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2018 CPC Practice Exam Answer Key 150 Questions With Full Rationale (HCPCS, ICD-9-CM, ICD-10, CPT Codes) Click here for more sample CPC practice exam questions with Full Rationale Answers

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You Can Help Save Lives

Learn about the organ procurement and transplant process to ensure patients are covered. National Donate Life Month, in April, is about encouraging people to donate organs and tissues to save the lives of those in need. An estimated 113,000 men, women, and children in the United States are waiting for organ transplants right now, according […]

The post You Can Help Save Lives appeared first on AAPC Knowledge Center.

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Save Your Life With A Key Sized Medical Device

Communication during a medical emergency, when you can not.

It is important to communicate during a medical emergency, and when you are not able speak for yourself. How will your doctor know your medical history in order to properly treat you. You need a convenient way to carry your emergency medical information with you at all times.

“In a medical emergency, you might be unconscious or unable to speak for yourself,” said Alfred Sacchetti, MD, of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). “That’s why it’s so important to make sure that medical personnel have access to your medical history, as well as relevant contact information. For example, knowing what medications you are taking could prevent severe drug interactions, and knowing what allergies you have could prevent serious reactions.”

Millions of Americans have medical conditions which should be immediately known to Emergency Personnel.

Diabetes (over 13 million), diagnosed heart disease (23 million), Alzheimer’s, transplant surgery, patient’s currently on blood thinners such as Coumadin, epilepsy, asthma, severe allergies, cancer patients and medication allergies such as penicillin and other antibiotics are all conditions that should be brought to the attention of emergency personnel. Additionally, many of us are reasonably health but getting older (36 million people age 65 and over) and our list of medications continue to grow with the years.

With over 110 million emergency room visits a year, your emergency information may actually be the most important information of your life. According to quoted studies from The Institute of Medicine an estimate of 44,000 to 98,000 hospitalized Americans die each year from errors made from medical practitioners, and 7,000 dies because of medication mishaps.

Who needs to keep their emergency information available and updated?

Actually, all of us should but very few do. However for those at risk, such as seniors, people with chronic illness, serious allergies or medication complications, special needs children and anyone traveling away from home it is something that should not be overlooked. Children should also have the proper medical information on them at all times if they have a medical condition or serious allergy.

What information should be maintained?

Here are just some of the things recommended by Edward Stettner, MD, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Emory University Atlanta, GA and other healthcare professionals.

* Medical history – Chronic medical conditions

* Medications -Including over-the-counter

* Allergies -Medications and foods

* Surgical history -Include the date, hospital and surgeon

* Private physician -Include primary care as well as specialists

* Emergency contacts -Multiple contacts with alternate numbers

* Miscellaneous -Include advance directives, specific dietary needs, or any other important information.

What are your options to carry your medical information?

There are many generic medical ID bracelets and jewelry tags available today, however they are generally limited by their size to the amount of information that can be displayed on them and because of their small size, they are sometimes overlooked by emergency personnel during a crisis. The wallet cards some provide are also limited by their small size and often become unreadable in a very short time. While they can alert medics that you have special medical needs, they can not convey all your important emergency information during a crisis, when it is needed most.

So how do you carry all that information around with you?

Digital technology allows a very large amount of information to be stored on surprisingly small devices. MedicTag LLC has adapted this technology to produce an emergency information device that fits on a key ring. The device is simple to use and works with your desktop or laptop computer. You can fill out the information form and make changes whenever necessary, always keeping your emergency information up to date. Emergency responders on site with a laptop or at the emergency room can have instant access to your vital information, even if you are unconscious, allowing them to diagnose and properly treat you with as little delay as possible.

Do you need to have your emergency information available?

For most of us the answer is probably yes. If not you, how about a child, parent or other loved one in your family? Considering the possible life saving benefits, it is something that we should seriously consider, for safety and security that affects the whole family.

Medical Alarms Can Save Your Life

There is a reason why we call emergencies by that name, they are impossible to predict and can happen in any place at any instance and can put us in grave danger. We can be as careful as possible, even be teeter in the brink of paranoia but there is no absolute way we can be ready for emergencies. The best recourse is to always have a way to alert someone of an attack when we experience them. You may have a mobile phone but can you really make a call when a seizure is rocking every muscle of your body? There are a many medical alarms that can keep us safe and alert our the monitoring companies with a simple touch of a button. Their value is not only found when we use them, but also in the assurance that we always can.

