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Erez Lirov

Sorting It Out

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Sorting It OutiStock_000015493750XSmall

by Erez Lirov

Credit cards can create a variety of compliance issues for practices

What are Shannon’s next steps to sort out her credit card system?

“Mike!” Shannon checked everything in the physical therapy facility with a practiced eye as she walked across the carpeted floor. She loved to see everyone busy and engaged, and things were going well at the moment. She had a word with the receptionist and steered her husband out the door.

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“I was hoping you’d have time to come for a walk,” Mike said. “I needed to get away from the restaurant for a bit.”

“Problems?” Shannon’s voice was concerned.

“No, just a need for a change of scenery, a breath of air.” Mike took his wife’s hand. “It looks as though things are going well at your place, too.”

“Definitely,” Shannon agreed. “I know it won’t last –”

Mike laughed. With two small businesses in the family, there were bound to be plenty of problems to discuss.

“Seriously,” Shannon continued, “I want your advice about something. It’s not really a problem, but I think I could cut costs if I made some changes with the credit cards.”

“Now you’re talking!” Mike threw his arms wide. “I can’t believe you guys post everything manually!”

“I never really thought about it before,” said Shannon, “but today I was watching and it just seems so complicated. We take cash, checks, credit cards, and debit cards for deductibles, balances, all the things we sell at the counter… And we take the information over the phone or copy it off the card. Tana took the info via text today.”

“I’d have thought that might be a HIPAA issue,” Mike said with one eyebrow raised.

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“I think it might be all kinds of an issue,” Shannon confirmed. “Plus, since we have so many different things going on, I can really see how there could be errors. Theresa said she wasn’t sure we always know when a card is declined, or if we always follow up on those cases to get alternate forms of payment, and I can believe it. It seems like practically everyone in the place took a payment at some point this morning. I don’t see how we could keep track of everything.”

“At the restaurant, the server picks up the card at the end of the meal. One type of transaction, and we know exactly who did it and when. It doesn’t sound like that’s true for you.”

“Exactly. I wonder, too, whether there isn’t a bit of psychological barrier in having to pull out that credit card.” Shannon checked her watch. “I’d better get back to work. Thanks for listening.”

“I’m happy to listen,” Mike said, turning back. “What’s your next step? I could hook you up with the company that supplied our credit card terminal.”

“I don’t know whether that’s what we need or not,” Shannon said. “Do you think we have to have something different  to be HIPAA compliant?”

“I don’t think I can answer that question,” Mike said. “Time for me to get back to my own credit card machine.”

What are Shannon’s next steps to sort out her credit card system?

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Erez Lirov

A Missing Piece

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A Missing Piece Fortis is integrated into bestPTbilling software.

by Erez Lirov

In the budget of a busy practice, credit card fees can add up.

Could Shannon handle credit cards better in her physical therapy practice?

Getting the family out the door in the morning was always a challenge for Mike and Shannon, but they felt like they had a great system. Each child had a hook for a jacket and a cubby for shoes at the door. Homework went in the cubby, too, and lunches were packed and lined up on the counter. The kids knew they had to stand touching the car door till Mom or Dad arrived to unlock it, and then they scrambled into their seats and waited patiently to be strapped in with seat belts before taking off. It was noisy and it sometimes felt chaotic, but things always went pretty smoothly and everybody got where they were supposed to go.

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Once Shannon dropped off their youngest at daycare, she headed on into the office, thinking about that system. She knew that Mike would get the older kids to school on time before he went to the restaurant. Sometimes his schedule was different so they divided things up differently, but it always felt like good teamwork, and she loved that feeling.

Things had been going more smoothly at work, too. Shannon thought back to her conversation with Mike that morning as they both got ready for work. “It seems like you’ve got your team back together,” he had said, and that was just how it felt.

With that issue off her plate, Shannon could think about some of the other matters that had been on the back burner for a while. She knew the facility needed updating, for example, but that was going to need funds, so Shannon was looking at her expenses closely to see where she could cut costs and free up some cash.

It wouldn’t take much, she thought as she parked and walked into the building. There were bound to be areas where she could streamline things a little bit and achieve some savings.

She asked Theresa’s opinion as soon as she got inside, and Theresa immediately had an answer. “Credit cards.”

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Shannon was surprised. She had been thinking the free coffee in the staff room might be an avoidable expense, or that marketing costs could be cut. “What do you mean?”

“I think the fees are higher than they should they be,” Theresa said. “I know it’s a basic cost of doing business, but maybe we could shop around and see if there’s a cheaper alternative.”

