Apr 22, 2009 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
As out-of-pocket costs for health care rise, consumers are motivated to manage their own care and insurers are providing them tools to make the job easier. The latest innovation, which is available exclusively to WellPoint and North Carolina Blues plan members, is a consumer rating system from Zagat that helps people shop for doctors.
This interesting new development was recently the subject of a detailed intelligence briefing in April 6, 2009 issue of The Dark Report. The Zagat Health Survey is designed to be both doctor friendly and easy for patients to use. It does not address physician quality. Rather, it offers a snapshot of individual physicians-based on criteria that impact the consumer experience. Clinical laboratory managers and pathologists will eventually need to respond to this trend. That’s because, as it becomes more common for consumers to rate providers, health plans will begin asking their beneficiaries to rate the service they received from medical laboratory test providers.
Patients are asked to rate a physician on four criteria, using a scale of 0 to 3, with 3 being excellent. Zagat then averages consumer scores for a physician and multiplies by 10 to create the familiar Zagat 0-30 number ratings. Reviewers are also asked if they would recommend the doctor to other plan members.
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Mar 31, 2009 | Coding, Billing, and Collections, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations
Essential action area for clinical laboratory management and pathology management
With the American economy in a tailspin, payers and patients want to delay or avoid payment for laboratory testing services. That is not good news for clinical labs and pathology groups. It means their billing and collection departments must perform at an even more productive level just to stay even!
At the same time, during poor economic times, “cash is King!” Clinical laboratories and pathology groups can protect cash flow and increase their revenues by boosting the effectiveness of their billing/collection efforts. This is a proven management strategy. In response to the glum economic news of recent months, proactive clinical lab directors and pathologists have begun devoting more attention and resources to their laboratory’s billing and collection department.
A variety of experts in laboratory coding, billing and collections have been tapped to share their expertise at the upcoming 14th Annual Executive War College on Laboratory and Pathology Management . It takes place on April 28-29, 2009 at the Sheraton Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana. These experts can help you take your lab’s coding/billing/collection performance to the next highest level. That means more cash flow and increased revenue just when it is most needed by your laboratory.
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