Possible Enrollment Delays for Medicare for New Providers
Office Ally has been notified that Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) received a Technical Direction Letter (TDL) 12035 from CMS that indicates providers should only be allowed to enroll for submitting 5010 claims (no more enrollments to submit 4010 claims) as of 11/1/2011.
In addition to the MACs, the following payer(s) have also made the decision to enroll new Providers starting 11/1/11 for HIPAA 5010 only:
- BCBS North Carolina – PayerID: SB810
Following is a notice from one of the MAC websites:
Beginning November 1, 2011, all new providers submitting through an existing submitter ID (including billing services and clearinghouses) will be required to enroll/link using HIPAA version 5010. If the existing submitter ID is not certified for the version 5010 format, any enrollment requests to link new providers will be rejected and returned. This notice is in accordance with CMS Technical Direction Letter (TDL) 12035.
What does this mean for you?
This decision will not impact existing providers that were already linked to Office Ally for EDI services for the MACs.
Only new providers enrolling with Office Ally for Medicare EDI services may experience enrollment rejections/delays in the ability to begin submitting claims to Office Ally until Office Ally transitions to submit 5010 claims to the respective Medicare Payer.
Office Ally encourages and requests that all new providers be active in follow-up with your applicable Medicare contractor to obtain status of any New EDI setup requests and ensure that you are setup for 5010 under the Office Ally Medicare Submitter Number.
Action taken by Office Ally:
Office Ally has been actively testing the HIPAA 5010 format with the MACs and will begin to transition Payers to the 5010 format starting 12/1/2011 through 12/31/2011 to meet the 4010 cutoff date.
The status of the MACs will be listed on our website under Resource Center: 5010 Information once the transitioning begins. Updated enrollment forms for the MACs will also be available on our website once they become available.
All 5010 Notices (including this one) can all be viewed on the 5010 Information page by going to www.OfficeAlly.com and clicking on Resource Center: 5010 Information
Office Ally News: 5010 Updates
Office Ally and the 5010 Transition
Effective January 1, 2012, the X12 Version 5010 is required for all claims submitted electronically to payers. Version 5010 is the new version of the X12 standards for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) transactions. Implementation of HIPAA Version 5010 may require changes to software, systems and perhaps procedures that you use for billing payers using Office Ally.
Office Ally is currently in the testing phase of 5010 and on our way to meeting the January 1, 2012 deadline. We are working side-by-side with our payers as well as our customers to ensure a smooth transition for all. For additional information on the 5010 transition please visit our web site at www.OfficeAlly.com, go to Resource Center and select 5010 Information or click here.
CMS Cooperative Exchange and the 5010/ICD10 Transition
CMS provides many resources to help you prepare for the U.S. health care industry’s transitions. For additional information on the X12 Version 5010 refer to their website (click here).
CMS is hosting a 5010/ICD10 Webinar in conjunction with Cooperative Exchange.
Topics covered include:
- An overview of the transition;
- Highlight important information providers and local health departments need to know;
- Tips on how your clearinghouse can assist you with the transition; and
- Introduce you to helpful resources from CMS.
Join them to learn about this important transition, get tips on how Office Ally can assist you with the transition and learn about the new CMS resources to help you prepare now.
Click Here to Register Today!
When: October 20, 2011; 1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
Where: Webinar/Teleconference
Please save the password you create. You will need this information to log into the webinar.
Questions about registering: Contact Diane Padilla at diane.padilla@ketchum.com
All other questions: Contact Tim McMullen at tim@cooperativeexchange.org
Office Ally Launches “Real-Time” Clinical Messaging Tool Designed to Improve Patient Outcomes and Reduce Healthcare Costs
http://insurance-technology.tmcnet.com/news/2011/03/15/5379243.htm
VANCOUVER, Wash. –(Business Wire)–
As part of its ongoing commitment to controlling healthcare costs while improving patient outcomes, Office Ally announced today the introduction of a new real-time clinical messaging tool called MessageMate.
Through MessageMate, providers are notified in real time and at point of care of the recommended clinical procedures most advantageous to the patient. Patients are also notified electronically through Office Ally’s patient portal – Patient Ally. Studies have shown that such real-time messaging significantly improves quality of care and allows for better results of disease management, resulting in fewer hospitalizations and reducing serious medical errors. Clinical messaging has also been shown to increase compliance with HEDIS and NCQA guidelines, thus reducing overall healthcare costs.
