CONSULTANT ARTICLES
How to Make Money with Massage
According to a recent survey, massage therapy is the most frequently integrated service in chiropractic practices. But how do you integrate massage therapy profitably? In this article I will cover how to best hire and pay massage therapists. I’ll review cash and...
How to Avoid a Ransomware Attack
Under HIPAA, the patient must have access to their records in a timely manner. A drawback in the increased use of Electronic Health Records (EHR) is that cybercriminals may hack into a patient's records or malware may infiltrate your system, impeding access to the...
When Should Re-Examinations Be Performed?
Question: Dr Kotlar, “I’m not sure when a re-examination should be performed. I’ve heard that re-exams should be done every 30 days. On some patients, I do not do re-exams at all. Some health plans deny my re-exams because they only pay for one exam per year and...
How to Avoid Practice Burnout
One of the more challenging aspects of owning your own business is that the proverbial buck stops with you. This entrepreneurial aspect of owning a practice frustrates many chiropractors. Being the owner of your practice requires you to exercise your skills in...
The 10 Most Common EHR Documentation Errors
Medicare recently released three clarifications on documentation requirements. Documentation is not only critical for proper reimbursement, but is also necessary for risk management and continuity of care. Even the cash patient must have proper documentation to...
Don’t Fear the FROF
Sometimes, new patients show up wanting to establish a relationship for maintenance care or to have a doctor in place to help them with any future problems. But most of the time, a new patient comes to your office because they’re in pain. And, temporarily, this crisis...
CMS Clarifies Medical Necessity Requirements
On December 23, 2015, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a new instructional video describing their policies and procedures for establishing medical necessity of chiropractic care.1 The video was released on the heels of a new study released...
Billing & Coding for Wellness Services
Question: Dr Kotlar, “Do insurance companies pay for wellness services?" Answer: Yes, some carriers pay for wellness exams, preventive medicine services and maintenance care. Here are a few examples: 1. Preventive Medicine Exam - New Patient: Initial comprehensive...
Speed, Communication and Relationships
Speed, Communication and Relationships The new economy driving the healthcare marketplace today is forcing chiropractors to transform the way that they do business on many levels. There is no question that times have changed. Many doctors who were once successful are...
Are Your Medicare Notes Functional?
Many are seeing increased denials of care for medical necessity in Medicare. A closer look at the reasons for the denials reveals a change in Medicare’s interpretation of medical necessity and progress in care. The evolution of their interpretation actually compliment...
That’s Just “Sick”
At one point, the idea of chiropractic diagnosis was somewhat controversial. In fact, it’s said that, when pressed for a diagnosis, BJ Palmer himself would only describe a patient as “sick.” But BJ Palmer didn’t have to submit claims to Medicare or other third-party...
Provider Risk in ICD-10
On July 7, 2015, the acting administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Andrew M. Slavitt, sent out a notice to all providers that CMS would be lenient in processing of the claim forms as long as provider’s codes are in the correct family...
▶︎ 
Why is the Discount Challenge prize amount $15,024? Because that is the average “per-occurrence” fine for Medicare inducements. That’s not $15,024 per patient, that’s not per provider, that’s PER VISIT. Stinks, doesn’t it? To us, the prize amount is worth the investment if we can help our profession better understand proper discounting.