It’s hard out here for a doc! And Nuesoft understands. The transition to the ICD-10 code set is a massive undertaking. It will be costly, time consuming, and hardest on small practices. Doctors have to keep up with running their practice while trying to figure out all the government regulations. With frustrations mounting over the issues caused by ANSI 5010 transition and the impending ICD-10 transition, Nuesoft wanted to give a fun outlet for doctors.

Watch our music video below- “99 Problems… and ICD-10 is one!”, a parody of Jay-Z’s “99 Problems”, and see our wacky employees rapping and dancing. Enjoy!
 

Want to be a part of our music video? We are inviting viewers to submit short video clips or photos of themselves rapping or dancing to the video. User submissions will be edited into the music video so you can be a star! To be a part of the video, click here!

Credits:
Created and Produced by the Marketing Department at Nuesoft Technologies, Inc.
Directed by Suban Dey
Lyrics by Julie Feingold
Vocals by Eric Levin, Jaleesa Smith, and Lee Humphrey
Featuring employees of Nuesoft Technologies

Lyrics to “99 Problems… and ICD-10 is one!”:

If you’re having claims problems I feel bad for you son
I got 99 problems and ICD-10 is one.
I got my practice to run, no government control
Docs, we wanna make sure our claims are closed
CMS they say ICD-10 is the way to go
I’m from med school stupid what type of facts are those
You tryin’ make a living, tryin’ get through
You ask yourself the questions “what’s a doc to do?”
I don’t like these mandated changes, on a never ending roll
And my biller gets rejections she’s never had before
Got beef with regulations, messing my workflow
They say it’s to standardize, well I don’t care bout it SO

ANSI 5010 should’ve been a smoother path
So can’t even imagine what this transition will be like…suckers
I don’t know what you take me as
or understand the frustration that we all have
I’m busy practicing medicine I ain’t dumb
I got 99 problems and ICD-10 is one.
Bill me!

99 problems and ICD-10 is one.
If you’re having claims problems I feel bad for you son
I got 99 problems and ICD-10 is one.
Bill me!

The year is ’94 and my practice is new
In my head are ideals of helping patients get through
I had two choices y’all join a hospital or
startin my own practice, independent some more
but I ain’t ever guessed what all would be involved
now I got Nuesoft, all my rejections resolved
but payers make custom changes that break payments
And say “Doc do you know what were doing this for?”
Cause the longer you take to pay, you make more dough?
Do I look like a mind reader sir, I don’t know!

99 problems and ICD-10 is one.
If you’re having claims problems I feel bad for you son
I got 99 problems and ICD-10 is one.
Bill me!

Want to see more music videos from Nuesoft? Click here to watch “Interface,” a parody of Lady Gaga’s “Pokerface.”

Nuesoft E-Prescribing Module

You don’t have to purchase an EHR to start e-prescribing!

Not a Nuesoft client? Sign up for NueMD® practice management software by May 31, 2012 and get our E-Prescribing module FREE!*

Watch the video below to learn more about this special offer or call 888.867.3661.
 

If you are using the NueMD EHR, then you already have the ability to e-prescribe.

If you already use the NueMD PM and would like the ability to e-prescribe now, you can purchase our E-Prescribing Module for a small monthly fee. Contact Britt Sharp in Business Development at 800.401.7422 ext 317 for more details.

*Offer valid for new customers only. Some restrictions apply.

Billing commercial insurance carriers is becoming a more common trend in college health. Many student health centers and student affairs professionals recognize the potential for increased profitability and incremental revenue that would come with a transition to a commercial insurance billing model, but are concerned about the effort and risk involved.  With Nuesoft’s Insurance Billing Services, health centers can easily outsource their billing while still providing their own student insurance plans.

Presented By: BestCollegesOnline.com

Watch this video to learn more!
 

If you are interested in participating, please click here and complete the brief questionnaire. Applicants will be selected based on program criteria. If you have questions, please email us at pilotprogram@nuesoft.com or check the Billboard for more information. Space is limited, so act soon!

Call 800.401.7422, ext. 1 or check out the Referral Program Tab.
 

If you have additional questions about Nuesoft’s insurance billing service for college health, feel free to call us at 800.401.7422, ext 1. Miss any of our series? Click here for Part 1 or here for Part 2.

So what do doctors think of the individual mandate?

Along with the belief that the mandate is unconstitutional, many doctors fear completely government-run health care.  In a recent survey conducted by The Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, 65% of physicians believe there will be a reduction in quality care for patients.  This reduction is a result of increased enrollment in Medicaid and Medicare and a higher demand for primary care services.  The study shows that 8 out of 10 doctors feel that because of this influx, wait times will be significantly increased which may lead to less one-on-one care for patients.  Adding to this point, the study also reveals 73% of physician’s believe ER’s could be overwhelmed due to the increase in patients.

The burden of excessive patient numbers isn’t the only thing that has doctors worried.  The study also showed doctors are concerned about their incomes.  Only 4% of the physicians surveyed felt that their income would increase as a result on the new health care law.  Almost half felt their income would decrease.