The pieces of electronics are essential. They ensure that we have a way to alert people when we encounter an accident that does not let us use conventional modes of communication. Medical alert systems are very effective because they reduce the time that we lay there without proper medical attention. These devices take on a whole new meaning if you have a recurring ailment or a health condition that can attack at any time. From hypertension that can lead to a stroke to epileptic attacks that can strike at any moment, having a system to alert people to your attack can be the difference between life and death. For the disabled or the elderly who live alone, the dangers of ailments can be a real threat and constant fear.

So if you have a condition or are well into your retirement years or simply want to make sure that in your home or office, you are never far away from medical attention, get these alarms. They are usually in the form of a medical alarm bracelet that are simple and easy to wear. They are highly advanced systems that monitor key vital signs and make sure that you get help when you need it. Get them for friends and relatives and give the gift of health to your loved ones. Medical emergencies can happen at any time and if we are alone, there can be no one else to turn to or help us. Life is our greatest gift and prolonging it as much as we can is the best thing we can do to repay that gift.

Looking to get yourself an a medical alarm? Visit medicalalarmstoday.com for medical alarm reviews and a comprehensive guide to personal medical alrms before making your purchase.

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Electronic Medical Records May Save Lives

Electronic medical records may dramatically improve the diagnosis, management and care of patients, according to a Kaiser Permanente study from the September 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. This study reports that electronic medical records improve the quality of health care overall and may result in quicker diagnosis and response time to critical needs.

Electronic medical records can also enable the study of data from an entire population in ways not previously possible: allowing conditions to be analyzed to determine what treatments work and what do not, finding patterns of care that are more effective, and defining the cost-effectiveness of various techniques and approaches for optimal care. By being able to track larger amounts of data than ever before, medical teams can track vital medical data without the need for costly and cumbersome voluntary studies. Lives might be saved by following and analyzing diagnosis and treatment across a large group of patients and new solutions could be discovered through new found research data. These are the positive influences that electronic medical records may supply on the research side, but every day solutions are also provided.

The safety alerts, built into many electronic medical record systems, may draw attention to life-threatening situations. Imagine a patient seen by two separate doctors. These doctors each prescribe separate medication that could harmfully interact, medication that is somehow not noted or brought to the second doctor’s attention. This could have a potentially fatal consequence. With a electronic medical record systems, doctors are alerted instantly to any potentially dangerous medical interactions or conditions of a patient. According to a “Safety in Prescribing” study in Archives of Internal Medicine, safety alerts that appear in electronic medical records reduce potentially dangerous interactions of co-prescriptions.

“This study shows that safety alerts in electronic medical records are a powerful tool to help clinicians make decisions about what drugs they should prescribe for their patients,” says Adrianne Feldstein, MD, MS, lead author of the study and an investigator at Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Health Research. “We compared the effects of two interventions in outpatient clinical settings – safety alerts in electronic medical records versus safety alerts plus clinician education courses. We found that adding clinician education to electronic medical records safety alerts did not reduce the rates of co-prescribing medications that interact any more than electronic medical records safety alerts alone. The reason is unclear, but it may be that the ‘just in time’ information provided by safety alerts is more useful to clinicians than education courses.”

Electronic medical records may help save lives, especially when they are properly implemented and understood. For more information about a reliable electronic medical record system, contact e-MDs, a leader in electronic medical record software provision. e-MDs offers a host of affordable solutions for physicians and facilities looking to modernize or enhance their services with the latest EMR technology. e-MDs is committed to providing operational solutions and delivering the clinical tools needed to succeed in today’s medical field.

Brigette Botkin. Electronic Medical Records– e-MDs powerful software can help manage your electronic medical records

A Medical Alert Necklace Could Save Your Life

Many people have medical conditions that could have a profound effect in life or death situations. Without proper notification, emergency responders may not know about these conditions. If a person is treated incorrectly during a medical emergency, this could cost them their lives. If you have one of these specific medical conditions, it is absolutely vital that you make sure that first responders are aware of this.

You may be thinking that you would simply be able to tell the paramedics about your condition. However, in most medical emergency instances, the patient will not be able to respond to questions from the first responders. If you are unconscious or you have been injured, you may not be able to respond at all. In these cases, it is vital that you have a way to alert paramedics to the medical conditions you may have.

