Care Telephone Seminars

Best Practices in Nursing Documentation: Writing Effective and Legal Proof Notes ...nefitsLong gone are the days that nurses and other health care providers hand-wrote cryptic notes on essay paper-like chart pages that rarely were ever looked at again. Long gone, also, are the days that physicians would only look at labs, reports and other physician's notes, expecting the nurse to call to the physician's attention anything important about the patient so they didn't have to  more...

Effective Auditing of Physicians' Documentation BenefitsThe federal government's increasing interest in fraud, waste and abuse heightens the awareness of physician practices, both large and small, of the increasing scrutiny of physician documentation to support billings. In the past, audits are performed and physicians were lectured but all too often little improvement was noted. How can practices efficiently and effectively audit physician  more...

Wellness Programs: Rewards, Penalties, Legal Risks, and Legal Developments ...played a central role in the health reform debate. Health care reform clearly demonstrates the desire of Congress and the President to encourage wellness programs and healthy lifestyles to control the cost of health insurance. Much of their interest is based on success stories from the private sector. Despite regulatory uncertainties, rising health insurance costs have led more employers than  more...

Best Practices for Motivating Students ...n the lottery, play pro sports, or have their family take care of them. This live audio conference includes an extensive workbook of reproducible student worksheets and posters that help build students' motivation and interest in school. A special focus will be offered on motivating students who present behavior problems, have special needs, are troubled, or are failing in school. Working with  more...

HIPAA Security Compliance Challenges after the HITECH Act ...ation. All entities covered under HIPAA must take special care of electronic patient health information, including establishing policies and taking regular actions as part of a security management process. Under new regulations due to the HITECH Act more entities than ever need to be in compliance, and HHS compliance audit activity and enforcement penalties are both increased, especially in  more...

Fraud Enforcement Trends in the Health Care Industry ... funding, new tools, and a heightened focus on the health care industry by civil and criminal law enforcement authorities means that investigations are not what they used to be. Learn more about what areas enforcement authorities are focusing on, where the big and small cases are being brought, how to deal with law enforcement's new tools, and how best to prepare yourself and your company to  more...

Health Savings Accounts ...ther HSAs are achieving the goal of reducing total health care costs through consumerism. Focusing on the final comparability rules for employer contributions and updates on the new contribution limits and IRS guidelines, it will explore new design opportunities for employers considering how to implement a successful HSA program. This live audio conference is designed for human resource  more...

Powers of Attorney: Medical Records Release Concerns BenefitsBusy medical practices understand that each day personal health information is transmitted in various forms between hospitals, doctors, attorneys, insurance companies, patients and their lawyers and families. With increasing reliance on electronic medical records health information can be transmitted with minimal effort. However, health information requests become more confusing and less  more...

Weight Loss At the Workplace: Legal Issues For Employers Seeking To Reduce Health Care Costs ...of potentially applicable federal and state laws requires careful consideration of the potential issues raised with drafting and managing a corporate wellness program. The multiple relevant laws and regulations only heighten the need for a deliberate review and consideration of any work place programs assembled to reduce health care costs by encouraging employees to lose weight. The speaker's  more...

Key Legal and Practical Considerations When Forming an ACO: Seizing the Opportunities and Overcoming Challenges to Achieve Qual ...aiting Final Rule governing ACOs participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) provides the industry with an improved outlook of the potential success that may be achieved, but also a daunting list of challenges to be met in order to seize the opportunities. This live audio conference will walk you through the legal, regulatory, policy, and practical challenges and solutions along  more...

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Records: What Can You Release? ...ly practicing litigation specialist who represents health care providers for over a decade. By attending this audio conference, you will learn how to comply with records requests without violating a patient's privacy rights. Actual real-life scenarios will be discussed to assist you in spotting issues, before they become a problem. Tailored to meet a national audience, this presentation will  more...

Discharge Codes: Impact on the Post-Acute Care Transfer Policy - Risks and Rewards BenefitsImproper understanding and application of discharge codes may result in reduced hospital reimbursement and represent a compliance risk under the PACT policy. William E. Haik, M.D. has been involved in ICD-9-CM coding and chart documentation for more than 25 years and will explain why the problem exists and how to remedy it. This live audio conference is designed for medical records  more...

