medical billing transcription supplier information

Medinex Systems, Inc. (OTCBB:MDNX), an emerging leader in the delivery of comprehensive, cost-efficient and HIPAA-compliant healthcare technology solutions, today announced that Atlas Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, owned and operated by Dr. Sean McFadden, D.O., selected Medinex Systems' Medinex Office dictation and transcription solution for deployment in its newly established practice located in Orlando, Florida.

Specializing in the treatment of arthroscopic injuries related to the shoulder, knee, elbow and ankle, Atlas Orthopedics and Sports Medicine has deployed Medinex Office to manage medical dictation and transcription, among other practice management functions. In addition, Atlas has contracted with Medinex to integrate its patent-pending MxSecure to ensure compliance with important HIPAA-related document control and storage requirements, as well as Medinex' MxSites to provide secure web-based patient communication options. This will enable Atlas' patients to request appointments, respond to clinical questions, request information and receive lab results in a convenient, secure and pre-formatted manner.

Commenting on the utilization of Medinex Office, Dr. McFadden noted: "Since the grand opening of our office early last month, we have relied solely on Medinex Office for managing our daily dictation and transcription requirements. We've found that it not only delivers the best turnaround time we have ever experienced, it is also extraordinarily easy to use. I would strongly recommend Medinex Office to any physician seeking practical, cost-efficient solutions to managing a busy healthcare practice -- Medinex Office is truly a phenomenal product. In fact, as a result of Medinex' quality, efficient service, we are looking forward to deploying all of Medinex' healthcare administrative solutions in our practice immediately."

Lakefront Billing Service, Inc. recently invested in practice management and electronic medical records systems from Prime Clinical Systems, Inc. in an effort to help its physician practice customers become more fiscally sound.

"For any business, profitability is a two-sided coin -- maximizing revenues and minimizing expenses, " said Mike Wanger, President of the Milwaukee-based billing company that serves more than 60 medical groups in three states. "Physician billing services have traditionally focused on the former, through coding audits, charge capture and collection efforts. We have finally found an integrated product that can help our clients dramatically trim their overhead costs as well."

Prime's OnSTAFF practice management software, which offers functions such as eligibility verification, comprehensive insurance plan monitoring and automated collections is expected to enable Lakefront to offer more efficient billing and administrative services to its customers while enhancing their own operations. In addition, through WebSTAFF, Prime's Internet-based portal, customers will have the ability to post charges and access online scheduling from any browser.

Although many practice management systems offer similar functions, Prime's high level of automation makes it stand out from others on the market, Wanger said.

OnSTAFF can process claims to more than 1,300 insurance companies, most free of charge. OnSTAFF automatically queries payers and receives answers regarding eligibility before clinicians actually see the patients, whereas many other systems check eligibility retrospectively. OnSTAFF automatically displays comprehensive collection data on a single screen, while other systems often just produce lists of patients who have outstanding bills. OnSTAFF also automatically produces insurance tracers, appeal and denial follow-up correspondence.

Lakefront also plans to help its medical groups decrease expenses by providing access to Patient Chart Manager, Prime's electronic medical records and document routing software. Practices will may either install PCM software on site, or store and fully access their charts and office documents on Lakefront's servers. In either case, clients will have access to their billing, scheduling, and e-charting via a fully-secure Internet connection.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Broadlane, the leading provider of innovative business services for the healthcare industry, today announced the launch of the healthcare industry's first comprehensive program to lower medical transcription costs that is expected to save typical healthcare providers more than 30 percent over current best prices. The unique service will leverage aggregated volume in highly competitive global contracts and standardize pricing methods to eliminate upcharges.

To create its one-of-a-kind service, Broadlane experts conducted a yearlong strategic sourcing process that analyzed transcription industry economics, operations and technology to identify best-in-class service providers and to enact optimal contract terms for Broadlane customers.

Broadlane's rigorous process addressed the most pressing needs in the medical transcription industry: price reduction, service level tracking, standardized billing methods, qualification and use of offshore transcription, subcontracting practices, qualification of technology platforms, and commitment by service providers to HIPAA compliance.

Transcription industry billing practices vary in terms of the unit used to charge customers, billing standards for determining the volume transcribed, and turn-around times for completed, accurate documentation. These factors, combined with an increasingly tangled web of both U.S. and non-U.S. subcontractors that are sometimes unknown to the client, have made transcription a major cost area and growing risk category both operationally and legally.