This is where a medical alert necklace comes into play. These simple, yet vital necklaces can be the difference between life and death for you. There are numerous medical conditions that a first responder would need to know about. While any of these could be included on medical alert necklaces, here is one example of how they could save your life.

Let’s for a moment, consider if you have a heart condition for which you take several medications. If you were to become incapacitated with the heart condition, medical responders would be able to appropriately handle and treat your condition. In addition, if there are certain medications that you take for your condition, the medical team would be more aware of this, and they could avoid giving you any sort of medication that could have a negative effect on you.

Medical alert necklaces can be helpful in letting medical professionals know about a wide variety of conditions that a person may suffer. Without these vital notifying pieces, a wrong medication could be administered or a wrong diagnosis could be made. Whether you have diabetes, a specific allergy, a heart condition, ADD, or any condition that needs to be noticed, you can find a medical alert necklace could be the item that saves your life.

When first responders and paramedics come upon an emergency medical situation, there is one thing they will immediately do if the patient is unresponsive. They will look for any medical alert necklaces or bracelets so that they will know what to treat and what to look for when diagnosing. If you are wearing one of these necklaces, this could mean the difference between being properly treated or not. If you do not wear one of these necklaces, you could be putting your life in danger.

When it comes to medical conditions that can affect diagnosis and treatment of a patient, a medical alert necklace can save lives. If you have one of these medical conditions, choosing the right necklace and wearing it at all times is vital. Do not take your life for granted. Make sure that your condition can be properly treated if an emergency were to arise.

Medical Alert Necklace Info provides detailed information on everything you need to know before you purchase a medical alert necklace. Learn more on why medical alert necklaces can save your life in case of an emergency. But also discover some of the important aspects you should think about before choosing a necklace. To learn more visit my Medical Alert Necklace Review.

2018 OB-GYN Coding Bootcamp!!! Join me!!! (and save some $’s)

2018 Coding Updates Virtual Bootcamp
Preparing Coders for a Successful 2018
Attend the Year’s Biggest Virtual Ob-Gyn Coding Event
Dec. 07 & Dec. 08, 2017
Presented by: Lori-Lynne A. Webb
You’ll start 2018 off right if you’ve got a clear understanding of the codè adjustments you’ll need to make for your ob-gyn claims. Having someone clear out the clutter and focus on what’s most important is like feng shui for the brain, and we have an expert to do this for you.

Lori-Lynne A. Webb will update you on the CPT©, ICD-10, and Medìcare changes you need to know and will advise you on how to accurately report your E/M services in the coming year. Listen as she unravels the mysteries of the Ob global package and hear what auditors will be looking for in the coming year so you can prepare. Join us!

Get 6 AAPC-APPROVED CEUs
Sessions
  • 2018 CPT, ICD-10 & HCPCS updates for Ob-Gyn
  • Coding in the Ob ‘global package’ and coding for the Gyn ‘surgical package’
  • Clinical and coding audits for 2018: What’s on the radar for the OIG, CMS and pay for performance
  • How-to for auditing: A hands-on review of clinical documentation, queries, audits, appeals and reimbursement
Training Highlights
  • In-depth strategies and the most up-to-date concepts for global and unbundled OB services billed in the physìcian office
  • What’s on the radar screens of the big players and government payers, and how it will affect Ob-Gyn physìcians in particular, as well as the hospitals, and public health services that they and their patients currently accèss, including outside labs, health departments and others
  • Strategies for parsing the OIG’s plans for Ob-Gyn services in 2018
  • A solid understanding of the federal programs and services that will be effecting change in the healthcare fìeld next year and beyond
  • In-depth strategies and timely concepts for how to conduct audits within your practice for clinical documentation
  • How to query and write appeals for denìed claims
  • How to deal effectively with reimbursement issues
Get the knowledge and skills to combat common problems and find answers to complex ob-gyn coding questions in these comprehensive training sessions. Prepare for a successful 2018!
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Medical Tourism – Could Medical Tourism Save Your Life?

A growing number of people worldwide are seriously considering a new phenomenon called “Medical Tourism” as an answer to high cost and/or unavailable health care. Others who have already used medical tourism are praising it as a terrific solution to an ongoing problem.

If you don’t live in the US, you may still have some interest in medical tourism-perhaps your health care provider doesn’t cover a procedure you want, or maybe the wait for the procedure is too long. For those people worldwide without health insurance, and with limited access to the health care system, going to another country for a medical procedure could literally save your life.

