March 2015 Theme: Active Care

Active Care for Weekend Warriors

There are good reasons why professional and serious student athletes should

seek a sports chiropractor for the treatment and rehabilitation of a sports injury.

Active people are physically and emotionally different from sedentary ones.

Most physicians haven’t had special training in sports medicine or rehabilita-

tion. If this is your area of expertise—or one you’d like to develop—the op-

portunities for marketing such a practice and the chances for real growth and

opportunity are almost unlimited.

And you’ll find no shortage of testimonials from the pros. Boxing heavyweight

champion Evander Holyfield; Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, and Roger Craig of the

four-time Super Bowl champions the San Francisco 49ers; Barry Bonds of the

San Francisco Giants in baseball; Chi Chi Rodriguez and Tiger Woods in golf;

world champion kick-boxer Dennis Alexio and many other champions are regu-

lar—and vocal—chiropractic patients and advocates.

But chiropractic isn’t just beneficial to professional athletes. It’s also very help-

ful for amateur and weekend athletes as well—patients who might feel out of

place in a “sports chiropractic” clinic but who nonetheless suffer many of the same injuries and issues as the pros.

How can you broaden your practice to include being known for treating sports-related injuries without going all

jock, all the time?

1) Become an athletic supporter! Sorry, we couldn’t resist. Talk to the athletic directors and coaches at your lo-

cal schools. Educate them about any sports-related services you offer, which might include rehabilitative stretch-

ing and strengthening, spinal pelvic stabilizers, athletic taping, etc. Another great way to get a foot in the door, if

your state allows, is to build a reputation as the go-to doctor for annual sports physicals and “giving back”:

• Make a flyer to hand out prior to fall and spring sports seasons in the school.

• Offer the required sports physicals for a very reasonable fee, something like $25.

• Donate the fees you collect to that school’s athletics program, if allowed. (Note: donating the money is key. If

you keep the money, you’re vulnerable to charges of illegal inducement. We recommend establishing written

policy to define these kinds of charitable donations.)

This great program introduces your doctor to the school as a supporter, and also to the student athletes and their

parents as a resource should they need care during the season.

2) Look for opportunities among your existing patients. If your practice is just beginning to include a sports

focus, make sure your existing patients are aware of it. Use your in-office or email newsletters to inform your

patients of any special training you seek out and receive. Consider offering a quarterly promotion for patients to

be screened or bring in guests to be screened for weight-bearing imbalances or analysis before a certain sports

In this issue:Kathy’s Message: Active Care for Weekend Warriors

Compliance Corner

KMC University’s Q & As

In the News

Hands-On Lab Denver 2015!

ICD-10 Coding Countdown

$100 Photo Contest!

Product of the Month

ChiroFunnies

Upcoming Dates for Webinars

Kathy’s

WOW!Words of Wisdom

season begins. If you do rehab in the practice, consider how you can incorporate performance surveys for your

patients to fill out if they participate in extracurricular sports or events.

3) Look for marketing opportunities in the areas you love. If, for example, you or your team are avid golfers,

look for ways to market your sports focus in the golf community. Perhaps you can do golf swing analysis at the

local pro shop, give talks on flexibility and fitness at your local golf courses, or write an interesting golf-focused

article for your local paper.

4) Run, ride, and walk your talk! If you’re going to promote sports-related care in the practice and with your

patients, it’s important for you and your team to be fit and in good health yourselves. Not only will your body

thank you, you’ll also be an excellent ambassador

for your practice. When you’re out at the gym,

walking, running, playing tennis, or bicycling, what

better places to find patients who would be a great

fit for your sports-focused services?

Having a side focus that is of interest to you and

your team helps to keep the fun and excitement

in practice. Brainstorm all the ways you can take

this to the next level and bring chiropractic to even

more members of your community.

Compliance CornerCPT Coding Audits for Compliance and Better ReimbursementKeeping track of your individual code usage is critical for compliance. Without monitoring and awareness, it’s easy to fall into a routine of using the same codes over and over, even if they aren’t the most appropriate. We recommend making sure your ratios of coding usage are consistent with national averages. This is one area in which you really don’t want to be outstanding in your field!

As an example, since we’re talking about active care, this is what you would want to keep in mind when performing a cod-ing audit:

Active/Passive Procedures:

1. The total of codes 97530, 97112, and 97110 should be approximately two times the total of passive modality codes—if you have an active care component to your practice. The reason for this is that passive modalities will and should typically drop off after the first month of treatment.