The WE in Wellness--5 Skills Every Case Manager Should Know for Effective Case Management ...cial for the coordination of an individual client's healthcare provided by multidisciplinary teams within and between organizations and systems. As clinical case managers become central to a client's experience with their health, they are usually in the position to evaluate a client's level of wellness and to either directly provide education or to put together an individualized plan for  more...

Smartphone Policies For The Health Care Industry ...s. Many of these issues are even more acute in the health care industry because of the 24/7 nature of the facilities, and the regulations regarding patient privacy. Failing to have and enforce an appropriate policy can create liability both to employees and patients. This live audio conference will help you develop a plan to (1) identify the legal issues raised by the implementation of an  more...

COBRA: A Little of Everything is Changing ... employee benefit world - COBRA, Subsidy, National Health Care, FSAs - how can anyone keep up? This audio conference will focus on the most misunderstood changes. How are the best ways to explain these changes to employees? COBRA - I Thought the Subsidy Was Over!! YES, the subsidy is over - but, now we are living with the results - let's look at the impact the subsidy had on COBRA election  more...

Why Is This Guy Still on My Health Plan? BenefitsWe have encountered many situations where an employee remains on the company's health benefits as an active employee for many years past the date in which the employee was actively at work for the company. This live audio conference will answer a common problem employers experience, what date should an employee be treated as a terminated employee when he/she is on a leave of absence, or  more...

Everything You Wanted to Know About Drug and Alcohol Testing but Were Afraid to Ask ...care about safety in the workplace have implemented a drug and alcohol testing program. An added benefit to companies is a reduction in their workers' compensation insurance premiums. What makes an effective program? What kind of safeguards should there be to ensure accuracy? What does a drug test really measure? What is the best sample: urine, hair or oral fluid? Are there products used to  more...

IPPS Final Rule ...ogy in an effort to better control the costs of providing care to the Medicare inpatient and to incentivize hospitals to better manage utilization. As time has passed CMS has modified the program to better recognize severity of illness AND to reduce payments to hospitals for certain quality of care issues such as reducing payment for hospital acquired conditions. This live audio conference is  more...

The Trickle Down Effect of Health Care Reform: A Potpourri of Payroll, Benefits, Income Taxes, and Other Changes ...care reform require that you continually monitor the landscape to spend your benefit dollars effectively, while remaining compliant. This is an opportunity for employers to reassess their decisions and consider the future impact of this legislation. Attend this live audio conference and stay current on your compliance obligations, planning considerations and take a closer look at the impact on  more...

Legal Issues Surrounding the Utilization and Maintenance of Computerized Medical Records ...uce medical errors and lead to more efficient delivery of care, many hospitals and providers are beginning to implement EHRs in their facilities and practices. Despite federal regulations that permit certain donations of EHR technology, the implementation and ongoing use of EHRs is expensive and raises many legal concerns. This live audio conference will identify the key legal issues and  more...

Preparing for Medicaid Audits ...The Medicaid program is a state's most significant health care expense and, in many instances, one of its largest budgetary items. It is the health insurer of last resort for children and the economically disadvantaged. The recent economic downturn has caused shortfalls to many states' overall budgets. Under recently enacted health care reform legislation the Medicaid program and its projected  more...

How Can End-of-Life Planning Resources Benefit Your Workplace? ...illion per year in productivity of full-time workers with caregiving responsibilities. Employers need to place a priority on addressing end-of-life issues. These issues affect their employees who serve as caregivers to aging parents, children and other relatives, or who experience a health crisis for themselves or a partner. End-of life issues affect benefits costs, workers' productivity and  more...

Legal Aspects in Representing Clients with Dementia BenefitsAttend this audio conference and be able to understand why preplanning measures are important to avoid crisis situations upon medical incapacity. The topics covered include everything from simple advanced directives and estate planning, to complex planning for the purpose of VA and Medicaid benefits. You will understand the process of legal crisis intervention if preplanning measures are  more...

Risk Management in the Retention and Destruction of Medical Records BenefitsThere are many different types of medical records. The retention and destruction of each is governed by various state and federal laws and regulations. Additionally, when evaluating the storage and destruction of medical records, other factors such as reimbursement and billing, accreditation and professional standards must be considered. This audio conference will help you understand  more...