Shannon nodded. They really hadn’t compared prices; when she first set up the practice, she had basically just asked the guy who installed their telephones for a recommendation, and they hadn’t revisited the question since.

“Plus, since we post all the payments manually, there’s a possibility for error. We’re all careful, of course, but I can’t swear that we catch every time when a card is declined, for example. Sometimes the person who takes the information is not the same person who posts the payment, and some are sort of automatic.”

“Sort of automatic?” Shannon hadn’t realized things were so shaky in this area.

“Well, we have clients who have set up an automatic bank draft or we have all their information in the system already, and some who are new…” Theresa’s voice trailed off. “I guess there are a lot of variables in the way we take payments.”

It was a lot like the way they got their family out the door in the morning, Shannon thought, but in this case every little extra bit of chaos could mean extra costs, not just extra noise.

“This might be the last piece of the puzzle,” Shannon said. “Or at least the next one. It sounds like a real opportunity for improvement.”

“And we could finally get some new paint in here?” Theresa joked.

Shannon smiled. “The first few hundred we save goes straight into the redecorating fund,” she promised.

Could Shannon handle credit cards better in her physical therapy practice?

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Stop Your Staff From Fighting | bestPT Webinar | Q&A

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PQRS Q&A

Does your office staff argue about who is responsible for completing tasks generated by your patient visits?

How do you assign those tasks to your staff?

How can you see if the tasks have been completed?

Can you track those tasks automatically?

Do you micro-manage your staff?

How can you foster staff teamwork, promote staff autonomy and reduce the time you spend on staff management?

These are questions that each physical therapy practice owner has to answer. Each patient visit generates a list of tasks that need to be completed. Each patient needs an account set-up with their complete demographic information, their insurance information and other details you need to file insurance claims and to collect cash or co-payments.

If you break those tasks into a step-by-step list, then how do you assign those tasks to a member of your staff? How do you determine if every task has been completed for every patient? What happens if steps are forgotten? How will your patients judge your mental health practice if your staff forgets something? Would your patients think your office is unorganized?

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Q: What’s the problem?

A: Office staff including the front desk, the office manager and any employee physical therapists are supposed to make life easier for the practice owner. However they often inadvertently create additional challenges regarding patient retention, revenue and compliance. Many of these challenges are related to issues that the practice owner simply doesn’t have time for. If your staff goes on vacation or calls in sick then a backlog of tasks is created, resulting in tasks being forgotten about and mistakes being made. Every member of your staff needs to be managed and be held accountable to ensure that each task is completed correctly.

Q: Why is this problem important:

A: The short answer is Cost, Compliance and Patient Attrition.

  • Cost – Front office tasks prevent the practice owner from seeing patients, which is the only billable time for your practice. Mishandling of billing and collections results in lost revenue with denied claims and delayed payments. Ineffective patient relationship management leads to attrition.
  • Compliance – Includes incomplete/incorrect documentation, interrupted care plans, incorrect CPT/Diagnosis codes, staff unfamiliarity with procedures and staff failure to collect copays leads to overpayment by the Payers.
  • Patient Attrition – Failure by staff to follow-up on no shows, incomplete care plans and patients with no future appointments.

Q: Why is this problem difficult to solve?

A: There’s high front office staff turnover which could be due to poor training, lack of knowledge and unorganized micro-management. Some staff have a poor attitude towards training on new procedures and systems and they’re more comfortable with the old way of doing things. There’s also a lack of redundancy leaving tasks undone when somebody is absent and the ultimate responsibility falls to the practice owner.

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Q: What’s bestPT’s approach or solution?

A: A complete practice management solution for your office.

  • Improve staff teamwork with effective training to ensure optimal practice performance.
  • Improve teamwork and staff autonomy with automatic checklists of tasks that need to be completed when patients are checked-in.
  • Track practice goals to more easily improve the number of patient visits, increase revenue, submit every insurance claim, follow-up with every no show and schedule patients with no future appointments.
  • Manage staff remotely on your laptop or your smart phone by tracking task completion.
  • bestPT is a complete practice management solution that includes:
    • office workflow
    • patient relationship management
    • staff management
    • while also incorporating everything else you need like:
      • scheduling
      • billing
      • EHR
      • claim scrubbing
      • claim submission
      • claim follow-up
      • staff task checklists
      • training, etc.
    • bestPT also includes a Coach to ensure your practice uses everything in the most efficient way possible.

    Enjoy this office workflow webinar?

