Arwen Pieterse, PhD, and colleagues urge all physicians to allocate more meaningful time to collaborate in shared decision making with patients, without compromising access or productivity…
Use Time Component When Coding Counseling, Coordination of Care Visits
Although there are seven components for the levels of evaluation and management (E/M) services, most encounter levels are coded on the basis of the history, examination and medical decision making (MDM), which are the key components extracted from documentation in the medical record. However, when counseling and coordination of care for a patient are the…
No Time Theft Here: One Practice’s Success Story
Practitioners at Orthopaedics and Rheumatology of the North Shore, in Skokie, Ill., have implemented practices for hiring and personnel management that help prevent employee time theft. Communication is open, employees are invested in the practice, and managers work to ensure employees are listened to and have clear guidelines to work by…
Stop Time Theft: Why Employees Waste Time & the Toll It Takes
Do your employees waste time during the day or get easily distracted by personal issues? In a rheumatology practice, time equals money and time theft can affect all aspects of the practice—from office morale to patient satisfaction. Here are a few tips for keeping employees and managers on track to create a more effective working environment…
Time Is Important Factor in E/M Coding
It is not unusual for rheumatologists to spend significant time during an office visit reviewing new and/or existing problems, modifying medications, counseling, and coordinating care, but is this additional time reimbursable?