Medicare Advantage med records demands

[Guest guest]

Once again, I am being inundated with demands that I provide huge piles of records to health plans so they can use the data to screw more money out of CMS. Last year I had to fork over almost a thousand pages, but at least some of them were paid for.

Now I have a request that is for only one record...Office notes add up to21 pages, no big deal. Except that's not all they want. This one specifies that they want EVERY thing I have, not just my own records, but copies of every consult note, ER note, lab and radiology reports...etc etc. Is that what being the " medical home " means?

And here's the part I don't even know what to do with: " Please remember to send the Physician Signature Logs with Credentials. Having this log will enable our coders to verify the medical record was documented in accordance with CMS guidelines. "

I'm in solo practice. I don't have a signature log; why would I? If anybody signed anything, it was me. That's almost as stupid as having a corporate meeting every year, when I AM the corporation. " Met with self. Called meeting to order. No new business. Moved to adjourn. Seconded. All in favor say aye. Aye. Adjourned. " So am I not a real doctor because I don't have a signature log?

Annie-- Annie SkaggsLexington, KY

[Guest guest]

Sounds like they think you are a hospital or some other facility.

Aren’t you electronic?

Don’t feel bad, I don’t have a signature log

now. I did with paper charts though but we had multiple providers and

multiple staff. I don’t think, even with Medicare Advantage, you

have to send records from other doctors or anything more than the past year of

care.

Kathy Saradarian, MD

Branchville, NJ

www.qualityfamilypractice.com

Solo 4/03, Practicing since 9/90

Practice Partner 5/03

Low staffing

From:

[mailto: ] On Behalf Of Skaggs

Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2008 6:14 PM

To: practiceimprovement1

Subject: Medicare Advantage med records demands

Once again, I am being inundated with demands that I provide

huge piles of records to health plans so they can use the data to screw more

money out of CMS. Last year I had to fork over almost a thousand pages,

but at least some of them were paid for.

Now I have a request that is for only one record...Office notes add up to21

pages, no big deal. Except that's not all they want. This one

specifies that they want EVERY thing I have, not just my own records, but

copies of every consult note, ER note, lab and radiology reports...etc

etc. Is that what being the " medical home " means?

And here's the part I don't even know what to do with: " Please

remember to send the Physician Signature Logs with Credentials. Having

this log will enable our coders to verify the medical record was documented in

accordance with CMS guidelines. "

I'm in solo practice. I don't have a signature log; why would

I? If anybody signed anything, it was me. That's almost as stupid

as having a corporate meeting every year, when I AM the corporation.

" Met with self. Called meeting to order. No new

business. Moved to adjourn. Seconded. All in favor say aye.

Aye. Adjourned. " So am I not a real doctor because I

don't have a signature log?

Annie

--

Annie Skaggs

Lexington, KY

[Guest guest]

Sounds like they think you are a hospital or some other facility.

Aren’t you electronic?

Don’t feel bad, I don’t have a signature log

now. I did with paper charts though but we had multiple providers and

multiple staff. I don’t think, even with Medicare Advantage, you

have to send records from other doctors or anything more than the past year of

care.

Kathy Saradarian, MD

Branchville, NJ

www.qualityfamilypractice.com

Solo 4/03, Practicing since 9/90

Practice Partner 5/03

Low staffing

From:

[mailto: ] On Behalf Of Skaggs

Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2008 6:14 PM

To: practiceimprovement1

Subject: Medicare Advantage med records demands

Once again, I am being inundated with demands that I provide

huge piles of records to health plans so they can use the data to screw more

money out of CMS. Last year I had to fork over almost a thousand pages,

but at least some of them were paid for.

Now I have a request that is for only one record...Office notes add up to21

pages, no big deal. Except that's not all they want. This one

specifies that they want EVERY thing I have, not just my own records, but

copies of every consult note, ER note, lab and radiology reports...etc

etc. Is that what being the " medical home " means?

And here's the part I don't even know what to do with: " Please

remember to send the Physician Signature Logs with Credentials. Having

this log will enable our coders to verify the medical record was documented in

accordance with CMS guidelines. "

I'm in solo practice. I don't have a signature log; why would

I? If anybody signed anything, it was me. That's almost as stupid

as having a corporate meeting every year, when I AM the corporation.

" Met with self. Called meeting to order. No new

business. Moved to adjourn. Seconded. All in favor say aye.

Aye. Adjourned. " So am I not a real doctor because I

don't have a signature log?

Annie

--

Annie Skaggs

Lexington, KY