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Weighty Issues

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physical therapy documentation | ICD-10 preparationWeighty Issues

The changeover to ICD-10 presents a number of burdens

Are the clinicians in Shannon’s practice ready for the new documentation requirements that go with ICD-10?

Mike strolled into the physical therapy practice. It always made him feel energized just to walk in — the bright colors and happy faces gave the room a sense of energy, and even when it was quiet, he felt as though upbeat music might start at any moment.

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Not today. Mike saw his wife talking with Tana, one of the trainers, and stopped in his tracks.

Tana’s arms were crossed. Her head was pointed down and her lips were tight. She was balanced on both feet but leaning back; Tom felt that she looked ready to protect herself.

Shannon seemed calm, but somehow the more Tana leaned back, the more Shannon seemed to move in. Shannon was gesturing, but it didn’t look as though she was angry.

“Hey!” Mike called out cheerfully. Maybe I can break the spell, he thought.

“Hi, honey. Have you met Tana? My husband, Mike.”

Tana shook hands and smiled, but she still seemed troubled to Mike.

“Nice to meet you, Mike. And Shannon — thanks for letting me know.”

“Sure thing,” said Shannon. “Don’t worry, okay? We’ll work it out!”

Mike thought that Shannon’s usual cheerfulness seemed a little strained, too. He walked with her to her office in silence.

“So? Anything you want to talk about?”

Shannon sighed. “Were you coming to take me to lunch, by any chance?”

“I was coming to let you know that I’ve caught an extra shift tonight; Saul’s getting married tomorrow, so for some reason he wants the evening off. I’m going to cover for him at the dinner service and I probably won’t be home till late. If you’ve got the time, I’d be happy to keep you company over lunch.”

“I’m going to make the time,” Shannon said, shrugging into a jacket. She was silent again as they crossed the room, waving and smiling as she went, and her smile disappeared once they left the building.

“So what’s up?” Mike asked, putting an arm around his wife as they strolled down the street, heading for a favorite sandwich shop.

“Do you remember the day I came home and told you how everybody had gotten so upset at the meeting about the new software?”

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“I do. I remember you felt blindsided.”

“I sure did. And my talk with Tana was like that, too.” Shannon turned into the shop and joined the line of hungry customers. “You know we’re working on making some big changes with the insurance reporting codes.”

“ICD-10 versus ICD-9. It’s engraved on my heart,” Mike joked.

“I know what you mean!” Shannon laughed back. “Anyway, we’ve been working on getting our office systems up to speed for the change in October, and I’ve reached the point where I talk with the clinicians about their approaches to documentation.”

“I remember you said the changes in the codes would affect everything, not just the billing systems.” Mike reached the front of the line and ordered. Shannon grabbed a couple of bottles of water and they headed to a table.

“It’s going to be good in some ways,” she said, picking up the thread of their conversation again, “but it’s important for us to get it right. Just one small example — we have to specify which side of the body we’re working with now.”

“That doesn’t sound like something to be upset about.”

“I know! But somehow as we discussed how specific the new documentation needs to be, it seemed as though Tana felt like I was criticizing her. Worse than that, I thought she was going to cry.”

“Her body language looked very defensive,” Mike agreed. “You don’t have any idea where that’s coming from?”

Shannon shook her head.

“Maybe,” Mike said, raising one eyebrow, “there’s a childhood trauma involved.”

Shannon rolled her eyes. “I don’t know, but I know that we all have to get on board with the new requirements for documentation, or we’re going to be doing a lot of work for free.”

Are the clinicians in Shannon’s practice ready for the new documentation requirements that go with ICD-10?

Want to know how to prepare your practice for ICD-10 coding?

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Physical Therapy Billing Compliance | How to audit-proof your practice

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physical therapy billing compliance audit-proof your practiceThat was definitely NOT money well spent. Shannon felt red-hot anger building up inside her like boiling lava in a volcano right before its eruption. She still had a hard time accepting that Blue Insurance fined her $30,000 for failing the audit and made her refund the payments she had received for all failed claims. She promised herself that she would do whatever it takes to reduce her audit risk from now on.

“Given the volume of claims, an automated monitoring system may be the only practical way to detect suspicious conduct or potential flagging for audit,” Shannon read out loud from the book Medical Billing Networks and Processes. That made perfect sense to her. She had been racking her brain for ways to implement her friend Ariana’s advice of tracking the notorious red flags for insurance companies: unsigned notes, unbilled visits, missed re-exams, and denied claims. An automated monitoring system sounded like a life saver to her.

