performing various screening on patients.

[Victor85]

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Hello everyone. I hope I am not out of line here. I am a pharmacist looking to get out of pharmacy (long story).
I am looking to invest into a franchise health/fitness consultant company.
One of their product is a screening platform geared towards providers.
From what I understand, these are screenings that can be done on paper; however, since they have developed an electronic format they are claiming providers are able to get higher reimbursement from insurance (medicare, tricare and private insurance). Tablets would be provided to the offices to screen their patients.
Their claim is that this is a more streamlined process and would save providers time, In addition it can generate higher revenue because of their software.
The reason I am asking in a pain management forum.
Besides your general anxiety and depression screens, they have the opiod risk test and cognitive test that should be used in pain management patients.
Their reasoning is that most pain management patients would have some type of anxiety/depression/or mental illness that may not be diagnosed. And on top of that, the offices would able to show the DEA that they are cautiously screening patients if it was to ever come to that.
My role if I choose to accept would be to introduce this programs to various offices.
I would like to ask,
How likely are pain management doctor to use such a program, and is there any basis to what they are claiming with regards to the DEA?
They are claiming that doing 4 screens per day could increase a clinic's income by $20,000-$30,000.

Another product they offer is a
Epidermal Nerve Fiber Density Biopsy programs to definitively diagnosed Small fiber neuropathy. Does pain management see alot of neuropathy patients? Are there any doctors out there currently doing this type of biopsy in their practice?

Would these programs be something that is an easy sale?
I don't want to invest into something that is unproven.
thanks

 

[Aether2000]

Non physicians investing in the field of pain medicine can end up doing jail time for promoting fraudulent billing practices or offering any kind of incentive for using their services. Tread lightly and only if you have obtained assurances from billing experts that such an approach would not violate the myriad of rules and regulations regarding billing for medical services

 

[DOctorJay]

You lost me at “providers”. Good luck!


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[Victor85]

Non physicians investing in the field of pain medicine can end up doing jail time for promoting fraudulent billing practices or offering any kind of incentive for using their services. Tread lightly and only if you have obtained assurances from billing experts that such an approach would not violate the myriad of rules and regulations regarding billing for medical services

Hi, thanks for replying.
After seeing what you wrote I went to get more clarification into this program:
What's going on is these are screens that your office would already be doing: PHQ, GAD, Cognitive etc... Instead of doing it on paper or in your EMR where a MA would ask the patients these questions. Your patients would be answering these questions themselves on a tablet with the software prepopulated with these screens. Billing screenings with 3rd party software and tablet allows you to bill at a higher reimbursement (this was what was explained to me, sorry no additional details were given. All I know is there is a different CPT code)
The idea is to keep patients busy while they are in the waiting room, reduce the time your MA has to ask these questions and taking the time to score their answer as the software will auto score and display the result.
The company would then charge your office a fee for using the tablet and the software after you get reimburse by insurances.
So basically, it's a more streamlined process to screens patients for hidden conditions that would never otherwise be diagnosed or just glossed over.
This is not just for pain medicine. This is for everyone. Believe me, as a pharmacist in FL, I understand the scrutiny pain management doctors go through especially recently. I just figured that this would be a great way for pain management to show medicare/insurance/DEA(if it comes to this) you are screening your patients

You lost me at “providers”. Good luck!


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I'm sorry if I am using the wrong term. This is not exclusively for doctors but are open to midlevel practitioners also. I though I was using a term to be inclusive of everyone. Should I use a different term??
thanks

 

[Ducttape]

most of my patients cant find time or the wherewithall to fill out packets - paper ones mailed to them that includes a pencil.

most get medical transportation and cant drive.

some of them still use dial rotary phones.

you want them to use a tablet?


im out

 

[DOctorJay]

Hi, thanks for replying.
After seeing what you wrote I went to get more clarification into this program:
What's going on is these are screens that your office would already be doing: PHQ, GAD, Cognitive etc... Instead of doing it on paper or in your EMR where a MA would ask the patients these questions. Your patients would be answering these questions themselves on a tablet with the software prepopulated with these screens. Billing screenings with 3rd party software and tablet allows you to bill at a higher reimbursement (this was what was explained to me, sorry no additional details were given. All I know is there is a different CPT code)
The idea is to keep patients busy while they are in the waiting room, reduce the time your MA has to ask these questions and taking the time to score their answer as the software will auto score and display the result.
The company would then charge your office a fee for using the tablet and the software after you get reimburse by insurances.
So basically, it's a more streamlined process to screens patients for hidden conditions that would never otherwise be diagnosed or just glossed over.
This is not just for pain medicine. This is for everyone. Believe me, as a pharmacist in FL, I understand the scrutiny pain management doctors go through especially recently. I just figured that this would be a great way for pain management to show medicare/insurance/DEA(if it comes to this) you are screening your patients


I'm sorry if I am using the wrong term. This is not exclusively for doctors but are open to midlevel practitioners also. I though I was using a term to be inclusive of everyone. Should I use a different term??
thanks

The appropriate terms would be physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants. If you insist on lumping us all together regardless of expertise a reasonable term would be clinicians.


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[SommeRiver]

Lemme tell you one thing I know about pts filling out tablets and completing questionnaires through a device...They finally get in the room (30 min after their appt time slot) and I have to spend 10 min apologizing and explaining wtf they just did on the tablet, AND yes I understand the questions are somewhat nebulous, AND yes I can see that your pain is different than what was available on the tablet and if you just had a pen you could draw a better picture to describe your pain, AND many other things...

Not just no, but absolutely not. Leave it alone dude; technology is great but invest your energies somewhere else bc your good intentions are gonna make ppl mad.

 

[Victor85]

Lemme tell you one thing I know about pts filling out tablets and completing questionnaires through a device...They finally get in the room (30 min after their appt time slot) and I have to spend 10 min apologizing and explaining wtf they just did on the tablet, AND yes I understand the questions are somewhat nebulous, AND yes I can see that your pain is different than what was available on the tablet and if you just had a pen you could draw a better picture to describe your pain, AND many other things...

Not just no, but absolutely not. Leave it alone dude; technology is great but invest your energies somewhere else bc your good intentions are gonna make ppl mad.

I can respect that. Thanks man


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