Economic Substance Doctrine Codification Update ...care via legislation titled the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Knowledge of its tax implications, tax credits, employer obligations and other financial aspects will be discussed in this informative audio conference. Awareness of the compliance rules will avoid financial risk and a variety of costly penalties for both individuals and employers. The Health Care Act includes several  more...

Risk Management in Telephone Triage: Lessons Learned From Telephone Triage Litigation ...that approximately 20 to 28 percent of all primary health care is handled over the telephone. However, without proper training and accountability, telephone triage can result in improper diagnosis and management as well as legal liability. This audio conference will provide a brief overview the concept of malpractice as well as important considerations when providing telephone advice. A case  more...

Medical Privacy Rights of Minors ...rights of the individual's parents to control the medical care delivered to their minor child, the caregiver is often caught in the middle. This audio conference will outline the rights of the minor to medical privacy and the ways those rights may be served while also serving the right of the parent or guardian to oversee the medical care provided. You will learn about the requirements of the  more...

Impact of Health Care Reform on Elder Law ...sThis teleconference will teach you how the recent health care act will affect seniors and persons with disabilities. President Obama signed into law, in March of this year, the Patient Protection and Affordability Act of 2010 and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. These together are referred to as the Affordability Care Act. This act makes changes to Medicaid and  more...

Mental Health Record Compliance ...ns on how they can deal with patient records. As a health care provider, you are generally subject to the HIPAA medical record privacy and security requirements. To the extent they deal with substance abuse diagnosis and treatment, you are also subject to additional federal confidentiality restrictions, particularly part 2 of 42 CFR. You also deal with some specific types of records that are  more...

Grant and Other Funding Opportunities Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 BenefitsThe health reform legislation signed into law in March provides a significant number of direct and indirect federal grant funding opportunities for medical providers, hospitals, home health agencies, nursing facilities, colleges and universities, and employers. Under several of the grant programs, state and local government, and nonprofit entities are flow-through entities through which  more...

Family Responsibility Discrimination Law: Family Friendly Employer or Litigation Target? ... discrimination against employees because of their family caregiving responsibilities is becoming a major issue for employers. Employers have been the subject of increasing but not well understood claims based on FRD claims. These claims have been pursued under a variety of both federal and state laws, and have resulted in multimillion-dollar verdicts. This teleconference will help you  more...

Principal Diagnosis Selection: Ensure Compliance with Official Coding Guidelines ...care business economic climate, there exists a renewed focus upon third-party payer initiatives to second guess and undermine medical record coder's selection of principal diagnosis selection under the guise of medical necessity and accurate and compliant coding. Under the RAC Demonstration Project, a pattern of supposed coding errors and medical necessity errors were vested based upon  more...

Labor Law: Could 2011 Be the Turning Point for Unions? ...all. While most of the country has been focused on health care reform, 2011 could prove to be a pivotal year for union activity. What businesses may not be aware of, are many proposed, smaller amendments to NLRA and NLRB rules - when coupled with some form of passage of the Employee Free Choice Act - could prove to be disastrous for employers lacking knowledge and experience against a  more...

Health Care Reform Update ...sident Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law on March 23, 2010. This legislation will effectively restructure one-sixth of our economy and have a significant impact on our personal lives. Beyond the partisan politics and media hype are the practical concerns of employers, HR professionals, attorneys, third-party administrators, and other consultants and  more...

Texas Nonsubscriber Claims 101: Perspectives From Employees and Employers ...mployers purchase insurance products that pay for medical care, lost wages and indemnify the employer if a claim is filed. Other employers self-insure and handle claims in-house or send them to third-party claim administrators. Different than workers' compensation claims, employees, who work for nonsubscriber employers may pursue personal injury claims in court or at arbitration. The law  more...

Schedule C Reporting Update BenefitsAccording to IRS statistics, more than 22 billion Schedule C forms are filed each year. Many of these represent small, often home-based, businesses. However, a large number also represent large, full-time business enterprises. It is not surprising that with such a large vast array of different types of businesses, Schedule C filers are frequent targets of IRS audits. This teleconference  more...