“While there are a number of other fine clinical messaging systems already in the market, very few can deliver the message in real time to the provider and patient,” said Brian O’Neill president and CEO of Office Ally. “Adding this component will prove to be a substantial benefit to everyone, and we are delighted to be able to enhance our full suite of services with this important capability.”
Office Ally’s new clinical messaging delivery system can transmit messages to providers utilizing the company’s clearinghouse, practice management programs or electronic health records systems. The messages can come directly from outside sources such as health plans, TPAs, IPAs, ACOs or HIEs and can also be generated internally based on payer’s business protocols with Office Ally’s clinical engine.
“Like all of our products, our new clinical messaging tool is simple to implement and requires very little investment on the insurer’s side,” said O’Neill. “This combination of ease and affordability is what the market is telling us they need, and we are responding accordingly.”
And the market is responding to Office Ally as well. In 2010 the company witnessed record-setting performance and a 30 percent increase in the number of users of its services nationwide. Today more than 340,000 users rely on one or more of the company’s products to increase efficiencies and profitability.
Office Ally is the only organization in the country offering healthcare providers a full complement of revenue-cycle management services including a patient portal, electronic health records, a practice management system, a clearinghouse and a billing service. Founded in 2000, the company currently works with more than 150,000 providers and 4,400 insurance carriers in all 50 states. It also houses eligibility for nearly 400 IPAs and small health plans. Its complete suite of interactive asp, Internet-based solutions include a patient health registry – Patient Ally™, electronic health records – EHR 24/7™, practice management – Practice Mate™, clearinghouse, and case management – Case Mate™. All of Office Ally’s products and services are offered at minimal or no cost to providers, with training and technical support available 24/7. Further information may be obtained at www.officeally.com.
Office Ally Selected at the First EHR Vendor for LA REC Center (Los Angeles)
In case you missed the press release put out earlier today, you can see the announcement made by the nation’s largest REC Center in the Los Angeles area. Our President and founder, 
Brian O’Neill also was featured in online publication calling for the the prices of medical record systems to become affordable. If you are an Office Ally 24/7EHR user then you know we are committed to bringing our software as a service applications to providers at a very reasonable price and we offer billing and accounting services for free along with our clearing house services.
Opening the Floodgate for EHRs-Installations Will Rise as System Prices Go Down
As you may or may not be aware, the regional centers across the US are designed to help providers select and get support for the transition to electronic medical records. Back in December of 2010, Office Ally received our ONC-ATCB Certification to support meaningful use. Membership with the HITEC-LA center is free and all the registration information, dates, etc. for registration is included at the site.
Office Ally Achieves ONC-ATCB Certification To Support Meaningful Use for Providers
The full press release was also announced at the Los Angeles HITEC-LA website.
HITEC-LA Selects Office Ally as First Announced EHR Vendor
Office Ally’s EHR 24/7 Offers Simple and Affordable Option for Los Angeles County Providers to Convert to EHRs and Receive Incentive Payments
VANCOUVER, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Office Ally announced today that HITEC-LA, the regional extension center (REC) for the nation’s largest county, has selected Office Ally as one of its preferred electronic health record (EHR) vendors. Certified by the
Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), Office Ally’s EHR 24/7 product helps providers meet meaningful use requirements and as a result, qualify for incentives under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
“We selected Office Ally as our first EHR vendor to announce since many of our small and solo member practices are looking for a product that not only helps them adopt EHRs and improves the quality of care that they deliver, but ultimately keeps their costs as low as possible”
“We selected Office Ally as our first EHR vendor to announce since many of our small and solo member practices are looking for a product that not only helps them adopt EHRs and improves the quality of care that they deliver, but ultimately keeps their costs as low as possible,” says Mary Franz, executive director for HITEC-LA. “We think Office Ally is a great addition to what will soon be a full range of EHR vendors that we will offer our members.”