"Transcription is a hot-button issue for executives across Broadlane's customer base and in the healthcare industry as a whole," said Cal James, senior vice president, physician services, at Broadlane. "Our rigorous focus on both cost and quality and our menu of services will allow any facility or physician practice using our Medical Transcription Service to achieve significant, ongoing operational simplification and improvement and dramatically reduce costs."

New Alliance Creates Automated Offering that Simplifies Report

Creation, Saves Clinicians Time, Money

A-Life Medical, Inc., a leader in advanced Natural Language Processing (NLP) technology for the medical industry, today announced that it has signed an agreement with the Integrated Healthcare Systems (IHS) division of Dictaphone Corporation, a leader in health information management systems, software, and services.

This agreement will enable Dictaphone to incorporate A-Life's technology into its dictation, transcription and report management systems. Dictaphone plans to integrate LogiCoder(TM) technology with their Enterprise Express(R) digital dictation and transcription system, which is an enterprise-wide voice and text management system used in the creation of patient records. A-Life's LogiCoder, with NLP technology, will automatically generate ICD-9, CPT, and E&M service level coding from the electronic text reports produced by the Dictaphone Enterprise Express system. Combined, the technologies provide a solution that seamlessly automates and integrates transcription and coding, simplifying the report generation process and saving clinicians' time and money.

"With the integration of LogiCoder with Dictaphone's quality transcription systems, we have addressed the number one problem in the coding industry -- the receipt of electronically transcribed and corrected charts that are ready for coding," said Eric Corkhill, vice president of sales and marketing for A-Life Medical, Inc. "Additionally, Dictaphone's extensive client base of over 1,000 hospitals and several hundred thousand physicians, will allow us to gain market access as a component in Dictaphone's full solution offering."

The first offering, automated coding for Emergency Medicine, is currently beta testing at United Hospital in Port Chester, New York. Following a successful outcome, Dictaphone plans to offer this coding capability to its many user hospitals, as well as through its new Web-based service, which offers on a pay-for-use application service provider (ASP) basis digital dictation, speech recognition, natural language processing and report coding services via Internet access.

MINNEAPOLIS -- ProVation(R) Medical announced today that Shannon Medical Center has selected its ProVation(R) MD software for Gastroenterology procedure documentation and coding compliance. The software will be installed at Shannon Medical Center and Shannon Surgery Center facilities. [R][sup.3]ProVation(R) MD software for multi-specialty procedure documentation and coding compliance replaces the current dictation/transcription approach and streamlines the coding and billing process. Driven by deep medical content, ProVation MD allows clinicians to quickly and completely document medical procedures and apply the appropriate CPT and ICD codes, as well as CCI edits. [R][sup.3]Shannon Medical Center has served the West Texas area for 75 years, and Shannon Medical Center includes a Level 3 Designated Trauma Center, a nationally recognized Intensive Care Unit, a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, state-of-the-art diagnostics, and complete testing and surgical capabilities. [R][sup.3]"Part of our mission is to attain the highest quality of care and customer service and strive for excellent financial performance," said Shannon Medical Center CEO Bryan Horner. "To these ends, we strive to embrace technological solutions like ProVation software to improve our processes and streamline workflows." [R][sup.3]"Shannon Medical Center is a recognized leader in West Texas healthcare," said Arvind Subramanian, President & CEO, Wolters Kluwer Health Clinical Solutions and ProVation Medical. "We are pleased to add them to the distinguished list of hospitals and ASCs currently using ProVation software to streamline documentation and ensure compliant coding and timely, proper reimbursement." [R][sup.3]Shannon Medical Center, serving West Texas for seventy-five years, provides 400 beds with more than 175 physicians and the most extensive medical specialties in the region. Shannon offers a nationally recognized Intensive Care Unit, the first licensed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with critical care services for newborns, and the most successful heart program in the Concho Valley, The Shannon Regional Heart Center, where more than 80% of all open heart surgeries are performed. Shannon Medical Center is the only designated area Level III Lead Trauma Center certified by the Texas Department of Health for the 13 county region and the only hospital in San Angelo providing air ambulance service in a 150 mile radius of West Texas. This critical service, AirMed 1, has been ranked as "the best in Texas" among air medical services. Shannon Medical Center serves not only as the lead provider of crucial services integral to the healthcare of local residents, but also is a lead component of the area economy, with approximately 1,500 employees and a broad network of purchasing impact.