Administration of Pain Agents BenefitsYou will learn about using balanced analgesia with pharmacologic options for treating pain. This provides optimal analgesia and level of function for their patients. Discussion will include the importance of choosing the appropriate pain agent for the type of pain at the right dose. Learning Objectives - You will be able to discuss different types of pain medications. - You will be able  more...

Medical Records 101: Responding to Requests for Patient Information ... an overview of medical management issues faced by health care providers in responding to requests for patient information for litigation purposes. The conference speaker, who has extensive experience in civil litigation, including the representation of large medical institutions, will provide guidance in avoiding mistakes in disseminating patient information. You'll find out what you need to  more...

Long-Term Care Insurance in Estate Plans ... or charity rather than loose it to the cost of long-term care. Whether at home, assisted living or nursing home care, the cost can be staggering. When is the purchase of long-term care insurance appropriate for a client? How can the client control the cost and customize a plan that fits their needs? What are the guidelines and types of underwriting? What is the benefit of long term care  more...

Is Your Health Care Plan Grandfathered Under the Health Care Reform? ...eral mandates under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as modified by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (collectively, the 'Act'). The Act provides limited exceptions from the new federal mandates for certain grandfathered plans and new interim final regulations provide detailed guidance on how a plan may retain its grandfathered status. This national  more...

Employee Driven Health Care: A Checklist for Employers BenefitsThis teleconference will include a comparison of HSA, HRA and FSAs. You will discover the value of Section 125 plans and recognize funding methods for various plans. Human resource managers, benefits and payroll professionals, controllers, CFOs, business owners and managers, insurance professionals and attorneys  more...

Medical Necessity - The Collaborative Partnership Approach BenefitsHospitals constantly struggle with reducing financial exposure due to noncompliance with medical necessity in the ordering and performing of diagnostic tests on both the inpatient and outpatient business environment. Current hospital business processes and medical staff mind-sets do not lend themselves and promote financial efficiencies in the performance and reimbursement of diagnostic  more...

Protecting Assets for Long-Term Care Medi-Cal Benefits ...access California's Medi-Cal program to pay for long-term care. Attentive planning is required, however, to avoid the minefields of government rules and potentially disastrous consequences. Each family's needs beyond Medi-Cal and other government benefits must also be considered. Further complexity has been added to the planning process since the enactment of California's SB 483, the state's  more...

The Fundamentals of Estate Planning for Pets ...ies and techniques which are available to provide for the care and planning in regards to pets. This teleconference will provide you with some of the tools that are out there to assist your clients whose most important beneficiaries are often overlooked, whether because the client is embarrassed, or the attorney is ill equipped with how to address the client's concerns. Not only will this  more...

Impact of Health Care Reform on Health Care Providers ...rivate health insurance coverage, recently enacted health care reform legislation also made sweeping changes to the Medicare payment and service delivery systems and strengthened current laws upon which the federal government relies to fight health care fraud, waste and abuse. This teleconference will include a broad overview of the aspects of health care reform legislation of most interest to  more...

Insurance Claim Appeals ...be performed to attempt to gain reimbursement from health care insurance providers, including Medicare and Medicaid. This teleconference will help you understand how first to establish when an appeal can be implemented, when to formally continue to disagree with their findings in writing and what options are available to continue fighting these appeals. The teleconference will explain the  more...

Employee Safety and Health Systems: Cutting Injuries Using the Team Approach ...anagement will allow it to be. And although most managers care for the health and well being of their workers, they usually do not understand the proper way to manage the safety system. This teleconference will describe how to effectively manage the employee safety and health system. With proper installation and implementation of the system described in this teleconference, you will see a 40  more...

Criminal Liabilities Under HIPAA ... civil and criminal HIPAA penalties. Health plans, health care clearinghouses, health care providers and Medicare prescription drug card sponsors may be prosecuted criminally for HIPAA violations. With ID theft on the rise, prosecutors are becoming more aggressive in enforcing HIPAA laws, particularly when intent to illegally obtain patient information is involved. In addition, failing to be  more...

Influenza: Seasonal to Pandemic ... influenza continues to be a regular challenge for health care and public health personnel. However, the events of April 2009 changed our perception of influenza when a novel Influenza A strain emerged and produced the first pandemic in almost 50 years. This teleconference will explore the changing influenza strains and the illnesses that result. You will come away enabled to better protect  more...

