be insured.
It sets up a new competitive health insurance market giving millions of Americans the same choices of insurance that members of Congress will have. It brings greater accountability to health care by laying out commonsense rules of the road to keep premiums down and prevent insurance industry abuses and denial of
care.
It will end discrimination against Americans with pre-existing conditions. It puts our budget and economy on a more stable path by reducing the deficit by more than $100 billion over the next ten years – and more than $1 trillion over the second decade – by cutting government overspending and reining in waste, fraud and abuse.”
The second website we looked at is simply called the HealthReform.gov The information on the website is geared mostly towards patients and small business who are most affected by the changes. There is a pretty good FAQ section for both. It also has news sections for each state.
So give these two websites a try and read through the information. The more you know and understand about insurance the better able you will be to help your patients and your employer!
Educational Opportunites
Published April 8, 2010 | As we stated in the previous posting we are gathering information on educational resources for our subscribers. I read all the time and enjoy reading about a variety of different things. I was emailed a link to this article by the author, Chris Thorman, who blogs about medical billing software, and am happy to post a link to it here:
The article talks about outsourcing your billing and some of the factors you should consider when or if your practice should do it. Granted, you may not have the input into the decision of if or when to outsource your employers billing but it is a very informative article none-the-less. Remember that keeping yourself informed about every aspect of Patient Accounting is always a good thing. You never know when an article, website or newsletter information may spark an idea to help your company’s bottom line. You may even get inspired to change your current job and explore other areas in this field that might prove financially and emotionally beneficial.
If you have read an article online that might be informative and/or educational to your fellow patient access reps, medical insurance clerks, registrars, etc then please send us the link and we will be happy to write a posting about it. We would greatly appreciate it if you would send a link to our blog to your fellow employees as well. The more patient accounting people who subscribe to this blog and send in articles, links and give us educational resources the better we can do our jobs!