2. The total number of 97110 should be equal to at least 50% of total of CMT codes. The reason for this is that in today’s functional model of care, it’s important to deliver active care in your practice so that you can show you are delivering care aimed at functional restoration.

Perform coding audits on a regular basis and record the findings into your compliance manual. Be sure that you docu-ment areas of concern, create strategies to correct these problems, and detail any training that will take place to assist practitioners with corrections that are needed. This will allow you to stay on top of any potential problems with overuse of certain codes where coding ratios are out of balance with expected norms.

KMC University’s Q&As

Q: We keep getting records requests when we bill 97110. What’s up?

A: Without seeing your documentation, it’s hard to tell. Therapeutic exercise, CPT code 97110, is the most common

service provided by doctors, physical therapists, and CAs and billed to insurers. Denied claims and records requests are usually—but not always—due to documentation errors.

Here are the most common to look for:

• Missing total time spent in therapy

• Missing billing provider signed and dated treatment notes

• Missing plan of care or plan of treatment

• Missing progress notes that support medical necessity

We offer a free One-Chart Review for circumstances like this. Just get in touch with us, fill out a simple

form, send us the chart of your choice, and we’ll give you our report of findings. Call us at 1-855-TEAM KMC

or email us at info@kmcuniversity.com

In the NewsNo Reprieve on ICD-10Members of the House of Representatives’ Energy & Commerce Sub Committee on Health met recently to affirm Oct. 1 2015 ICD-10 implementation. In addition to the support of lawmakers, six of seven witness testimonies from healthcare industry representatives supported the current ICD-10 implementation date. William Jef-ferson, MD, representing the American Urological Association, provided the lone dissenting opinion, suggesting the cost of ICD-10 implementation may be too much for some providers to bear. But that fear doesn’t quite match up with recent surveys that indicate ICD-10 implementation will likely cost around $750 per provider. Bottom line: there is absolutely no indication that ICD-10 implementation will be postponed. Of more concern is whether or not practices and providers are ready. According to a recent survey we conducted, the majority of doctors said they felt “totally lost.” If that sounds like you, reach out to us for ICD-10 implementation training.

Rock Your Reimbursement in 2015!

Our two-day immersive experience walks you, step by manageable step, through

our proven systems, tools, and best practices for maximum reimbursement. You’ll

get to customize them all in real time for your practice, right on your own laptop!

Best of all? You go back to the office with a clear idea of the value you offer your

patients and how to collect every dime you deserve. Make 2015 the year you

reclaim your work-life balance and rock your reimbursement!

Special early bird registration discounts end March 15, so sign up today here!

CLICK AND WATCH THE VIDEO!

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ICD-10CODINGCOUNTDOWN

6 MONTHS TO GO!

SIX MONTHS OUT! At this point, you should be

dual coding as a regular practice. Make sure all your

documentation includes both ICD-9 and their ICD-10

equivalents.

Product of the MonthActive Care Toolkit

Are you ready to implement Active Care into your practice? It not only gives insurance companies what they

expect to see regarding the optimal, functional care of your patients, it also boosts your reimbursement!

Our Active Care Toolkit includes:

• An easy, step-by-step Training Implementation Guide

• Two Instructional Webinars: “Low-Tech/High-Revenue Active Care Implementation” and “Active Care Rehab:

The Easy Way”

• A guide to implementing active care in your practice

• Cervical and lumbar functional exam forms

• Rehab tracking forms for both cervical and lumbar protocols to get you started

Adding and/or increasing active care rehab in your practice maximizes functional outcomes and optimal

reimbursement. This easy-to-understand toolkit makes it snap to implement and get quick and profitable results!

Get the Product of the Month here:

http://kmcuniversity.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=23&products_id=140

$100 OFF!!!NOW JUST $149!USE CODE POM (Expires 3/31/2015)

$100 Photo Contest!

We’re celebrating our upcoming Hands-On Lab coming to Denver April 17-18 with pictures of YOUR hands in action! Post a picture of your hands (careful about HIPAA, no patients or records in view!) on our Facebook page with our Hands-On Lab hashtag #KMCUHOL, and you’re entered to win $100! To start you off, here’s Dr. Ren Bleem’s hands at work!

Helping Chiropractors make and keep more money.

Upcoming Dates for WebinarsMarch Live Webinar (Visit www.kmcuniversity.com/shop to order, or click the links below)

March 17th, 2015 - 1:00 PM EST :

“Profitable, Quality Outcomes with Active Care Rehab in Your Practice”

ChiroFunnies