The cost of medical care here in the United States is high and going higher. However, the World Health Organization ranks the US health care system as #37 in the world. We are behind nearly all Europeans nations, Saudi Arabia, Chile, Colombia and Costa Rica.

So, you might survive your medical condition and treatment. But will you survive financially when the medical bills arrive at your door?

For a growing list of reasons, Medical Tourism is an idea whose time has come.

There are two prominent resources for Medical Tourism:

Planet Hospital

PlanetHospital began in 2002 as a coordinator of overseas health care for the uninsured desiring to travel abroad because they could not obtain or could not afford health care in the US or their respective country. Over time, as news of medical tourism spread, carriers, employers and self-insured groups began to ask PlanetHospital to explore ways that would allow PlanetHospital to solve their skyrocketing health care cost problem. Consequently, while maintaining their commitment to individual self payers, they expanded into health care solutions. As a result, over the past two years, PlanetHospital has developed several products for the marketplace. Most of their products center around four critical needs:

1. Self insured companies and their related partners (such as Stop Loss agencies, TPAs, and MGUs)
2. Uninsured and underinsured individuals
3. Healthcare plans that need to control expenses
4. Immigrants and guest workers who need affordable healthcare while working in the US.

I strongly urge you to spend some time touring their website at: www.planethospital.com

HealthCare Tourism International

HealthCare Trip, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit service of HealthCare Tourism International, was started on April 1, 2006 as a portal and service that connects all people interested in healthcare abroad with safe and effective information and accreditation. In addition, they do not have any financial partnerships or arrangements with for-profit healthcare tourism operators, hospitals, or providers, so that they may maintain a non-partisan approach to safe healthcare services abroad. HCTI is the world’s first 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization specifically for health travel safety.

Visit their website at: www.healthcaretrip.org

Medical Tourism includes many of the following specialties in Medicine.

Alternative Medicine

There are many treatment procedures with long histories of success that are not approved and available in the US. For example, German cancer specialists have alternative treatments that are much more successful than traditional American procedures. Other alternative medicine is found in heart disease, for example.

Nursing Home/Long Term Care

In order for Medicare to pay for nursing home care, one must be basically broke (under $ 2500 in assets). If you do not have Long Term Care insurance, the monthly costs can easily run between $ 3,000 and $ 5,000. In other countries, high quality nursing care can be found for less than $ 50 a day.

Dental

Some of the most popular and widely-used medical procedures are dental procedures. With only half the US population covered by dental insurance, Americans are streaming overseas for high quality, low cost dental care. Medicare does not cover dental work, and elderly people have elderly teeth that require more care than the young.

In certain areas of Prague, Budapest, Bangkok and Tijuana, streets are lined with dental clinics. The savings the patients realize can more than compensate for their travel costs. Teeth caps that range from $ 750 to $ 1,000 in the U.S. cost $ 150 in Mexico. In Budapest, a top-quality crown costs $ 780, compared with $ 1,200 to $ 2,000 in the United States. In Great Britain the average cost of an implant is $ 3,500, but in Budapest you can get it done for $ 1,000.

What about the quality of the work? According to the non-profit group Healthcare Tourism International, their surveys of patients found high levels of satisfaction. But that should come as no surprise. A spokesman from the New York University College of Dentistry states that they bring in over 100 dentists a year from 33 countries, train them in advanced procedures, and send them home.

In March 2008, FOX News reporter Lori Lundin blogged about her husband’s dental excursion to El Salvador. The quote they got in the US for the dental work he need was $ 60,000. They had the work done in a world-class Salvadoran facility for about $ 19,000. He had the procedures done and experienced no pain, plus they had a tropical vacation while they were there. Lundin figured that the total cost including travel expenses and lodging was $ 30,000.

Cosmetic Surgery

Tummy tuck, Breast Augmentation/Reduction, facial, liposuction, butt/thigh lifts and other cosmetic procedures can be done through Medical Tourism.

Conventional Treatment

Medical procedures include:

• Fertility
• Orthopedic Surgery
• Heart Surgery
• Bariatric
• Cancer/Radiation
• Eye and vision
• Gynecological
• Lung procedures
• …and many others

Pharmaceutical purchases

Pharmaceuticals outside the US cost a small fraction of US prices. For the most part, the manufacturer is the same as you would find in an American pharmacy. Countries like India, Brazil and Thailand have huge generic pharmaceutical industries, and many of their companies are importing product into the US. Patients can save hundreds per year by buying drugs outside the US.