Not only is the new law impacting current physician’s but it’s also affecting the future of the profession.  The Deloitte study shows that nearly 7 out of 10 doctors think the best and brightest who may have considered becoming doctors will reconsider and look at other career options.  This potentially could have severe consequences on the industry.  In a study conducted by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), there will be a shortage of 124,000-159,000 physicians by 2025.  This decrease will come at a critical moment because as the number of insured rises due to the new law, more and more people will want to be treated.  This increase in patients and decrease in doctors will force doctors to spend less one-on-one time with patients, work more hours and make faster diagnoses in order to manage the steady increase in patients.

However some doctors are in favor of the individual mandate.  These doctors believe that by increasing the number of insured, premium payments will be spread among a larger population, which effectively lowers individual cost.  They also believe the mandate will stop “free riders,” people who don’t purchase health insurance because they don’t believe they need it.  Unfortunately when these people get sick their costs are transferred to the insured that receive increased premiums in order to pay it.

Similarly, supporters of the mandate say it can put an end to adverse selection.  This is when an individual opts to not purchase health insurance until they are sick and expect to pay high medical costs.  When this occurs, insurance companies are forced to increase premiums in order to cover their medical expenses.  As a result those that are healthy and under the same plan will drop their coverage because the cost is too high.  Out of fear of losing clients, most insurance companies will decline to cover people with preexisting conditions.  The mandate essentially puts an end to both free riders and adverse selection because everyone will have medical insurance despite their health.

Regardless of the debate, one thing is for certain – all eyes are on the Supreme Court and what is widely considered one of the most important decisions not only for President Obama’s legacy, but also for the nation as a whole.

Video Transcript:

Lyndsey: Hi, I'm Lyndsey Coates and welcome to Nuesoft Technologies' Medical Podcast Series. I'm here with Jeffrey Griffin of JKG Collaborative. It's an architectural firm in Virginia Highlands in Atlanta. And we're going to talk about medical facility design today. He's done a ton of projects. We're actually sitting in one of them here in Palmetto, Georgia. It is the Palmetto Community Health Center and it is brand new. So welcome and thank you.

Jeffrey: Thank you.

Lyndsey: Alright Jeff so let's get started. What does JKG Collaborative do?

Jeffrey: Well, we're an architectural firm and we specialize in healthcare and primarily outpatient health care facilities so really stuff that's outside the hospital walls. We're very focused on physician practices both small and large inventory surgery centers. Imaging centers.

Lyndsey: So tell us about the building that we're in today.

Jeffrey: This is a community health center that was constructed for Palmetto Health Council. They're a non-profit and they own and operate community health centers throughout Georgia. It was not funded in part by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. Vice President Joe Biden called it one of one hundred projects that are changing America.

Lyndsey: Fantastic so this is going to be a LEED certified design. What is LEED?

Jeffrey: LEED is leadership in energy and environmental design. It's a third party certification process organized by the U.S. Green Building Council and so as a LEED building we're energy efficient. We used a lot of regional materials, recycled materials. We're really focused on healthy indoor environment and being friendly to the greater environment.

Lyndsey: One of the features that is attributed to the LEED design is this green roof. Can explain what this is and what it does?

Jeffrey: It provides another insulated barrier. There's some cooling that happens in the summer time just through transpiration with the plants. It also reduces a storm water run off. So when it rains the plants absorb some of the water. You'll see some irrigation heads out here and they're actually irrigated through a system of cisterns that we have that collects the roof water and then irrigates the roofs again later in the weeks when we don't have rain.

Lyndsey: OK, which happens fairly often here.

Jeffrey: Yeah, in the summer time.

Lyndsey: What are some key factors of medical facility design? What are some of the first things you need to look at and overall things?

Jeffrey: We like to look at two things. Both the inside and outside. It really starts with the inside and understanding what the mission of the organization is, physician group- what kind of services are they providing? And then we like to look at their flow systems, patient flow systems, staff flow, and doctor flow. And at the same time we want it to be a friendly, patient friendly environment.

This is our main waiting room. Reception is there. You see, one of the things we wanted to do is when you come into the space you can see the receptionist. But you don't necessarily have to wind your way through the patient area. So nice and open. Lots of glass- it's all north facing glass so we don't even need any window blinds. And the check is remote enough where it's semi-private and we have a little sit down area there.

Lyndsey: You mentioned patient friendly. What are some things you can do so that- the first thing that comes to mind is a cold, white interior. What are some things that you do to warm up the space?

Jeffrey: Well I think you need to be contemporary with your design. And you know colors change every five to ten years so you need to make sure you're constantly upgrading your facility design. Use color, use artwork- it's a big factor in helping warm the space up. And then use material that people are familiar with.

And so depending on what you're trying to do you might not want to put a lot of some linoleum and white wall. There's a lot of great materials out there now that are both environmentally friendly and don't give off a lot of volatile organic compounds. And can be very attractive.

Lyndsey: What are some materials that you would stay away from?

Jeffrey: Well I think there's a lot of material- let's take paint for instance. There's low VOC paint and even no VOC paint where they could be painting outside this office and we wouldn't even know it because it doesn't give off any organic compounds.

