Healthcare News and Updates

The truth about the EMR incentives.

2009-06-11T08:36:00.015-05:00

Hello everyone!
Do you want clarification of the pertinent information included in the ARRA ---
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act?

Or simple information on how this relates to your medical practices?
Many of you want to know:
Has the bill actually been passed into law?
Who qualifies?
How do you qualify?
Which program do you qualify for?
What are the incentive amounts?
How and when do they pay out?

…And probably most importantly, when should you get started?

I’ll begin to answer those concerns and more through a new series of posts.
Let’s start with a series of questions and answers, first.
Why do we need this bill?
It has been estimated that as much as $131 Billion can be saved annually in the United States by universal implementation of EMRs.
The need for rapid response in the fight against all infectious diseases like polio, tuberculosis and malaria also triggered action by our government.
Monitoring Continuity of Care will identify and measure diseases with positive treatment outcomes like asthma, diabetes, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer and prostate cancer.
FYI It has been estimated that as much as 30% of laboratory studies are repeated needlessly, because the requesting physician was unaware that the result already existed.

We'll cover more on this next week, until then have a great holiday and be safe.

You can contact Joe Harrington toll free at 877-450-4029, ext 211 or by email @ jharrington@dabbsco.com

Phone Service Restored

2009-04-03T14:16:00.000-05:00

Our phone lines are open again. Thank you for your patience!

Nashville Phone Outage

2009-04-03T13:42:00.000-05:00

This post will serve to inform anyone trying to call in to Dabbs Computer Consultants that there is an outage in the Nashville, TN area. We can neither make or receive calls. We regret the inconvenience and expect this to be resolved shortly. Thanks for your understanding, we hope to be speaking with you soon.

Dest regards,

DCC Staff

VAR of the Year for Customer Support

2008-10-09T14:13:00.000-05:00

Deja Vu!

For the second time, Dabbs Computer Consultants has won VAR of the Year for Customer Support! Our thanks to those of you who called McKesson to let them know you appreciate our service and support. This is actually the most important award we could win, considering how important we feel it is to provide top-quality customer service to our clients. We didn't apply for this award, and it wasn't based on recommendations from other resellers. It was based on calls received by McKesson from our customers about the job we're doing. So thank you very much!

In other news, we are now taking pre-orders for Lytec 2009. You can read about the features here. We are excited to offer an enhanced product with so many time-saving features.

For those of you looking for an Electronic Medical Records solution that will integrate directly with Lytec, call and ask us about LytecMD. For those of you looking for a patient web portal, call and ask us about RelayHealth.

We have many new solutions lined up for 2009. Call us at 877-450-4029 and ask for more information!

Gateway EDI - Important News

2008-05-23T15:00:00.001-05:00

Subject: Warning/Informational Messages

Gateway EDI is pleased to announce the release of "New Warning/Informational Messages."

This new report will appear as a link on the dashboard of your website. "New Warning/Informational Messages" will have the same functionality as New Rejections to help make you aware of warning messages being returned by Gateway EDI and payers. Warning messages allow claims to continue through processing and adjudication, and are NOT rejections. However, please be aware that informational messages or warning messages give you important information regarding upcoming changes and will eventually result in rejections if the issues are not addressed.

NPI Deadline - GATEWAY Clients

2008-05-22T13:14:00.000-05:00

NPI/Legacy Identifier Update
Beginning May 23, 2008, Medicare will not pay for claims where the NPI is not provided. This will affect claims submitted to Gateway EDI after 2 p.m. CST on May 21, 2008. No changes are required on your end related to Legacy Identifiers. Gateway EDI will remove the Legacy Identifiers for all Medicare payers.
Many commercial payers have not communicated their NPI implementation plan. Please make sure you are sending your NPI, but do NOT stop sending your Legacy Identifiers. Gateway EDI will continue to send the NPI/Legacy Pair until we are notified that the payer will no longer accept the Legacy Identifier.
For more information regarding Medicare NPI numbers, please refer to the CMS Bulletin at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/MM5890.pdf.

Message from McKesson for Phoenix and Claims Manager Clients

2008-05-22T09:54:00.000-05:00

NOTICE: MedAvant Downtime Scheduled to Begin Friday, May 23

Beginning Friday, May 23 at 3:00 p.m. EDT, MedAvant will have a scheduled processing downtime in order to relocate its processing systems to a new data center. At 3:05 p.m. EDT, Internet connections and connections to partner networks will be placed in a down state at MedAvant's data center. The downtime will disable MedAvant's portal and all IP-based communication systems. Portal users will receive a "page cannot be found" message, and RT B2B users will receive a "connection refused" message. According to MedAvant, all systems will be back online and available to customers by Tuesday, May 27, at 5:00 a.m. EDT.

The MedAvant data center outage will impact both Phoenix dial-up and Phoenix broadband customers during the scheduled outage (May 23 at 3:00 p.m. EDT until May 27 at 5:00 a.m. EDT).

MedAvant will accept batch claim submission files until 3:00 p.m. EDT on May 23, at which time the MedAvant front-end communication servers will be taken offline. Claims received on Friday will be delivered to payers on Tuesday, May 27. REC reports for claims received on Friday will be available beginning Wednesday, May 28, at 5:00 a.m. EDT.