HITEC-LA was founded in 2010 when the federal government awarded L.A. Care Health Plan a grant to establish the exclusive REC for Los Angeles County. HITEC-LA helps Los Angeles County health care providers select the right EHR system for their practices and guides them through the entire implementation process to achieve meaningful use.
“We are thrilled with this new affiliation with HITEC-LA,” says Office Ally President and CEO Brian O’Neill. “I’m certain that our customers will find the HITEC-LA’s assistance to be extremely valuable in helping them implement our software and achieve meaningful use.”
Office Ally’s EHR 24/7, which costs providers just $29.95 a month, is the base of what will be offered to HITEC-LA members. In addition, HITEC-LA members will receive additional interfaces and technical support, all for a low fixed monthly fee. Set-up and unlimited training are included, along with free clearinghouse, practice management, and patient health registry services all integrated with the EHR. Office Ally is able to extend this exceptional value to providers because it is the only organization in the country to offer them a full suite of revenue-cycle management services.
“As part of the standard contract that we secured with Office Ally, our member providers who are interested in this option can receive the standard product, meaningful use templates, health information exchanges, other interfaces, and complete support bundled together for an all-inclusive fee,” says Ali Modaressi, director of EHR Technology for HITEC-LA. “We have come to an agreement with Office Ally that is provider-centric and takes the confusion out of purchasing an EHR.”
“We are finding the marketplace tremendously receptive to our products because we’ve designed them to be affordable, simple to use, and easy to integrate with each other,” says O’Neill.
The federal government is encouraging all providers to adopt EHRs as a way to improve quality, safety, efficiency and access. Part of the economic stimulus package passed by Congress in 2009 provides incentive payments for Medicaid and Medicare providers that adopt and use certified EHRs. There are also consequences for Medicare providers who do not adopt a certified EHR by 2015 – they will be penalized 1 percent of Medicare payments, increasing to 3 percent over three years.
An EHR is a patient record in digital format that is capable of being shared confidentially and securely across different healthcare settings. Such records may include a full range of data in comprehensive or summary form, including demographics, medical history, medications and allergies, immunization status, laboratory test results, radiology images, and billing information.
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Founded in 2000, Office Ally currently works with more than 150,000 providers and 4,400 insurance carriers in all 50 states. It also houses eligibility for nearly 400 IPAs and small health plans. Its complete suite of interactive ASP, Internet-based solutions include a patient health registry – Patient Ally™, electronic health records – EHR 24/7™, practice management – Practice Mate™, and clearinghouse and case management – Case Mate™. All of Office Ally’s products and services are offered at minimal or no cost to providers, with training and technical support available 24/7. Further information may be obtained at www.officeally.com.
Health Information Technology Extension Center for Los Angeles (HITEC-LA) is the exclusive federally designated REC for Los Angeles County, charged with helping doctors and primary care providers select, implement, and use electronic health records in a meaningful way. HITEC-LA helps providers assess their technology needs as well as offers education, training, and onsite technical assistance. For more information, visit www.hitecla.org. HITEC-LA, a project of L.A. Care Health Plan, is funded by the ONC, Department of Health and Human Services, Award Number: 90RC0052/01.
One client at HITEC-LA provided this testimonial:
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Opening the Floodgate for EHRs-Installations Will Rise as System Prices Go Down
Recently our President and Founder, Brian O’Neill spoke with “Payers and Providers” an online magazine discussing the relationships, news articles and issues facing both sides of the healthcare puzzle today. Brian predicts that the floodgates for EHR medical record systems will open as affordability increases. Stimulus money has helped tremendously to foster adaptation with the work of the ONC to make this possible. HIE technology is destined to make the difference as it makes good sense all the way around.
At Office Ally we keep our pricing affordable and many of our software as a service features are free. If you are attending HIMSS this year, you might already notice an overall theme of aggregation and integration of data and information surfacing throughout the convention. Below is the article as it appeared and feel free to download, print, etc. We look forward to another year of continued growth and providing our valued clients with a complete compliment of revenue cycle services at prices they can afford and at the same time attain and qualify for “meaningful use”.
Payers & Providers is the premier weekly publication covering healthcare business and policy news in California. Its veteran editorial staff reports on breaking stories in a lively and concise manner. Its unique Opinion section provides thoughts from the most influential leaders in the healthcare industry.