PEABODY, Mass. -- New Dragon(TM) MT Workflow System Leverages Speech Recognition and Web Standards to Reduce the $15 Billion Spent Each Year on Medical Transcription Processing

ScanSoft, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSFT), a global leader of speech and imaging solutions, today announced the completion of its acquisition of MedRemote, Inc., an innovator in medical informatics and transcription workflow solutions for approximately 1.54 million shares of its Common Stock, and approximately $6.2 million in cash (net of cash on hand at closing). Through this transaction, ScanSoft introduces the Dragon MT Workflow System, a complete transcription processing solution for deployment within hospitals and medical transcription service organizations (MTSOs), and Dragon MT Remote, a hosted subscription-based solution that is powered by the Dragon MT Workflow System and ideal for any size organization. Both solutions, available immediately, leverage ScanSoft's highly accurate Dragon speech recognition technology to automate the conversion of recorded dictation into electronic transcripts, significantly reducing manual transcription tasks.

MedRemote, a private company based in Chicago, is a recognized leader in providing complete Web-based transcription processing and workflow systems that efficiently leverage speech recognition and integrate with existing healthcare information systems. The MedRemote solution speeds access to patient data while reducing transcription processing costs by up to 70%, and has been proven by customers throughout North America, including Fallon Clinic and Valley Baptist Health System. ScanSoft will integrate the MedRemote organization in Chicago and expand its development, sales and marketing resources targeting the healthcare opportunity worldwide.

"MedRemote brings to ScanSoft an array of products, technologies and partners that expand ScanSoft's leadership in healthcare, a set of customers that have proven the value of the MedRemote solution, and employees that are skilled in developing and delivering speech-enabled healthcare solutions," said Paul Ricci, chairman and CEO at ScanSoft. "Combined with ScanSoft Dragon NaturallySpeaking Medical, we gain an enviable solution set that automates the way healthcare organizations capture and process their transcription data."

SOMERSET, N.J. -- MTBC is proud to announce that Dr. Adarsh K. Gupta, a renowned expert in electronic medical records (EMR), frequent lecturer on technology in medicine, and practicing physician, has joined MTBC's EMR development team. Dr. Gupta will help guide the future direction, functionality, and ease of use of MTBC's free EMR.

Dr. Gupta's areas of expertise include medical informatics, handheld use in medical education, web-based instruction, technology in medicine, and EMR implementation. His thorough analysis of EMR software currently available in the marketplace has enabled him to determine the strengths and weaknesses of many EMRs. With Dr. Gupta's input, MTBC's EMR will help physicians avoid medical errors and increase the profitability of their practices.

"Welcoming Dr. Gupta is just another step in the furtherance of our commitment to provide the most advanced and efficient technology solutions to our clients," said MTBC president David Rosenblum. "Dr. Gupta's expertise will enable us to take an already great product to the next level."

MTBC's EMR includes modules for automated billing, scheduling, claims tracking, document management, fax functionality, prescription management, template modules, and electronic encounter documentation, with complete HL7 (Health Level 7 Security) compatibility.

Version 2.0 of MTBC's EMR, scheduled for release in early September, will incorporate many of Dr. Gupta's recommendations.

MTBC's EMR creates a synergy of medical billing, transcription, and charting solutions in one comprehensive package and is available to any practicing physician as a free download from its website at www.MTBC.com.

Safe Harbor and Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions of MTBC (the Company) that involve risks and uncertainties.

Physicians at Harmony Ambulatory Surgery Center in Fort Collins, Colo., opted for efficiency when they first opened their doors in 2000. They bypassed traditional dictation and transcription options for the clinical documentation that follows gastroenterology procedures, and instead selected ProVation MD with its GI module. Right out of the gate, they chose IT, time savings, cost savings and a one-and-done approach to documenting the surgical experience.

Harmony's Administrator Rebecca Craig, R.N., says, "Our physicians had vision. They knew that all aspects of clinical documentation are moving in an electronic direction. Even though we didn't have an EMR in 2000, the physicians still wanted a procedural documentation system that could download to one." Turns out, it was the right decision.

Harmony Ambulatory Surgery Center is affiliated with Poudre Valley Hospital and is a 27,000 square foot, multispecialty ambulatory surgery center (ASC) offering general, orthopedic, plastic, GYN, urology, ENT and ophthalmology surgery, and GI and pain management services, with the availability of six overnight beds for those who need more care than a same-day discharge affords. Accredited by JCAHO, the center includes four operating rooms, two gastroenterology endoscopy rooms and a pain management room, plus separate admission and recovery areas. The original five GI physicians have increased their numbers to eight GI physicians, and the ASC handles more than 700 cases per month.

Originally hired as the organization's clinical director, Craig says the software works so well that Harmony added ProVation's pain management module in 2003. In fact, the ASC hasn't yet identified an EMR product that physicians like well enough to purchase and has suggested to ProVation that the vendor consider developing an EMR product as well.