“Does your physical therapy software help you stay compliant?” Shannon asked Ariana. Ariana was a successful PT who had been through several audits, but always seemed to emerge unscathed.

“Absolutely,” Ariana said. “There are just not enough hours in the day to help my patients and track all potential compliance issues manually.”

“But how exactly does it help you?” Shannon said. “I wonder what kind of system would be the right choice for me since I’m not exactly a tech whiz.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Ariana responded. “Just find a system that is based on a workflow engine with multiple features. You should be able to build it around your workflow, not the other way around. It’s supposed to make your life easier, not more complicated.”

Shannon pondered that for a moment. Easier would definitely be better. But the most important part was staying compliant. “Could it also cut down my error rate?” Shannon asked.

“Yes, look for physical therapy software that has automated alerts and built-in claims scrubbing,” Ariana said. “That way you can fix any mistakes before you submit a claim to the insurance company.”

“So you are saying that the software alerts you of compliance issues and helps you manage your entire practice workflow,” Shannon said in stunned disbelief.

“It sure does,” Ariana said and smiled. “I use the software to assign tasks to my staff with tickets and complete my notes while I’m still with my patients. This makes my life so much easier and saves me so much time. My favorite thing is the Radar on the homepage, which gives me a quick overview of my practice stats so I know what is going on in all areas at all times.”

How would you advise Shannon?
Is there a way to audit-proof her practice?

bestPT

Physical Therapy Billing Compliance | Can you reduce your audit risk?

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physical therapy billing compliance managmentShannon could have thought of better ways to spend those $30,000 with her husband, Mike, and their two small daughters, Heather and Laurie. Like taking that vacation to Europe as they had always wanted. Or buying a new family car so Mike would not have to drive the old, rusty van anymore.

It seemed like failing that audit last month caused a wound that just would not heal. After paying her fine, she also had to return the money she had already received for her failed claims, pushing her further down the proverbial rabbit hole. Unsure what the future would bring for her physical therapy practice, she held on to the hope that she could emerge from this audit nightmare with a better way to stay compliant. She just did not know yet how to go about it.

“Have you been worried about compliance since you got audited last year?” Shannon asked her friend Ariana, whose physical therapy practice was thriving after last year’s brush with disaster. “I am trying to figure out how I can improve my compliance so that I can avoid another failed audit.”

Ariana smiled and said:”Yes, of course, but I have learned that we really can’t avoid an audit. So I decided to cut down my error rate to reduce my audit risk. PTs can absolutely not afford to have any unsigned notes, unbilled visits, missed re-exams, or denied claims as number one rule. So you have to find a way to track these meticulously.”

“Ok, but it seems impossible to even remember all the different insurance protocols for each patient,” countered Shannon. “It is so confusing to keep track of all the requirements, and just when you think you get it, they change everything again.”

“That’s true,” Ariana admitted. “I also realized that many of those so-called compliance experts give advice that is really difficult to implement, not to mention that they all tell you something different.”

“So how can we get it right then?” Shannon asked. “I can’t gamble with the future of my practice and need a bulletproof process to stay compliant.”

How do you manage your: 
Unsigned notes
Unbilled visits
Missed re-exams
Claim errors

bestPT

Physical Therapy Billing Compliance | Can you afford to fail an audit?

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physical therapy billing compliance audit penaltiesWhen it rains, it pours. Just when Shannon thought it could not get any worse for her physical therapy practice after failing a recent audit, she received another letter from Blue Insurance. This time they wanted her to pay back the money she had already received for the claims that failed the audit in addition to paying a hefty penalty of $30,000.

“Maybe you should contact a compliance expert,” Mike said. “He might be able to help you navigate through this audit-aftermath without losing your practice.”

Shannon was trying to fight back the tears as she responded: “I guess it’s worth a shot.” She was not sure anyone could help her make it through this audit fiasko in one piece, but she had to at least try to save her dream of having her own physical therapy practice.

When she met the physical compliance expert, David, later that week, she did her best to stay composed as he prepared her for the worst case scenario.

“My biggest concern right now is that Blue Insurance will blacklist you,” David explained. “Because once they do, all the other insurance companies will come after you like a pack of wolves, and you will be dealing with even more audits.”

“I have a feeling that is not even the worst that can happen,” said Shannon.

“Unfortunately, it’s not,” David admitted. “You could also lose your license, not to mention the legal fees you would incur if they take you to court. In case you are convicted for fraud, you could also serve time.”