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Payer List Search Made Easy–CMS 1500 and UB04 At Office Ally
With changing contracts today and the need to look up what is covered, Office Ally has a simplified tool whereby it is simple to either do a look up or download a full listing.
Before selecting a clearinghouse to use for submission of claims, making sure your payers are included is step one. Office Ally covers a big majority, but it’s also a good idea to check back once in a while especially if you are current an Office Ally client as we add new payers all the time.
Sometimes the payers upgrade their services offered and believe it or not there are still some payers where claims are dropped down to a paper basis and once scrubbed through our clearinghouse, they get mailed. We are seeing much more of an uptick with processing claims today electronically so those payers you may have listed as dropping to paper could be upgrading their functionality at any time.
In the example above we looked at California for government claims under the ERA/EOB category and as shown above, and the services we provide are explained in an easy to read format. Electronic remittance is designated and secondary (COB) claim filing is covered. If you have any questions, give us a call, our customer service is 24/7 with a real person waiting to answer your call.
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Call Us at (866) 575-4120
Office Ally Offers Healthcare Providers a Full Compliment of Revenue Cycle Management Services–Stop By and See Us at HIMSS at Booth 2713
It’s getting closer to that time of the year again when many in healthcare and health technologies all make our annual trip to the HIMSS convention. The show runs from February 29-24th at the Orange County Convention Center. This year if you are not already well aware, the place is Orlando, Florida and based on what’s happening elsewhere with weather I can say I’m glad this is not the year for McCormick Place in Chicago.
In case you missed our announcement via press release a couple weeks ago, Office Ally saw a 36% increase in the numbers of users we have nationwide across the US and to our customers we say thank you! 340,000 providers are now using one or more of our web based systems. We do things a little differently at times, like offering a 24/7 help line which is almost unheard of today but we understand that a lot of the work taking place with healthcare today is not just limited to the hours of 9 to 5, and thus we are there to support you.
The full press release as published at Healthcare Finance News can be read here.
In 2010 we created some new programs and offerings for our customers to include Reminder Mate and just recently added our billing service. It makes sense to take a look and see if there are some substantial savings and efficiencies. If you are attending the HIMSS Convention, stop by and we can show you how they work with some live demos. 
Reminder Mate – Automatically Calls Patients for Appointment Reminders
Office Ally Medical Billing Services–Let Us Do Your Billing and Get Our Software Suite for Free, Including Our 24/7 Web Based HER
Office Ally also has an exclusive agreement with Blue Shield of California for its provider network to utilize Office Ally for member e-visits and patients benefit as they receive our free PHR, Patient Ally. Some carriers reimburse for e-visits and we can provide the software and tools to make that happen. Last year the AMA was kind enough to include a short review on how to get paid with e-visits and featured some basic information on our services.
American Medical Association Talks About Getting Paid for Online Consults – Patient Ally A Featured Solution
Also on the agenda of big news this year was our first certification process, and when shopping for a medical records system this means everything as far as qualifying for stimulus money and attaining meaningful use provisions.
Office Ally Achieves ONC-ATCB Certification To Support Meaningful Use for Providers
Here’s a link to our page at HIMSS where you can also get a closer look at what we will be featuring and demonstrating at our booth.
Office Ally – HIMSS Booth 2713
HIMSS this year also has a mobile version so you can stay tuned in with your Tablet, phone or whatever your mobile unit of choice may be.
HIMSS Mobile Site – Office Ally Link
During the convention, if you use Twitter and understand how the hash tags work, simply use #HIMSS to connect and see what is happening during the convention. As of today there’s already people talking about plans and events prior to the convention.
If you have seen any of the news that has been released in the last few few weeks, there are a large group of speakers from HHS and the ONC Division speaking this year and this HIMSS video shows what the convention hall in Atlanta looked like last year.
Here’s an image of where we are in the big convention hall and if you see the big GE Healthcare booth you are not far away from us and we are very close to one of the entrance /exit areas, so we should be easy to find. This screenshot is from the HIMSS Online Exhibitor Locator and you can find it here at their website. Thanks again to both our long time and new clients this year for your business and we will see you at HIMSS.