The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) traditionally provides an exhibit hall at makes others pale in comparison. This year, Oct. 3-6 in beautiful San Francisco, MGMA offers three days of exhibit hall exploration, with the chance to see an impressive array of information technology, to attendees at its annual conference. Suppliers of practice management systems, electronic medical records, scheduling, transcription and voice recognition services, wireless technology, credentialing info tech, financial and claims management systems and document management technologies will be on hand to demonstrate their products and help attendees consider what's right for their organizations.

To help maximize your MGMA exhibit experience, Health Management Technology offers a showcase of some products you can personally test-drive at the conference. While you are there, stop by HMT Booth 1309 and say hello.

Companion Technologies develops practice management, electronic medical records and electronic data interchange software.

Companion PM is a fully integrated practice management system that works on Windows, Unix and Linux platforms. Its modular design can be scaled to meet specialty-specific requirements while accommodating changes in practice size and organization. Companion EMR is a Windows-based electronic medical records system that works on PCs, handhelds, laptops and tablets. It provides local and remote access to clinical data and automates prescriptions, labs, encounters, medical histories, patient education, and more.

Companion Technologies also offers group practice and claims management EDI systems that automate billing processes and help reduce errors, maximize reimbursement and improve cash flow. Visit Booth 523 to see which system best fits your data management needs.

Face it, medical transcription is not "sexy." It's definitely not an area that's topmost on the minds of most hospital administrators. But it is a cornerstone of hospital, physician office, and clinical operations, and if the quality of a hospital's medical transcription services declines, it can cost the organization millions of dollars and create dissatisfaction among physicians.

The question hospital financial leaders need to be asking is, "How can we manage medical transcription services in a way that helps us minimize costs and capital expenditures, speed the revenue cycle, and improve physician satisfaction?" For many facilities, the answer may be to outsource transcription services. To determine if this approach is right for your organization, you should consider the following points, which constitute a primer for healthcare executives who are beginning to explore the outsourcing options.

Transcription Services Today

Certainly, hospitals need healthy accounts receivable and positive cash flows. So it is important that the transcription processes be optimized to enable efficient billing. Interviews with a number of hospital administrators from across the country regarding the impact of medical transcriptions on their operations provided some insight into the status quo in the nation's hospitals with respect to this area.

Three findings were particularly noteworthy:

> The administrators typically want to move toward automated processes to expedite the billing process, increase payment, and reduce employment expenses, but they lack confidence that current technology is up to the task.

> Typically, the transcription department reports to the CFO, and even when it reports elsewhere, the finance department is involved in monitoring the transcription services.

> Backlog was the only dashboard indicator being used by all hospitals. Few have calculated the impact of turnaround time on the revenue cycle.

Other concerns mentioned by the administrators were problems integrating with existing IT systems, physician satisfaction, and transcription quality.

Acusis(R), a leading provider of outsourced medical transcription services, recently announced full support for the Medical Transcription Industry Alliance (MTIA) Billing Method Principles, an initiative with core values based on verifiability, definability, measurability, consistency and integrity.

After some time in compliance with MTIA's customer-based guidelines and protocols, Acusis has also developed a set of internal principled billing parameters. AcuCount, the Company's solution to straightforward and automated line pricing, has a clearly defined methodology and auditable invoice detail, in line with those principles set forth by MTIA.

Acusis and MTIA are committed to preserving the creativity and diversity in the medical transcription industry. MTIA's Billing Principles are designed with companies like Acusis in mind -- companies who create their own processes but respect the billing fundamentals set forth by an industry-respected organization like MTIA. According to MTIA's Executive Director, Molly Malone, "Our organization is vigilant in promoting best practice billing situations in the medical transcription industry which are clear, fair and understandable to our clients -- the doctors, hospitals and clinics who have a lot at stake and need accurate and reliable service across the board."

"We are fully committed to giving our customers the best service possible," says Acusis President and CEO, David Iwinski, Jr., "whether that is in the way we provide consistent 98% accuracy in a 24-hour turnaround time or less or if it's making sure that our billing methodology is accurate and clearly understandable for all of our customers."

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

SOMERSET, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 20, 2003

Redefining the economics of third party medical billing services, Medical Transcription Billing, Corp. (MTBC) has introduced full-service medical billing for a flat fee of 4% of collections. MTBC is the first company to apply state-of-the-art software and Internet-based technology to medical claims and patient billings, enabling its customers to reap the benefits of improved practice management and increased cash flow at a reduced cost.