Billing and Collecting for the Health Care Industry BenefitsDon't miss this billing and collecting teleconference presented by Neltner Billing Consulting Services, Inc. During the teleconference, we will present an overview of coding, billing and auditing for evaluation and management services. We will discuss common billing errors and practical methods for ensuring compliance. We will also share specific techniques for claims processing, payment  more...

Opt-Out Incentives and Other Cost Cutting Measures for Health Plans ...care reform has highlighted for the public what employers have known for years - health care is expensive. Employers have for years looked for creative ways to alleviate double digit annual increases in the cost of health coverage provided to its employees. Employers have toggled deductibles and co-payments, and they have implemented wellness programs and consumer driven health care programs.  more...

Stark Act Update: Recent Changes and Operational Challenges BenefitsThe Stark Act is a very technical law that prohibits several common financial arrangements between physicians and entities to which they refer, including hospitals. If a physician has a financial arrangement with an entity that bills for or performs 'designated health services,' the financial arrangement will need to meet all components of an applicable exception. If the Stark Act is  more...

Limited Medical Programs: How Employers Are Using Them to Control Health Care Costs BenefitsAfter years of increasing medical premiums, employers are hitting road blocks in cost saving measures. We are at a point of office visit co-pays approaching $50, prescription drug co-pays of $50 to $100, deductibles exceeding $2,000 for in-network benefits, and more and more premium cost shifting from employer to employee. Employee's are finding it hard to afford the per pay premiums and  more...

15- Minute Expert Adult Patient Assessments: Practical Strategies, Tips, and Updates for Health Care Professionals ...itsEverything seems to move faster these days and patient care is no exception. The patient's clinical acuities and complexities are increasing and the amount of available time to be hands-on with each patient seems to be decreasing. That is why every health care professional needs to be proficient in assessment skills. This teleconference, '15-Minute Expert Adult Patient Assessments: Practical  more...

Health Care Facility Design and Development ...care facility is particularly challenging in the modern economic and regulatory environment. Health care administrators are looking for project delivery models that ensure excellence in planning and delivery. Incorporating thought leadership in design, operational efficiency and sustainability, as well as efficient project delivery are important differentiators for project teams. This  more...

Implementing a Health Risk Assessment for Your Health Plan: What Works, What Doesn't, What's Legal ... as 'How can a health risk assessment help control health care costs?,' 'What makes for an effective health risk assessment?,' 'How do I get employees to participate?,' 'What should I look for in a vendor?' and 'Aren't there a lot of legal issues with gathering health information about employees?' This teleconference will allow you to begin the process of implementing a health risk assessment  more...

Managing Benefit Options for Part-Time Employees ...s. Additionally, in hard to recruit fields such as health care, or with entry level employers such as retailers, part-time employment is the norm and may account for more than 50% of the workforce. Employers struggle with how to design a program that will attract and retain the workers they need on a cost effective basis. This teleconference will explore the myriad of options and approaches  more...

Dealing with Difficult Patients ...care facilities must weigh the value of client satisfaction and safety. Acute care settings may be particularly susceptible to the problem difficult patients because of the number of different service providers involved and the fact that it is an important and heavily people-based service. Difficult patients cannot be avoided; therefore health care institutions must have clear strategies for  more...

Healthcare Self-Disclosure Update ...w these and other key questions: - What options do health care providers have for voluntary disclosure? - What factors should health care providers consider when determining whether a potential violation should be reported? - How have these been changed by health care reform legislation and the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act? - How does the position of CMS alter the approach of a health  more...

Can Medical Tourism Lower Your Healthcare Costs? ...ssociated with persons traveling abroad for their medical care. Medical travel, or medical tourism, has become a major focus of interest as a potential means for helping to mitigate the high cost of health care in the United States. It is no longer really about tourism but substantially more about the nature of medical care that might be available from destination providers. While originally  more...

Valid Consents ... an affirmative decision, it is important that the health care practitioner obtain informed consent. This teleconference will educate you on how to determine whether a patient is capable of giving informed consent. This teleconference also explains who may give informed consent on behalf of the patient if the patient is incapable of doing so. In addition to informed consent for medical  more...