Shannon swallowed hard. She started thinking about her patients. What were the chances of her patients staying loyal throughout these fraud accusations? It’s not like they would understand how difficult the insurance companies made it for PTs to stay compliant. Would anyone believe that she really was not trying to cut corners?

“Is there any way to do damage control so that I don’t lose my patient base?” she asked as her voice quivered with fear. “I realize I probably won’t get any referrals until this is over. But I can’t afford losing my current patients, too.”

David sighed. He felt Shannon’s pain and wanted to reassure her. But he had to avoid giving her false hope. She had to be ready for an uphill battle, no matter how ugly it might get, if she wanted to prevail.

Have you ever been audited or do you know anyone who was audited?
What was the worst part about it?

Leave your comments below!

bestPT

Physical Therapy Billing Compliance | Can you avoid getting audited?

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physical therapy billing compliance_auditShannon just received a penalty letter after failing an audit of her physical therapy documentation a few weeks ago.

$30,000.

She shook her head in disbelief as she kept looking at the letter and said:”Where am I going get this kind of money?” Her husband, Mike, looked up from his morning newspaper and saw the dark circles under Shannon’s eyes as testament to her many sleepless nights this month. He wanted to comfort her, but didn’t even know where to begin. This fine only added to their already serious money problems since he lost his job last year. He could not even offer any helpful business advice in spite of his MBA. He felt helpless and powerless as he watched his wife crumble under this new burden.

It all started three weeks ago when Shannon received a notice from Blue Insurance to review the notes for claims that she was paid in 2012. Apparently some of her patients had received inaccurate information due to sloppy accounting and complained, which raised red flags with the insurance company. Next thing she knew, the auditor was knocking on her practice door to inspect all of her physical therapy documentation.

Mike suddenly had an idea:”Why don’t we meet your friend, Ariana, who had to go through an audit last year? Maybe she can give you some pointers on how to deal with this situation.”

Ariana owned a physical therapy practice in the same neighborhood and was happy to meet them for lunch. “I’m so sorry you have to go through this, too, Shannon,” she said compassionately. “Being audited and fined is no walk in the park, but don’t beat yourself up over it. I have learned that the insurance companies come after all PTs because they simply do not want to pay us. In fact, the fewer providers they have to deal with, the better. So they just try to blacklist as many of us as possible.”

Shannon was shocked and relieved at the same time: “What do you mean? Are you saying that anyone can get audited?”

“Pretty much,” Ariana responded. “For insurance companies the audit penalties are pure revenue and they want to grow it as much as possible. Add to that the notoriously high error rates by PTs and it’s a no-brainer for the insurance companies to go after each and every one of us.”

“So audits are pretty much a fact of life,” Mike said flatly. “I just wonder if there is any way Shannon can reduce her error rate so that we still have money for groceries and the electric bill after the next audit,” he added half-jokingly.

What do you think? Can you avoid getting audited,
or is there at least a way to reduce your error rate as PT?

Leave your comments below!

 

bestPT

Is your practice ready for a Medicare audit? | The Initial Evaluation

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PT compliance | Medicare auditIn this third in our series of Blogs asking the question “Is your practice ready for a Medicare audit?” we continue our discussion of the critical importance of the PT/OT Evaluation.

Medicare assigns significant weight to the patient information gathered and presented by the therapist during The Initial Evaluation. The initial evaluation records objective measurable data of the patient’s impairments to establish the baseline for assessing expected rehabilitation potential, setting realistic goals and measuring progress. Let’s explore the specifics of what they require as set forth in: LCD L26884

To support medical necessity, the evaluation should include the following items.

  • Presenting condition or complaint: “Why is the patient in your clinic today?”
    • Patients should exhibit a significant change from their “usual” physical or functional levels.
    • Provide an objective description of the changes in function that now necessitate skilled therapy.

NOTE: Simply stating “decline in function” does not adequately justify the initiation of therapy services.

  • Diagnosis and description of specific problem(s) to be evaluated:
    • Include area of the body, and conditions and complexities that could impact treatment.
  • Subjective complaints and date of onset: 
    • Accurately record this information.
  • Relevant medical history:
    • Applicable medical history, medications, comorbidities should be documented
  • Prior diagnostic imaging/testing results:
    • Accurately record this information
  • Prior therapy history for the same diagnosis, illness or injury:
    • Accurately record this information

NOTE: If the patient has recently had therapy, your documentation must clearly establish that additional therapy is reasonable and necessary at that time.