So I really try to guide my clients towards using those types of products. They sometime cost a penny more or no more than another product. So they can be very healthy and attractive as well. Also we want to make sure that in a medical facility the material we use are easy to clean and be maintained economically.

Lyndsey: A lot of material for this building were locally sourced. How do you pull everything together?

Jeffrey: Well we're in Atlanta so it's great. We have a lot of products available to us. But we really try to look for things that are manufactured locally or at least regionally so that again- we don't have the transportation costs involved to bring a product from Washington state to Georgia. But it's also better for the local economy so we try to do that as well.

Lyndsey: So this is all good for a brand new facility. Do you work on reconstruction at all?

Jeffrey: Oh yeah and that's a big part of our work as well. Particularly today where we can find distressed property or property that's being under utilized and acquire it at a much lower price than what you can build new and then rehab it.

The biggest question there is it right for medical practice? Is it the right shape? Is it the right size? Does it have parking? And what are the utilities like because often times we'll go into say a retail facility- it just does not have the infrastructure for medical- it doesn't have plumbing all over the place. It doesn't have zoned HVAC system so you have to look at all that. We've done things like turn an old Piggly Wiggly into a surgery center and orthopedics office and a lot of things like that.

Lyndsey: You can kind of see the transition in your head of how it would switch. OK so an existing doctor's practice wants to warm up the space so a new fresh coat of paint? Paintings?

Jeffrey: First I would check your system of operation. What type of question are you asking at that point? Are you behind a glass screen and they have to open the screen and say 'hey, how are you doing?'. Or is it more open?

So I say take a look at that sort of thing. And see if you're projecting the kind of image you think you want. I think it's good to just go around and take some snapshots. And look at those pictures. I think that you will see that a lot of times in existing facilities you get a lot of clutter. You get a lot of signs. Don't do this. Do this. We expect payment. You know, we accept Mastercard, we accept American Express. And you get all this stuff and it really clutters the message you're trying to send which is really about the patient and so you want them to have a warm and friendly environment. Open up the reception.

Lyndsey: Well, what about the college health space because I know that you've designed some of those as well. How does designing for that differ from a regular medical practice?

Jeffrey: In a lot of ways it's the same. We're still trying to do the same things. We're trying to see a patient in the most effective and efficient way. Maximize the patient's time with their providers. Layer on top of that a teaching function.

So we have preceptor or proctors. Or medical students in their residence. So how do we manage that? A lot of times a student will see the patient then they'll come out, they'll present that to the doctor that's precepting. We have to have a place to do that. But we also want that to be efficient and effective as well. Cause again we are trying to make it a good experience for the patient as well as for the doctors and staff.

Lyndsey: College students have a little aversion to going into the clinic in the first place.

Jeffrey: Well that too but we've got everything. We've got teaching medical hospital, elderly patients, so we've got all the specialties and we have to have a way to manage that as well.

Lyndsey: Well this is so interesting and I really appreciate you joining us today. Thank you so much for your time. Thanks again for joining us viewers.

Video Transcript:

Marilyn: We are a small liberal arts college- under 3,000 students. We're a college and a conservatory. We provide primary healthcare to the students and that involves wellness and sickness, Well-Woman's care.

Sharon: What I like about the Nuesoft program is the immunization. On our campus about a year ago we had an incident with MMR. We didn't know our students- who had MMR injections or not.

And with the Nuesoft program just recently we started making sure that information was in the immunization area. And so we were able to pull that information off on who had not had those injections on campus without going through the 3,000 charts that we have. And that was wonderful for the nurse and staff.

Marilyn: We also use it for my monthly reports. No only does it give us the numbers in regards to how many patients the providers have seen, it also breaks down what the nurses see in regards to like how many injections, flu-shots besides immunizations. With the providers, it breaks down the type of patients that we see. And that's important in regards to- you look to see how many sick visits you may have vs. well visits.

Sharon: We were using paper and pencil. With this system it's just so user friendly. It's not as many steps. And you get the results that you need. It gives us the ability to not be tied up with paperwork when we need be seeing students.

Marilyn: We want to be able to provide services so the students can be well. When we talk about doing any kind of insurance billing, we want to know that it is going to be cost effective for us. And so that's why we always try to look for a good product. Something that's going to help our department and help the college and actually you know help the students.

 
Video Transcript:

Kiesha: Welcome to Nuesoft’s Tips & Tricks video series- designed to help our clients use our Internet-based products and services more efficiently and effectively. E-mail your questions to marketing@nuesoft.com. If we use your question, you could win a prize.

Today's question comes from Mary at Reed Imaging Services in Cartersville, GA. How can we have more than one Nuesoft session open at the same time – say you’re posting payments and suddenly need to schedule an appointment for a patient?

You can create multiple User Codes under Practice Setup > System Admin for the same Nuesoft user at no additional charge.  For example, click New > enter User Code > complete required fields > click Save. Click New again > enter 2nd User Code > Complete required fields > Save.

You can also customize the Background color so you can differentiate your sessions.  This done under Home > Settings > User on the General tab. Under Background Color  click Change  and select a color.

Thanks for watching!