Discipline and Termination Considerations for Employees on Leave ...can be as short as a few hours to vote, several months to care for a newborn or longer than a year due to a disability. In the event that an employee who is on leave will be terminated, whether for cause or for economic reasons, employers must be aware of the legal protections afforded to employees to be certain that the termination does not violate federal or state law, which could expose the  more...

Medical Professionals and Social Media: Privacy and Security Issues ...e new physicians and other professionals enter the health care workplace, they are bringing with them the tools and technologies that they feel helps them do their job better, including the greater use of cell phones, texting, twittering, blogging, and using Web sites like Facebook and LinkedIn . But using these devices and technologies can carry significant risks of privacy violations under  more...

Health Information Exchange: The Impact of the Stimulus Code ...ormat. Behind the graceful parallelism to reform health care, electronic health records and health information exchanges stand poised and ready as a means to greater, and more productive and efficient health care. In this presentation, Mark Jacobs will discuss health information exchanges as they relate to the transport of meaningful care data to help providers achieve meaningful use. The  more...

Suicidology: Your Responsibilities for Protecting Your Clients and the Public BenefitsThe assessment of suicidality is among the most important functions exercised by mental health professionals. The imperative of keeping the client safe constitutes not only the most important initial clinical objective, but is at the core of good risk management. Research continues to help clinicians predict suicidal behavior in the individual with increasing accuracy. However, there is no  more...

Managing External Health Information ...care providers remain frustrated and uncertain about how to handle external health information. This information may come in the form of unsolicited health information - i.e., information that is volunteered by patients or by other health care providers, either at the time the patient arrives for treatment or thereafter - and in some cases even after the patient has been discharged. It may also  more...

Infection Control Programs ...care associated infections have moved into the forefront of the health care industry due to emerging and re-emerging issues, the human toll and reimbursement challenges. Central to this problem is the impact of the infection preventionist and the infection prevention function. This teleconference will help identify specific elements of an effective infection prevention program and promote the  more...

Controlling Health Care Costs With Self-Funded Plan Options BenefitsThis teleconference will address questions an employer must answer when deciding to switch from a fully insured health plan arrangement to a self-insured arrangement. The speaker will cover different self-insured health plan options, for example, preferred provider, HMO, health savings accounts and health reimbursement arrangements. The importance of choosing a third-party administrator  more...

Understanding the New Penalties for Tax Preparers ...preparer penalty of IRC §6694 since 2007. The standard of care needed to avoid the penalty has been raised, the penalty is greater and the reach of the penalty is broader. In addition, there are various other penalties and rules of conduct you must be aware of and new guidance has been issued in several of these areas in the past year. It is imperative that you understand these penalties and  more...

Staying Compliant with the Medicare Incident-To Rules ...a time when every medical practice dollar counts, the Medicare incident-to billing rules can enable physicians to capture revenue from common services performed by office staff. The incident-to rules, while simple on their face, can be complex in their application and failing to follow each element of the rules can result in overpayments and even false claims liability. Knowing the rules and  more...

Patients' Rights Update ...care providers, particularly long term care providers, mental health providers and hospices, have become increasingly aware of patients' rights concerns in recent years. Many states have passed bills of rights for their residents living in mental health, skilled nursed or other health care facilities. These bills of rights cover basic and not so basic concerns. From the right to be treated with  more...

Managed Care Contracting and Fee Schedule Review ...strators are charged with the task of negotiating managed care contracts for their practices. This responsibility is generally an inherited function from their predecessor. Most do not understand how to compute an equitable fee schedule or track contract performance. This teleconference will help you understand methods for tracking to performance and how first to establish a fee schedule.  more...

Client Rights Issues: Informed Consent and Confidentiality ...t and privacy of health information. However, many health care providers do not understand the complex intersections of regulatory and common law requirements for obtaining consent and protecting client privacy. Failure to properly comply with these legal requirements can result in regulatory sanctions as well as liability for health care providers. This teleconference will help you understand  more...

Liability Issues for Design Professionals ... range from the more traditional ones such as standard of care, indemnity, and ownership and use of documents to the more recent issues such as electronic media, building information modeling and limitation of liability. The effect on the design profession of these issues is even more complex now because of the release of the 2007 AIA documents. Register for this teleconference and get detailed  more...