  • Social support/environment:
      • Does the patient live alone, with a caregiver, in a group home, etc.?
      • What level of support is available?
      • What level of independence is required for the patient to be safe in the home environment?
      • Does the home situation have obstacles that the patient must overcome (e.g., stairs without handrails)?
      • What are the patient’s usual responsibilities in the home environment?
  • Prior level of function:
    • Functional status just prior to the onset of the treating condition requiring therapy
    • Record in objective, measurable and functional terms

NOTE: This is a key piece of information used for establishing potential, prognosis and in setting realistic functional goals.

  • Functional testing:
    • Objectively measure and/or describe the patient’s current level of functioning. Examples, based on the patient’s need, may include:
        • mobility status (transfers, bed mobility, gait, etc);
        • self-care dependence (toileting, dressing, grooming, etc);
        • meaningful ADLs/IADLs;
        • pain, and how it limits function; and
        • functional balance.
  • Objective impairment testing:
    • Testing done to determine the source or cause of the functional limitation(s), such as ROM, manual muscle testing, coordination, tone assessment, balance etc.
    • Use concise, objective measurements.

NOTE: You should avoid minimal/moderate/severe types of descriptions when more specific definitions or measurements are available. For example, when measuring shoulder flexion AROM, document degrees of motion, rather than documenting, “Shoulder flexion: minimal loss of motion.”

  • Assessment:
    • Summary of the therapist’s analysis of the condition being evaluated based on the examination of the patient.

NOTE: Medical review decisions impacting audit outcomes are based on the information submitted in the medical record. The assessment of the patient is your opportunity to “make the case” for therapy. The clinical reasoning and judgment you employ in assessing treatment should be clearly recorded in this section.

  • Prognosis:
    • How likely is the patient to return to his/her prior level of function?
    • What is the maximum improvement expected, given the patient’s condition?

In our next Blog we will examine the Plan of Care.

Genco Healthcare helps practices achieve and maintain a culture of compliance. We also assist Healthcare Attorneys in defending their clients who have been audited or subject to pre-payment review. Consequently, we have our finger on the pulse of precisely what Medicare’s expectations are when it comes to medical documentation.

David Alben
Genco Healthcare
(914) 713-3606
David@Gencohealthcare.net

bestPT

Physical Therapy Software | Improve Patient Retention with Care Plans

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Physical Therapy software_ patient-treatment-plansAre you worried about paying next month’s bills because your patients don’t show up for their appointments? If your patients are noncompliant with your prescribed care plans, you cannot predict the cash flow at your physical therapy practice. What’s even worse is that your patients won’t get better.

Without consistent patient flow your practice cannot grow or be profitable. But unfinished care plans can also cause compliance issues and hurt your cash flow even further when you have to return payments. You can figure out just how much money your practice might be losing due to unfinished or unused care plans. Simply replace the assumptions below with your own practice numbers and complete the calculations.

For example:

Assumptions:

  • 1 visit = $89
  • 1 care plan = 10 visits
  • Average number of no-shows per care plan: 5

Calculations: Potential income and losses from unfinished care plans per patient:

  • Potential income from 1 care plan: 10 visits x $89 = $890
  • Potential loss from no-shows per care plan: 5 visits x $89 = $445

Conclusion: You risk losing half of your income when patients don’t finish their treatment plans!

Identifying patients who don’t understand  the need for multiple visits to achieve their health goals is easier said than done, however. You really need to know what the entire plan looks like in order to track multiple visits. For instance, you need to track any patient that goes through a traditional  treatment step-down ladder, such as four visits per week for the first four weeks, then three visits per week for the next three weeks, and so on. Such unique nuances on many patient schedules are difficult to track manually, and this difficulty grows dramatically with each added care plan. Not to mention, tracking the respective discounts given for each care plan is nearly impossible without a tool.

Thousands of care plans are created for new patients every month to schedule multiple appointments and then track all payments and visits with your bestPT EHR software. When patients don’t show up for their appointments you can receive automated alerts on your physical therapy software workbench. You can also receive alerts via tickets when patients don’t have a future appointment scheduled or when they cancel their existing appointments. That way you can assign your staff the task of scheduling the next appointment. Another useful tool for helping your patients stay on track with their care plans are appointment reminders sent via phone, text, or email. bestPT physical therapy software has integrated several apps which serve this purpose.

Physical Therapy Software_ CarePlan

To set up care plans when your patients come into your practice, simply go to bestPT’s Scheduler and click on the “More” tab to open the wizard. You can also create a full care plan from the patient account. Make sure you turn on the settings in your bestPT physical therapy software for Patient Relationship Management and Reminders.