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E-Visits–How To Get Paid and Set Up for Online Patient Consultations
Here’s our idea of a good new year’s resolution if you are a provider-start getting paid for your online visits!
First of all if your are a provider, we need to of course have an account set up with Practice Mate at Office Ally and that goes 
for any of our services and secondly, providers need to also join Patient Ally,our free PHR. When signing up for Practice Mate be sure to check “allow EVisit” to get started and that is found under the “manage office” area of the site.
The next step is to have patients enroll for free with Patient Ally as they need to have an account set up to be able to communicate with providers. All this sounds a bit basic but just worth repeating to get started. 
Once enrolled, patients will also have the choice of other physicians in the Patient Ally network.
eVisits are an option for patients to receive diagnosis and health care
consultation without visiting the provider’s office, via the Patient Ally
communication channel. An eVisit prompts the patient to answer clinically derived
questions based upon the general symptoms and/or conditions they may
be experiencing.The eVisit begins when an enrolled patient logs into his or her secure Patient
Ally account and selects a non-urgent problem to report to their physician. A
series of targeted questions survey the essential information, much as a
physician would during a live office visit, and the patient’s responses are sent
securely to the physician’s message center. The physician responds with a
course of action or schedules an office appointment.
EVisits can be paid for on a “cash” basis aka self pay or if the insurance carrier is an Office Ally payer who covers EVisits, then the carrier pays. As a provider, you set the fee for your services and Office Ally will collect the fee from the patient via credit card or electronic check. Funds are remitted to the provider in no more than 45 days maximum if not sooner.
The fees for the visits are nominal and if you work with TransEngen, the fee goes from $1 for the visit to $.50 and with the second option funds are deposited directly to the provider’s bank account at the time of processing. 
The patient pays when they receive a reply from the provider.
If you need to more information on how to set set up to take credit cards you can read more at the blog-link below and there’s additional information at the website along with a form to apply or give us a call.
Office Ally Offers Merchant Services – Get Approved, Get a Card Reader and You Are Set
From Practice Mate you can set up templates to be used for your responses as a provider. Be sure you have selected “allow Evisit” so the tab will appear when you manage the office. 
Here’s how it works, the patient will request an EVisit via Patient Ally with the link on the site and select a provider and select “Start Interview”. The next is pretty common to what is seen 
on the web today with accepting the terms of agreement for the patient.
A reason for the visit is the next area to where the patient can select from a drop down list or type in a complaint.
The patient interview is an algorithm used by the Mayo Clinic and many other medical records programs with asking a series of questions, and some free text can be added by the patient to further explain their issues or questions.
A sample question might be something along this line: How long have you experienced this back pain with a series of time
elements to check or they can skip the question all together. Before hitting the send button the patient will get to review their questions and answers.
The provider receives an email to notify of the pending request. To view and access the EVisit go to the Patient Portal , log in and click on view to see and respond to the message.
The message is in a format familiar to any provider with the Chief Complaint at the top and other additional items below with the patient answers in bold text.
Just like a face to face visit, the ICD9 code will need to be entered and again as mentioned above providers can customize their templates for use. Once the provider enters the information, they hit send to respond to the patient. The patient must pay the established fee or co-pay if their insured covers the visit. There’s an option to check “complete electronic visit” which will disallow the patient from sending a response back. The visit can also be closed to save it and send at a later time or allow the patient to respond.
The next step is to return to Practice Mate to create a visit and a claim. The providers may not being doing this function themselves but rather may have a biller in the office taking care of the function since they are billing all the face to face visits. If you are using a billing service you can print a copy of the visit.
The EVisit link will appear next to the patient name in Practice Mate. The place of service code is 99 and the CPT Code is 99444 and the fee for the visit needs to be inserted. If this is a patient regularly seen in the office, a template may already be in place for billing codes.
If the patient is covered by Blue Shield in California, the visit and claim will be created automatically. If errors are received it’s an indication of missing information so go back and correct and omissions.
If you are using software other than Practice Mate, you will then need to enter the visit into your billing program.
As you can see it may make sense to think about using Practice Mate since all our software modules work together, but it is by no means a requirement. So take a few minutes and sign up today and get paid for your time online and patients like it too.
