User login
A practical toolkit and policy statement to help pediatricians build a system to bill for telephone care in their practices are now available from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Dr. Peter Dehnel discussed practical considerations for implementing a telephone care billing system at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“The most important reason [to bill for telephone care] is so that we in primary care, as well as all pediatrics, can provide a higher quality of service for our families in a way that's more timely and effective and efficient to them,” said Dr. Dehnel, medical director of the Children's Physician Network's Nurse Triage Program in Minneapolis.
The toolkit, available from the Member Center at the academy's Web site, www.aap.org
Pediatricians also are encouraged to review the policy statement on telephone care published in the October issue of Pediatrics (Pediatrics 2006;118:1768–73). The statement, written by members of the AAP's Section on Telephone Care and the Committee on Child Health Financing, discusses the function of telephone care and the current state of billing for phone care and gives practical recommendations for instituting a billing system.
Dr. Dehnel recommended that practices adopt a consensus or majority vote and not allow one naysayer to sway the office against adopting a telephone care billing system.
After the decision is made to initiate billing, Dr. Dehnel suggests that one physician and one administrator in each practice should act as the local telephone care experts, which can help the practices adopt a smooth-running telephone care system.
Finally, it is important for pediatricians to adequately prepare families for the change in billing by notifying them of the new policy, what calls will be included, and how the insurance process will work. “It is extremely important to use more than one means to notify your families,” Dr. Dehnel said. He suggested using office posters, an article in the office newsletter, and certainly mailings as ways to inform families about the change.
A practical toolkit and policy statement to help pediatricians build a system to bill for telephone care in their practices are now available from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Dr. Peter Dehnel discussed practical considerations for implementing a telephone care billing system at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“The most important reason [to bill for telephone care] is so that we in primary care, as well as all pediatrics, can provide a higher quality of service for our families in a way that's more timely and effective and efficient to them,” said Dr. Dehnel, medical director of the Children's Physician Network's Nurse Triage Program in Minneapolis.
The toolkit, available from the Member Center at the academy's Web site, www.aap.org
Pediatricians also are encouraged to review the policy statement on telephone care published in the October issue of Pediatrics (Pediatrics 2006;118:1768–73). The statement, written by members of the AAP's Section on Telephone Care and the Committee on Child Health Financing, discusses the function of telephone care and the current state of billing for phone care and gives practical recommendations for instituting a billing system.
Dr. Dehnel recommended that practices adopt a consensus or majority vote and not allow one naysayer to sway the office against adopting a telephone care billing system.
After the decision is made to initiate billing, Dr. Dehnel suggests that one physician and one administrator in each practice should act as the local telephone care experts, which can help the practices adopt a smooth-running telephone care system.
Finally, it is important for pediatricians to adequately prepare families for the change in billing by notifying them of the new policy, what calls will be included, and how the insurance process will work. “It is extremely important to use more than one means to notify your families,” Dr. Dehnel said. He suggested using office posters, an article in the office newsletter, and certainly mailings as ways to inform families about the change.
A practical toolkit and policy statement to help pediatricians build a system to bill for telephone care in their practices are now available from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Dr. Peter Dehnel discussed practical considerations for implementing a telephone care billing system at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“The most important reason [to bill for telephone care] is so that we in primary care, as well as all pediatrics, can provide a higher quality of service for our families in a way that's more timely and effective and efficient to them,” said Dr. Dehnel, medical director of the Children's Physician Network's Nurse Triage Program in Minneapolis.
The toolkit, available from the Member Center at the academy's Web site, www.aap.org
Pediatricians also are encouraged to review the policy statement on telephone care published in the October issue of Pediatrics (Pediatrics 2006;118:1768–73). The statement, written by members of the AAP's Section on Telephone Care and the Committee on Child Health Financing, discusses the function of telephone care and the current state of billing for phone care and gives practical recommendations for instituting a billing system.
Dr. Dehnel recommended that practices adopt a consensus or majority vote and not allow one naysayer to sway the office against adopting a telephone care billing system.
After the decision is made to initiate billing, Dr. Dehnel suggests that one physician and one administrator in each practice should act as the local telephone care experts, which can help the practices adopt a smooth-running telephone care system.
Finally, it is important for pediatricians to adequately prepare families for the change in billing by notifying them of the new policy, what calls will be included, and how the insurance process will work. “It is extremely important to use more than one means to notify your families,” Dr. Dehnel said. He suggested using office posters, an article in the office newsletter, and certainly mailings as ways to inform families about the change.