MedAvant advises that customers should not attempt to submit claims or access its portal during the planned downtime.

Stratus Platform Turned Off

2008-05-15T13:24:00.000-05:00

The following pertains only to clients who are using the MedAvant/Per-Se clearinghouse and have not switched to Phoenix or Claims Manager. It is an edited version of the announcement from McKesson:

The electronic claims processing system known as the Stratus platform was turned off on Wednesday, May 14, 2008. Customers are no longer able to transmit claims using Stratus. Customers that are still transmitting their claims on the Stratus platform will need to be migrated over to the Phoenix platform to be able to continue their electronic claim submission to the MedAvant Clearinghouse.

We at Dabbs Computer have made several attempts over the past year to notify all our Stratus users that the platform would be closing, and we believe we have reached everyone. If by some chance you were missed, or if you are not a Dabbs Computer client but would like some help, please call us ASAP at 877-450-4029.

Gateway News! - CMS Legacy Free Day

2008-05-02T08:40:00.000-05:00

CMS has requested clearinghouses that submit claims to Medicare to participate in a one day NPI preparation exercise. On May 7, 2008, Gateway EDI will strip the legacy identifiers when they are submitted as part of an NPI/legacy pair. On May 8, Gateway EDI will revert back to sending Medicare NPI/legacy pairs as received from the providers.

This exercise will help Medicare providers evaluate their NPI readiness prior to the May 23, 2008, deadline. The outcomes of this exercise are described below:

Claims are processed and paid by Medicare. Under this scenario, the provider can feel confident that their cash flow will not be affected by the May 23 implementation date.

Claims are rejected or suspended. Under this scenario, the provider will know in advance that there are problems that must be resolved prior to May 23. Resolution might include changes to the NPPES data to the 855 enrollment record, and in this case, the provider should to contact the payer directly for resolution.

Action required by Customers: Providers should send Medicare claims as normal on May 6, and Gateway EDI will format the data as requested by CMS to meet the requirements of the "Legacy Free" day.

Phoenix Issue Resolved

2008-04-28T17:00:00.000-05:00

This just in from McKesson:

"The clearinghouse has remedied an issue reported earlier today that was causing PHX dial-up customers to receive a "password required for [client ID]" error when trying to transmit claims or receive reports. We have successfully tested the resolution and believe this issue to be closed. Thank you for your patience as we worked to resolve the issue."

Important Announcement for Phoenix Users

2008-04-28T11:14:00.000-05:00

This message came in today from McKesson:

"We have been made aware that when PHX customers try to transmit claims or receive reports they get the following error: "password required for [client
ID]". We are working to resolve this as a Priority 1 issue. We will
send out an updated message when the issue has been resolved. We apologize
for any inconvenience."

NPI News

2008-04-24T12:32:00.000-05:00

Effective with claims received on or after May 22, 2008, Medicare will not pay for claims where the NPI is not provided in the Secondary Provider ID fields when a Secondary Provider is included on the claim. Secondary Providers include Ordering, Referring, Attending, Operating, Other, and Service Facility.

If an NPI from the Ordering, Referring, Attending, Operating, Other, Service Facility or Purchased Service provider cannot be obtained, CMS has instructed that you may report your own name and NPI in the claims Ordering/Referring/Attending/Operating/Other/Service Facility or Purchased Service Provider fields.

These fields are located in boxes 17 and 32 on the CMS 1500 and can be updated in Lytec under the Addresses record of the Provider. Click on the Insurance Code tab and insert the NPI number in the appropriate field.

If you have any questions about where this information needs to go, don't hesitate to call us.

Lytec 2008 SP-1 Now in Testing

2008-04-24T09:22:00.000-05:00

McKesson Corporation is now testing Lytec 2008 Service Pack 1. If you would like to help test this early ("beta") version, please contact us. We are looking for multiple-physician practices that do a large amount of billing and/or scheduling. Please call us at 877-450-4029 if you would like to participate.

Important Notice to Phoenix/MedAvant Clients

2008-03-12T15:56:00.000-05:00

We have received a notice from McKesson/Lytec/MedAvant that they are experiencing problems with Blue Cross/Blue Shield claims today, March 12, 2008. The notice included the following:

We are seeing an extremely high clearinghouse reject on BS032 claims today. The error message says "BILLING PROVIDER PRIMARY IDENTIFICATION NUMBER IS MISSING OR INVALID."

It appears that the only claims that are getting through are the ones where the customer failed to input their NPI.
Do NOT take the NPI out. To do so would mean that other claims would get rejected.
Clearinghouse management has already been informed of the issue. We expect to have the problem resolved soon.
Reprocessing information is not available at this time. The clearinghouse tries to do this whenever possible but there are sometimes special circumstances that prohibit this. I will let you know as soon as more information becomes available.

Dabbs Computer will post an update on this page as soon as more information is available. Please check back soon.