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What Is Covered in Medicare 2011–Changes and New Benefits
If you have not seen the recent news, Office Ally is now certified for our 24/7 electronic medical records system. 24/7 users will be able to demonstrate meaningful use. This is going to be very important in the upcoming years for sure.
Today we thought we would feature some information from one of the blogs we like to read.
“Manage My Practice” published some information about changes that will be coming next year. You can find the link to Pat Whaley’s blog under our links section too.
We will include a few of the highlights from her update and for more information you can visit here blog entry and you might find a lot of other useful information there too. One other bit of good news for Family Practice physicians is the 99213 code compensation will be going up too and if you work in a family practice you are probably more than well aware that this probably covers about 70-85% of the coding for patient visits.
One of the big changes and benefits has to do with the allowance of an Annual Wellness Visit that includes a thorough review of your health at no charge. This is the gateway to getting started and when you read through the listing of other services, it makes sense as other 
screenings, such as mammograms and diabetes screenings are included for those who are considered “high risk”.
One other item to keep in mind is thinking about starting a PHR (personal health record) as a patient or recommending one to your patients if you are a physician and Office Ally can help with Patient Ally, our “FREE” personal health record.
You can visit the Patient Ally Website and find out more information and get started.
You can find the full article at Pat Whaley’s website
Medicare Benefits Beginning January 1, 2011
- Medicare covers a one-time preventive physical exam within the first twelve months of
having Part B. The exam will include a thorough review of health, education and counseling about the preventive services covered by Medicare and referrals for other care if needed. No Part B deductible and effective January 1, 2011 you pay nothing if the doctor accepts assignment.
- Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening – People at risk for abdominal aortic aneurysms may get a referral for a one-time screening ultrasound at their “Welcome to Medicare” physical exam. Effective January 1, 2011 no deductible and no copayment.
- New Annual Wellness Visit – Effective January 1, 2011 Medicare will cover an Annual Wellness Visit that includes a thorough review of health, education and counseling about the preventive services covered by Medicare and referrals for other care if you need it. It is available every 12 months (after first 12 months of Part B coverage) but not within 12 months of receiving either a “Welcome to Medicare” physical exam or another Annual Wellness Visit. No Part B deductible – Medicare pays 100% of the approved amount.
- Cardiovascular Screening Blood Tests - Medicare covers cardiovascular screening tests that check cholesterol and other blood fat (lipid) levels every 5 years. Includes:
- Total Cholesterol Test
- Cholesterol Test for High Density Lipoproteins; and
- Triglycerides Test
- No Part B deductible – Medicare pays 100% of approved amount.
- Diabetes Screening Tests - Anyone enrolled in Medicare identified as “high risk” for diabetes will be able to receive screening tests to detect diabetes early. Covers up to two screenings each year. Includes:
- Fasting plasma glucose test
- Post-glucose challenge test
- No Part B deductible – Medicare pays 100% of approved amount
- Glaucoma Screening – Must be done or supervised by an eye doctor (optometrist or ophthalmologist). Covered annually for:
- Those with diabetes
- Those with a family history of glaucoma
- African-Americans age 50 and older
- Hispanic-Americans age 65 and older
- Other high risk individuals
- Medicare pays 80% of the approved amount after you meet the yearly Part B deductible.
- Bone Mass Measurement - For those enrolled in Medicare at high risk for losing bone mass. Effective January 1, 2011 no Part B deductible – Medicare pays 100% of approved amount.
- Screening Mammography (including new digital technologies) – For women age 40 and older enrolled in Medicare:
- Covered annually
- No Part B deductible – Medicare pays 100% of approved amount beginning January 1, 2011.
- Screening Pap Test & Pelvic Examination (Includes clinical breast examination) – For all women enrolled in Medicare:
- Covered once every two years for most
- Covered annually for women at high risk
- No Part B deductible – Medicare pays 100% of approved amount for Pap test and effective January 1, 2011 pays 100% of approved amount for pelvic and breast exam.
- Colorectal Cancer Screening – For all those enrolled in Medicare age 50 and older:
- Fecal-Occult blood test covered annually – No Part B deductible & Medicare pays 100% of approved amount. No Part B deductible and copayment for Doctor’s office visit starting January 1, 2011.