Small medical practices now have a compelling solution for outsourcing their in-house billing, which according to the American Medical Association (AMA) costs an average of 10% of the practice's total revenue. Using MTBC's billing services, a typical practice can save tens of thousands of dollars per year in labor, benefits and other employee-related costs, while retaining control over their billing process. Medical practices also receive payments faster as a result of electronic claim submission and filing, and will see a significant reduction in unpaid claims and account aging.

"Billing is at the heart of any medical practice, and prompt collections is the key to its success," said David Rosenblum, President of MTBC. "The medical billing industry is highly fragmented, with local and regional mom-and-pop firms who cannot afford the infrastructure investment necessary to reap the benefits of the latest technology. As a result, these vendors give their customers little or no control over the billing process or reporting. MTBC offers a nationwide service that maximizes the power of the Internet and technology to give medical providers better control over scheduling and billing, 24/7 access to all of their billing information, and comprehensive practice management reports, while reducing costs."

"MTBC's 4% billing service is highly affordable, even for a solo practitioner like me," said Dr. James Brown, M.D., Athens, GA. "Billing was a major source of aggravation in my office, as it cut into the time my staff and I could spend on patient care. Now MTBC handles everything for us and we can devote more of our time to caring for people instead of chasing down payments from insurance companies, government payers and patients."

Medical Transcription Billing, Corp. ("MTBC"), a leading medical services company that introduced full-service medical billing for a flat fee of 4% of collections, announced today that it has achieved ISO 9001:2000 certification, signifying that its processes and quality management systems meet rigorous industry requirements. The ISO 9001:2000 standard is an internationally recognized quality management system developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

MTBC is the first company to apply state-of-the-art software and Internet-based technology to medical claims and patient billings, enabling its customers to reap the benefits of improved practice management and increased cash flow at a reduced cost.

MTBC's ISO 9001:2000 certification was issued only after an extensive external audit of its processes and quality management systems by Moody's International, an international ratings agency.

"The ISO 9001:2000 certification is an authoritative confirmation of our continued commitment to quality business practices," said David Rosenblum, President of MTBC. "Physicians seeking medical billing alternatives to the local 'mom & pop' billing companies will feel comfortable knowing that our ISO 9001:2000 certified medical billing process will provide their practice with both stability and security in the volatile medical billing environment."

MTBC's comprehensive medical billing service includes scheduling, electronic claim submission, follow-up and appeals, as well as patient billings. All patient billing questions are handled by MTBC's specially trained service representatives. In addition to 24/7 Internet access to information on scheduling, patients and billing, MTBC provides customized superbills and other office forms, practice analysis and financial reporting to its 4% medical billing clients. Proprietary software tracks each claim through the entire billing process - from the moment a patient is scheduled, until payment is received - reducing the cost of overlooked claims.

One question that healthcare organizations constantly ponder is: How can we reduce days in accounts receivable and accelerate the revenue cycle? Finding an answer to that question is essential to the success of any healthcare organization.

One strategy that healthcare systems and hospitals often overlook is the potential impact of restructuring transcription services to reduce days in accounts receivable, including the possibility of outsourcing those services. Business process outsourcing models have become commonplace in many industries. Healthcare organizations are learning the positive effects of information technology (IT) and supply, and are now beginning to understand the opportunities and benefits of outsourcing transcription and document delivery.

Health Midwest, recently acquired by HCA and now the Midwest Division of HCA, is a family of hospitals and healthcare services in the Kansas City, Mo., area with 1,787 inpatient beds and a transcription volume of 36 million lines annually. By centralizing and outsourcing its transcription services, the system experienced significant cost savings. The change also contributed to a reduction in days in accounts receivable.

Following are the steps the organization took to assess and improve its transcription services.

Step One: Situation Analysis

Previously, Health Midwest had outsourced transcription among more than 20 different smaller companies and one primary provider, the largest medical transcription company in the United States. Some of Health Midwest's hospitals had several transcription partners because departments such as radiology, pathology, and cardiology all used different transcription vendors. This decentralized approach had occurred because each facility continued to maintain relationships with its own transcription partners as Health Midwest grew and merged with each hospital and facility.

However, this decentralized model was not efficient. Health Midwest was experiencing significant backlogs and delays due to poor turnaround times and lack of responsiveness from its primary transcription provider. Service often suffered because many of the vendors did not work over weekends. There was no single consistent, verifiable methodology regarding invoice reconciliation.

Also, Health Midwest wanted to develop a systemwide electronic medical record (EMR), but could not do so efficiently when trying to interface with so many disparate transcription systems.