Medicare and NPI

2008-02-15T15:04:00.000-06:00

As discussed in the User Group Meeting, Medicare wants you to be testing your claims with NPI numbers only -- not your old individual ID numbers. It won't be long before Medicare begins rejecting claims that still have those old "legacy" numbers on them. If you need help testing, give us a call.

Here is a link to the NPPES web site that will allow you to update your information in the official NPI system: click here

We hope this information helps. If you have other questions, please call us at 877-450-4029.

Lytec 2007 Service Pack 3 Now Available

2008-02-15T09:56:00.000-06:00

If you are already a client of Dabbs Computer, you should have received an email updating you about the arrival of Service Pack 3 for Lytec 2007. You can download the service pack here. If you didn't receive the message, call us to make sure we have your contact information up-to-date. Feel free to call us for help with the installation as well.

Lytec 2007 Service Pack 3 Coming Soon

2007-12-26T15:28:00.000-06:00

SP-3 will be the final service pack for Lytec 2007, and is now in the final stages of testing. Check back soon for news that it has been officially released. If you would like to check to see if a particular issue is addressed in SP-3, please call us at 877-450-4029.

Note: Dabbs Computer will be open on December 31, 2007 but closed on January 1, 2008. We will re-open on January 2, 2008 at 8:00 AM Central Time.

Lytec 2008 On Sale Now!

2007-12-17T16:01:00.001-06:00

Call now for upgrade pricing on Lytec Medical 2008. The current level of McKesson's introductory discount pricing ends Friday, December 21, 2007. As each phase passes, the price increases, so call ASAP.

Please also note Dabbs Computer Consultants will be closed next Monday and Tuesday in honor of the Christmas holiday.

Lytec 2007 Service Pack 2 is Now Available!

2007-09-17T13:23:00.001-05:00

If your office is currently using Lytec 2007, you will want to update your software to Service Pack 2, which is now available to all. We do recommend you let us help you install the update unless you have a lot of experience installing or updating Lytec on your own. If you do, you can download the service pack here. For a list of the items that were fixed in this and the previous service pack, click here.

Dabbs Computer and Lytec News Updates

2007-09-07T13:19:00.000-05:00

We're moving! As of September 14, 2007, our new address will be 1410 Donelson Pike, Suite B-16, Nashville TN, 37217. Our new fax number is (615) 366-4266. Our phone numbers will remain the same. Our office will be closed that day as we make the transition. We will be open again on Monday, September 17, 2007.

Lytec 2007 Service Pack 2 is nearly finished! Stay tuned for a download link.

CMS (the people who brought you the CMS-1500 form) has announced there is now a national NPI registry online! (A little late, huh?) Here's the link: NPI Lookup

You could win a free six-month service agreement! If you don't receive your survey by Monday, September 10 2007, call us and we will send you one. Hurry, entries must be post-marked by September 15, 2007. One entry per practice.

The latest edition of our newsletter has been sent out to all our clients. If you didn't receive a copy, give us a call!

That's it for now, stay tuned for updates!

Lytec 2007 - Service Pack 1 is now available!

2007-06-20T11:58:00.000-05:00

McKesson corporation has announced that Service Pack 1 is available for download and installation. If you have experience running Lytec updates, you can download the patch directly from McKesson here. If you would like assistance downloading or installing the update, please call us locally at (615)690-0100 or toll-free at (877)450-4029.

Good News for Phoenix Users!

2007-05-18T12:00:00.000-05:00

The latest version of the Phoenix module, 12.05, is in the final stages of testing and should be available soon. If you would like to use this testing version (which is working very well for customers who have elected to try it), please contact us and we will send you this update. Many of the previously reported errors have been fixed. Call 615-690-0100 in Nashville or call toll free outside of Nashville:877-450-4029.

Electronic Claims: Updates Available!

2007-04-05T12:43:00.000-05:00

If you are sending claims to McKesson/Medavant/Proxymed/Per-Se through your Lytec 2006 or Lytec 2007 program, there may be updates for your Phoenix module. Call us if you are getting unusual claim rejections and we can see if an update will help fix the problem.

If you are using GatewayEDI's services, you need a new form for NPI compliance. Our NPI-customized GatewayEDI form is ready for use. Call us to order the form, or if you have already ordered, please call us to schedule a time for implementation.

Reminder: NPI deadlines are coming up and the Stratus system is not equipped to send NPI numbers. If you are still using the Stratus system, you must update your software. Call us for details at 877-450-4029.

New GatewayEDI Form Ready

2007-03-19T08:18:00.000-05:00

We have spent weeks testing and refining our new NPI-compliant GatewayEDI form for use in Lytec 2006 and 2007, and it is finally ready for release. We will be sending a notice to each of our customers who have pre-ordered the form. Those of you who have not yet ordered the form can contact us at any time to place an order.

The form will also work for other clearinghouses besides GatewayEDI. If you use another clearinghouse and you need a text-based print-image form for Lytec, give us a call and we can help you implement it in a way that fits your needs.

Phone and Internet Upgrade

2007-03-06T11:21:00.000-06:00

Dabbs Computer *may* become unavailable between 11:30 and 1:30 CST on Tuesday, March 6, 2007. We appreciate your patience. After the upgrade we will be able to serve you better with expanded phone service and faster internet connections.