Tips to avoid telemedicine-related legal risk
Eclinicalworks billing company
In this time of social distancing with the COVID outbreak, telemedicine is proving to be the best system with which physicians and medical staff across the nation can treat and care for a patient that live in remote areas and can’t commute or those suffering from the chronic condition who can not risk visits and coronavirus contraction.
Telemedicine benefits in the following ways:
It helps patients sitting in remote areas get better access to care
It helps medical facility reduce the burden of increasing operational cost without compromising on the quality of care being delivered.
With now the physician being able to dedicate time to every patient, telemedicine improves patient satisfaction and engagement, which further boosts the practice’s bottom line.
But while the benefits of telemedicine implementation are plenty with many still being discovered, the application in itself is prone to legal risks. Minor compliance mistake, and it might lead to the facility paying hefty fines or in severe cases, the practice getting shut down.
Understanding this, we bring to you tips to minimise the legal risk involved with telemedicine adoption:
Integrate eClinicalworks with the telemedicine system:
The electronic health record system must be well-integrated with the telemedicine system you have adopted. This ensures secure data uploading, access and transfer, leaving no room for inaccuracy or breach of data. It also unburdens the medical staff from the fear of finding duplicate data at the time of claim submission. It is important to note that if you are using eClinicalworks for storing patient health-related information, you should only hire eclinicalworks billing company that has trained and certified specialists guaranteeing accuracy, the compliant and quicker reimbursement in the shortest-turn around time.
Be careful of the licenses:
Just like how you require a state license to practice face to face medical care in a particular state, you would need a license to practice and implement telemedicine. Along with the standard license, you may also require regulatory permits from a different country where your patients are from as this will affect your reimbursement. Since the patient will have insurance cover of their lands, having no license might come in between you getting the payment you deserve for rendering care and treatment. Depending upon the country and the insurance carrier you are billing for, the protocols and reimbursement amount may vary at large.
Online prescription:
It is essential to keep in mind that not all states allow online prescription based upon the assumption that no face to face diagnosis or relationship has been established between the patient and the doctor. The doctor needs to have met the patient in person at least once and know their medical history to prescribe them medication online as and when required. There are specific online description regulations which medical practitioners should go through before handing out medicine to the patients online.
An increasing number of patients are seeking virtual care nowadays, which means telemedicine shall proliferate. But as the complex is its implementation, so is it’s billing. This is why it is advised to outsource telemedicine billing to a reputable company that can ensure an enhanced bottom line and a smooth revenue cycle management by implementing compliant policies.
Companies are offering 30-day trial service without any obligation to sign-up a long term contract. By using their services, you get an opportunity to test out whether or not they will work and deliver according to your requirements and expectations.
Reach out to these companies, today and watch your revenue cycle transform!
