| Newsletter |
| 14-Nov-12 |
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"Treatment Plan"
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Seminar
Dates:
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11-29-12 Pacific, WA - King Oscar Hotel, 8:30 am
to 12:30 pm
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11-29-12 Everett-Mukilteo, WA -Staybridge Suites,
6:00 to 10:00 pm
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12-1-12 Portland, OR - Holiday Inn, Airport, 8:30
am to 12:30 pm
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12-8-12 Orlando, FL - Clarion Inn & Suites,
8:30 am to 12:30 pm
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As we
review audit after audit reports, the "treatment plan" seems to be
high in failure rate by fellow Chiropractors. Without a treatment plan,
reimbursement can be a failure, especially after record requests by both
Medicare Carriers and Insurance Companies.
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"Treatment
Plan to Consider"
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Scenario: A new patient enters your office, his
age is 79, raking leaves and receives a sharp shooting low back pain upon
lifting a bag of leaves.
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The
patient completes all new patient forms and seated across from you for
consultation. He indicates he is basically healthy and hardly ever has back
pain. You have decided to accept this patient and proceed doing a case
history, examination, spinal x-rays (1-14x36 AP, 1-7x17 Lat. thoracic, 1 7x17
Lat. lumbar and 1-8x10 Lat. cervical) and perform a scan prior to the patient
reporting to your appointment area to set an appointment for a report of
findings in 2 hours or tomorrow. The patient pays for today's services and
leaves.
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To
prepare the report of findings, x-rays are developed and analyzed,
examinations reviewed, reports are completed and a treatment plan is
now produced. For this Medicare patient, we will have a dual treatment plan
developed.
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1. The Original
Treatment Plan, to see this patient 3 times a week for 3 weeks, 2 times a
week for 4 weeks and 1 time a week for 5 weeks and a re-evaluation in 90
days.
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2. The
Documentation Treatment Plan can also be used because this patient
experienced an exacerbation in which soft tissue in a predisposed old
arthritic subluxated joint was injured, torn, stretched, bleeding, etc. This
finding, supported by x-rays, is an exacerbation that when
"documented" correctly, is worth 1 to 6 visits as approved by
Administrative Law Judges.
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*You will most likely use the Documentation
Treatment Plan for 1 to 6 visits. However, our senior patients are the most
active patients in our practice. About their 5th visit, they have a new
exacerbation. You will again produce "Documentation" indicating 1
to 6 visits on the new treatment plan. This process continues with this
Medicare patient and many times the original treatment plan is never used.
This "Document" which is critical in Medicare, can be produced with
many software programs as we work our
way to becoming "paperless".
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