AAPC member Jennifer de Zayas, CPC, CPC-H recently wrote an article for Diabetes Practice Options relating to coding mistakes and fraud.
“Some perfectly legitimate physicians are audited when they forget to include, or don’t know about, a particular form, or incorrectly register a business,” she wrote. “Payers might interpret these types of mistakes as fraud, because less scrupulous offices may do these same things deliberately. Providers need to know the insurance rules of the state in which they practice, including the rules governing the formation of corporations, and how to avoid being pigeonholed by overusing the same group of medical codes.”
Read the excerpt of the full article here.
May 31st, 2012
Be accurate when handing out CEU certificates
It is your responsibility to ensure high quality education is offered at chapter meetings. Occasionally chapters have presentations that end sooner than planned. In this case, it is important that the officers are prepared with additional educational information to present up until the time the original presentation was scheduled to end. Please keep in mind that CEUs are awarded based upon the length of the educational presentation and if the presentation runs short, the CEUs should be reduced equally. And remember, breaks do not count toward educational presentation time.
Test Yourself questions should be answered independently
The purpose of Continuing Education Units is to ensure each AAPC certified member is continuing to learn and staying current on coding information. It is inappropriate for officers to lead chapter members in group discussions of the answers to the Test Yourself questions from the Coding Edge magazine. Members should work on these CEUs independently.
Become certified and then earn CEUs
Please help members understand that CEUs aren’t accrued until certification is obtained. This means that although a member attended a chapter meeting and was given a CEU certificate, that certificate is not eligible to be used for CEUs unless the member was certified at the time of the meeting. Explain to members that although they can’t use the CEUs before becoming certified, they should still attend the meetings for the valuable networking opportunities and education.
Search for chapter meetings in AAPC’s search tool
Did you know you can search for chapter meetings in AAPC’s CEU search tool? Click on “Continuing Education” from the top menu, enter the word “meeting” as the keyword, and input a ZIP code before clicking the “Search” button. This will show all the meetings within your desired mile radius.
First quarter reimbursements
Reimbursements for meetings and exams held the first quarter of 2012 were deposited into chapter checking accounts on May 18. Please refer to your bank statement to confirm the amount of the deposit.
Donations to the Financial Aid Scholarship Fund
AAPCCA’s financial aid scholarship program is now available for AAPC members. Members who are experiencing hardship in the maintenance of membership or certification may fill out the application. Applicants must demonstrate financial hardship to qualify for the funds. Chapters are encouraged to support the membership through donations made to this fund. Checks should be made payable to AAPCCA Scholarship Fund and sent to:
AAPCCA Scholarship Fund
2480 South 3850 West Suite B
Salt Lake City, UT 84120
Take note of the following information on chapter products:
Sectional File Folder – Use for CEUs or to track chapter expenses
Check out the new expanding files we are offering for just $10.95 (plus shipping). These have 12 tabs that could be used for personal CEU certificates earned or by treasurers to track monthly chapter receipts! Purchase one for the officers and display it for your chapter members to see. Remember, these are only available through the chapters, so make your members aware they are available!
“Got CEU’d!” T-shirts
We’re discontinuing the “Got CEU’d!” t-shirts so act quickly and buy the remaining small and medium shirts for only $6 (plus shipping).
Handbook Information
We’re almost halfway through 2012! Have you taken an opportunity to review the handbook? Occasionally the rules change and if officers are not paying attention, they may lead by tradition instead of adhering to new procedures. It’s important to read the handbook and make sure you’re current on expectations and not just proceeding as it’s “always been done”. When in doubt, call the local chapter team!
What to do if an officer resigns or moves
The president or vice president should submit the officer’s resignation letter along with the Resignation/Change of Officer form to AAPC within 10 days. At that point, officers must then either appoint a new officer or hold elections for another officer.
Agreeing online to be an officer
All AAPC officers must demonstrate their desire to serve and accurately lead their local members by agreeing to the terms in the online officer agreement. If you haven’t yet agreed to the terms you are technically not yet an officer and your name will not show online as such. To agree, simply log in at www.aapc.com and click on “My AAPC” and then “My Chapter”.