- Flexible sigmoidoscopy once every four years or 10 years after a previous screening colonoscopy– No Part B deductible or copayment starting January 1, 2011.
- Barium enema can be substituted for sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy – No Part B deductible – Medicare pays 80% of the approved amount. You will pay a higher coinsurance if the test is done in a hospital outpatient department.
- Colonoscopy for any age enrolled in Medicare
- Average risk – Once every ten years, but not within four years after a screening flexible sigmoidoscopy
- High-risk – Once every two years
- No Part B deductible and effective January 1, 2011 Medicare pays 100%.
- Prostate Cancer Screening Tests -For all men enrolled in Medicare age 50 and older:
- Covered annually
- Digital rectal exam – Medicare pays 80% of the approved amount after the deductible
- Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test
- No Part B deductible – Medicare pays 100% of approved amount.
- Diabetes Monitoring and Education – Covers Type I and Type II diabetics enrolled in Medicare who must monitor blood sugar (Not paid for those in a nursing home) Covered services:
- Glucose-monitoring devices, lancets & strips
- Education & training to help control diabetes
- Foot care once every 6 months for those with peripheral neuropathy
- Medicare pays 80% of the approved amount after you meet the yearly Part B deductible.
- Medical Nutritional Therapy – Covered for those with diabetes or kidney disease. Includes diagnosis of special nutrition needs, therapy and counseling services to help you manage your disease. Medicare pays 80% of the approved amount after you meet the yearly Part B deductible.
- Smoking Cessation Services – Medicare will cover up to 8 counseling sessions per year for individuals who have an illness caused or complicated by tobacco use or you take medication affected by tobacco use. Medicare pays 80% of the approved amount after you meet the yearly Part B deductible.
- Flu Vaccination Annually (Medicare pays once per season. You do not have to wait 365 days since your last one.) No Part B deductible – you pay nothing if your doctor accepts assignment. My post on billing for the flu shot is here.
- H1N1 Flu Vaccine Medicare covers the administration of the H1N1 flu shot. You cannot be charged for the vaccine. No Part B deductible or co-insurance.
- Pneumococcal Pneumonia Vaccination- Once per lifetime for all enrolled in Medicare. (A doctor may order additional ones for those with certain health problems.) No Part B deductible – Medicare pays 100% of approved amount.
- Hepatitis B Shots – Covered for those who are at medium or high risk. Effective January 1, 2011, there will be no Part B deductible and Medicare pays 100%.
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Office Ally Achieves ONC-ATCB Certification To Support Meaningful Use for Providers
Office Ally is now certified for our 24/7 electronic medical records system. 24/7 and 
users will be able to demonstrate meaningful use. Office Ally 24/7 EHR Version 3.6.0 was certified by CCHIT.
You can link here to read all the details listed at the CCHIT website.
2011/2012 certification conferred by CCHIT (Certification Commission for Health Information Technology) does not represent an endorsement of the certified EHR technology by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services nor does it guarantee the receipt of incentive payments.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 provides millions of dollars under 
the HITECH Act section that promotes the adoption of Electronic Health Record (EHR) technology. Starting in 2011, eligible professionals can qualify for federal government stimulus funds by demonstrating “meaningful use” of certified EHR technology.
From the Press Release below:
“We believe certification from CCHIT provides physicians even greater assurance that our EHR product will meet and exceed their complex needs in a trusted and secure manner,” said Brian O’Neill, Office Ally president and CEO. “Since first bringing our EHR system to the market in 2007, it has repeatedly shown to compete favorably with the more expensive EHR systems currently available. What’s more, physicians can have access to our sophisticated and certified system at no cost at all.”
Certification details are as follows: Date Certified: 11/17/2010. Product Version: 3.6.0. Certification ID: CC-1112-490300-1. Clinical Quality Measures Certified: NQF 0421, NQF 0013, NQF 0028, NQF 0041, NQF 0024, NQF 0038, NQF 0088, NQF 0034, and NQF 0032. Self Attested Additional Software Used in Testing: Patient Ally (Patient Portal) – 170.304(g); NCPDC Script – 170.304(b); Chikat .NET Encryption Component – 170.302(s).”
The full press release can be read here, and additional information can be found at the Office Ally website.
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