Travel benefits

One of the other benefits to medical tourism is that, depending on how long you stay for your medical procedures, you may be able to take in the sights while you are being treated. Imagine yourself on a Costa Rican beach while you wait for your dental work to be completed! Picture yourself attending the Prague Symphony while you are in the city for your medical treatment. Wonderful!

Caveat Emptor

As with any major purchase, you should do extensive research before you spend your money. Do not trust ANYONE just because the letters “MD” are tacked onto his name, or because he’s wearing a white lab coat. Spend the time necessary to thoroughly investigate any medical provider. Then, make an informed decision.

Medical Tourism can be a tremendous money saver for you, and can provide you with world class medical treatment and a memorable vacation. Good luck and good health!

Copyright 2009 by Russell D. Longcore

Save on Better Health Care with Quality Health Coupon Codes

We all know how important it is to take care of ourselves and ensure that we are in the pink of health at all times. It’s good to keep our body in perfect condition, and this can be achieved by living a balanced life and maintaining a healthy diet. It is also highly recommended to develop the habit of seeking medical advice and checkup at least once or twice a year even though we’re not feeling anything unusual about our body. It’s just a great way of fine tuning or tuning up our body, so to speak.

Whether you are a healthy person who wants to ensure that your body is on tip-top condition or someone who has fallen ill and needs professional medical attention, you will surely benefit from the great deals offered by the Quality Health coupon codes found online. These Quality Health promotional codes give discounted, sometimes free, access to Quality Health’s community of medical experts who give the most valuable health insights and personalized advice depending on your needs and condition.

If you’ve gone for a doctor’s checkup before and felt dismayed after the session because you felt you didn’t know much about the medical condition you’re in and that you had questions you didn’t know how to put into words, then you will understand how a Quality Health membership can greatly benefit you. If you sign up with Quality Health, you not only get a thorough health assessment from a top-caliber team of medical experts, you also get a much-needed guide in getting the most out of your visit to your doctor.

Availing of Quality Health promo codes will not only give you big savings on your Quality Health membership, you will also be taught how to ask your doctor the most important questions based on your medical condition (as assessed by Quality Health’s team of medical experts), because Quality Health believes that getting the right answers and feeling reassured by your doctor’s evaluation of your health condition rely on asking the right questions.

Aside from getting expert medical advice, your Quality Health membership will also enable you to ask health questions to Quality Health’s team of medical experts. You will also be able to visit the company’s health centers which have individual specializations based on a wide array of medical conditions. Whether you are trying to reduce your risks of contracting certain diseases or avoiding illnesses, coping with a chronic condition, or trying to lose weight, Quality Health has a dedicated health center that will give you the medical attention you need and valuable personalized information that will give you a better understanding of your medical condition and your health.

So if you’re really serious about maintaining your good health and making the most out of your medical activities (whether going for a doctor’s visit, taking medication or seeking medical advice on the most appropriate diet and lifestyle for you), you should sign up for a Quality Health membership now and start enjoying the benefits of being backed by a credible team of medical experts to ensure your good health. Avail of a Quality Health coupon code now to get the best deal on your membership.

Dave is computer programmer and loves saving money by using coupons and promotional codes. He offers many of these coupon codes on his web site http://www.couponsaver.org

How to Save on Medical Waste Disposal

Biohazardous WasteMy friend Joe sent me this infographic on how to save on medical waste disposal.  Since I deal with so many medical practices he thought it may be of interest to me (and my readers!) so I am sharing it with you today.

As the cost of medical waste disposal is already skyrocketing based on population growth plus an increase of aging patients receiving more and more medical treatments, many practices and other healthcare facilities are looking for ways to cut costs.

With all the overhead you already have in your medical practice, being able to save on every little thing counts and knowing where and how to cut costs is a huge business advantage.

There are several factors that account for the actual cost of disposing medical waste, including location, volume and frequency.  Knowing that these variables exist will help you figure out how to negotiate with medical waste disposal companies for a fair price.

Let me know if this info was helpful. Leave me a comment below.

How to Save on Medical Waste Disposal – An infographic by the team at MedPro Waste Disposal

— This post How to Save on Medical Waste Disposal was written by Manny Oliverez and first appeared on Capture Billing. Capture Billing is a medical billing company helping medical practices get their insurance claims paid faster, easier and with less stress allowing doctors to focus on their patients.

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