Speaker:
Doug Wolfberg, National EMS attorney of Page, Wolfberg and Wirth

Overview:
Determining what to charge for ambulance transportation or other EMS services isn't always as easy - or as straightforward - as it may seem. There are a number of concerns - both business and legal - that must be considered. This webinar will address:

- Legal considerations in setting your charges;
- Considering your "fully loaded" costs in establishing your charges
- Facility discounts and compliance with the "antikickback" laws
- Advantages and disadvantages of "bundling" and "unbundling" your charges
- Choosing rates for bids and contracts
- Dealing with rate-regulated environments
- And more!

Target Audience:
Ambulance service executives, managers, and supervisors; billing managers and supervisors would all benefit from the program.

Presenter:
National EMS consultant, Maggie Adams, of Page, Wolfberg and Wirth, will present this webinar.

Overview:
As a result of the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, Medicare managed care is going to experience enormous growth, from the 10% of Medicare beneficiaries currently enrolled in managed care to the goal of 35% participation. Beginning in 2006, all senior citizens will have access to managed care (Medicare Advantage) plans offering them lower premiums, low or non-existent co-payments, plan choice, discounted prescription drugs, and enhanced benefits. The country will be divided into regions for managed care coverage. Insurers will be offering contracting opportunities. Emergency service rules may change. This session will outline the anticipated changes to insurance coverage for seniors, as well as discuss what ambulance providers need to know about contracting, filing claims, and the prompt payment requirements of managed care.

Target Audience:
Ambulance service executives, managers, and supervisors; billing managers and supervisors; compliance officers; field operational supervisors, and general billing staff members would all benefit from the program.

Presenter:
National EMS attorney Doug Wolfberg, of Page, Wolfberg and Wirth, will present this webinar.

Overview:
Whether you are dispatched by an outside agency or do your own dispatching, the information you capture - and document - can make or break the billing process. The quantity and quality of information that is gathered on the "front end" - call intake - can make the difference between prompt billing and effective cash flow, or delays and cash flow nightmares. This webinar session will address:

- Strategies for getting and documenting valuable patient information at the dispatch or call intake phase of your operations;

- Working with facilities to capture medical necessity information at the time of call intake;

- Understanding the importance of dispatch protocols and integrating them into the billing and compliance process;

- How to handle, from a billing perspective, "emergency" calls that come into the ambulance service directly

- And more!

Target Audience:
Ambulance service executives, managers, and supervisors; billing managers and supervisors; compliance officers; field operational supervisors, and general billing staff members; dispatch or communications center managers, and dispatch personnel would all benefit from the program.

Presenter:
National EMS attorney Steve Wirth, of Page, Wolfberg and Wirth, will present this webinar.

Overview:
This webinar will show EMS providers up-to-the-minute documentation strategies that will improve compliance, streamline the billing process, and strengthen your organization’s vital cash flow. Designed for use by both emergency and non-emergency ambulance and medical transportation organizations, this session will offer pointers to help make your field documentation more effective and “integrated” into the billing process.

Key topics include: Assessing and documenting medical necessity, obtaining required signatures — who can sign and when, patient destination and “closest appropriate facility” issues, use of physician certification statements, documentation techniques for emergency and non-emergency billing and more! The objectives for this webinar are the following:

- To understand the importance of integrating patient care documentation with the reimbursement process;

- To identify key considerations needed to ensure adequate documentation of medical necessity;

- To recognize key “risk areas” where documentation problems may pose billing compliance issues;

- To recognize examples of acceptable and unacceptable documentation in support of the level of service that is submitted for payment;

- Strategies for getting and documenting valuable patient information at the dispatch or call intake phase of your operations;

-Working with facilities to capture medical necessity information at the time of call intake;

- Understanding the importance of dispatch protocols and integrating them into the billing and compliance process;

- How to handle, from a billing perspective, "emergency" calls that come into the ambulance service directly

- And more!

Target Audience:
Ambulance service executives, managers, and supervisors; billing managers and supervisors; compliance officers; field operational supervisors, and general billing staff members would all benefit from the program.