Welcoming Business Complete Solutions (BCS) as our newest affiliate partner!
February 15, 2017
Business Complete Solutions (BCS) is offering exclusive benefits for Physician Partners members – including a free workflow analysis, and great savings on office equipment and software.
FREE Work-Flow Analysis
Reduce unnecessary costs (average of 30%), increase office productivity, & ensure compliance with government regulations.
The audit will only take 30 minutes to an hour (depending on the size and complexity of the environment).
Each analysis will measure:
- Office equipment usage
- Office equipment life expectancy
- Digital needs for document management
- Scan integrations into existing EMR systems
- HIPPA & security assessment
- Workflow automation
- Process optimization
Office Equipment & Software Solutions
Business Complete Solutions can help your office run more fluidly & function at its best.
CURRENT PROMO – Lease a Multi-Function Printer (call about special pricing for Physician Partners members)
- 100,000 service impressions (toner, parts, labor, & onsite repair – all included!)
- Prints 35 pages per minute
- Color network scanning
- Black and white network printing and copying (up to 35ppm)
- 80 sheet automatic high speed doc feeder
- Fax
**If this package isn’t right for you, BCS is ready to put together individual custom packages for all members.
For more details & information about BCS and their solutions for healthcare practices, please contact –
Beth Reed | Business Development Director
Scripps Mercy Physician Partners & Physician Resource Center
(619) 359-6600
[email protected]
Dr. Ted Mazer Prepares for Big Changes as CMA President-Elect
December 12, 2016
The health care landscape undoubtedly faces big changes under a new administration. Read an edited version of Dr. Mazer’s talk with the UT-San Diego about health policy and his new role as president-elect of the California Medical Association.
Read the U-T San Diego article: Dr. Ted Mazer becomes state leader amid changing health care landscape
Dr. Ted Mazer becomes state leader amid changing health care landscape
By Paul Sisson | December 11, 2016
Dr. Ted Mazer knew for some time that he would likely become president-elect of the California Medical Association this fall and then president a year later.
What he couldn’t foresee was the high potential for major changes in federal health-care policy that would affect California and other states. That possibility is indeed high as President-elect Donald Trump and the Republican-led Congress look to reshape the Affordable Care Act.
Click here to read more…
Original Post By: U-T San Diego
Physician Resource Center Welcomes New Billing & Coding Partner!
November 2, 2016
We are pleased to announce that PhySource Solutions, a local Billing and Coding firm serving San Diego physicians for 15 years, has joined the Physician Resource Center.
Exclusive Rates for Billing Services
- Full Revenue Cycle Management Services
- Practice Management / Scheduling Software at no additional cost (no more subscription fees!)
- E-Eligibility
- Full staff training and implementation
Special Coding Rates
Special coding rates are offered to Physician Partners members. Whether you need assistance with coding and billing for in-office or hospital procedures, PhySource can meet your requirements and exceed your expectations. E&M coding services are also available upon request.
Our Providers Spoke, We Listened!
- You’re working harder
- You’re getting paid less
PhySource has uniquely tailored its business model to address each of the pain points plaguing private practice today. Physicians are finding it harder to cover their overhead expenses while running a profitable business with a healthy bottom line. Whether you need assistance with coding knowledge/services or workflow review and overhaul, we have the expertise and resources necessary to ensure prosperity for you and your practice.
We understand change may scare some, but oftentimes change is necessary to get your practice on the right path toward financial stability. Give us a call today to see how partnering with PhySource can finally put an end to the pitfalls preventing you from getting paid!
– Patti Rosbrook, President and CEO
For more details about billing and coding services provided by PhySource Solutions, please contact –
Matthew Perry, Director of Marketing and Sales
PhySource Solutions
(888) 423-8904, ext 310
[email protected]
Company Records: How Long Should You Keep Them?
November 1, 2016
by Paragon Accountants
Any business’s company records are a crucial part of managing and maintaining a successful company. Not only do they provide detailed hiring practices and compliance with regulations, they ultimately show the amount of taxes a business owes.
So, how long should these records be kept? Well, it depends.
Take a look at the following types of business records to know just how long you should keep them:
Employment records, including resumes, job applications, personnel files, human resources records, etc. should be kept for at least 3 years, depending on the amount of employees. An employee’s record should be kept for the entirety of the time they’re hired, and at least 7 years after they leave. In the event of a workplace injury, keep the record for 10 years.
Financial and operational records– This includes bank and credit card statements, invoices, and sales records, which all be kept for at least 7 years. While the records are not directly related to filing tax returns each year, these types of records are ideal to have on hand in the event of an IRS audit.
Ownership records should be kept forever. Examples include any documentation of ownership of business assets, as well as title deeds and sales contracts.
Payroll tax records -including timesheets and employee info- should be kept for at least 4 years after the return was filed or the day in which the taxes were paid.
It always a good rule of thumb to keep your records organized and easily accessible for tax purposes, but you definitely don’t want to bog yourself down with unnecessary paperwork past its lifespan.
Still have questions about record keeping for your business? Get in touch with Paragon, we’ll help you stay on the right track!
Contact:
Paragon Accountants
[email protected]
(619) 658-9799
14% of Our Physicians Named ‘Top Docs’ in 2016 Survey
October 5, 2016
Congratulations to physicians named “2016 – Top Doctors” in the annual San Diego Magazine “Physicians of Exceptional Excellence” survey!
Nearly 100 Scripps Mercy Physician Partners members have been recognized, many of whom have made the list several times before.
Anesthesiology
Lars Newsome, MD
Kevin Toliver, MD
Cardiovascular Disease
Bruce Kimura, MD
Matthew Lucks, MD
Critical Care Medicine
Julian Lichter, MD
Dermatology
Vishakha Gigler, MD
Judith Koperski, MD
Alice Liu, MD
Sherry Rotunda, MD
Robert Scheinberg, MD
Susan Shimomaye, MD
Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
Daniel Einhorn, MD
Paul Speckart, MD
Family Medicine
Jeffrey Anthony, DO
Douglas Dengerink, DO
Michelle Look, MD
Richard Parker, DO
Rebeccah Rodriguez, DO
Stephen Rohrer, DO
Gastroenterology
Suja Dubois, MD
Robert Goldklang, MD
Ananthram Reddy, MD
General Surgery
Sunil Bhoyrul, MD
Adam Fierer, MD
Paul Hyde, MD
Cheryl Olson, MD
Mark Sherman, MD
Katayoun Toosie, MD
George Zorn, MD
Hematology
Steven Kossman, MD
Immunopathology
David Bylund, MD
Internal Medicine
Karen Jamison, MD
Brian Lenzkes, MD
Mark Mosson, MD
Katherine Nguyen, MD
Raymond Pigeon, MD
Venugopal Prabaker, MD
Howard Williams, MD
Interventional Cardiology
Martin Charlat, MD
Vimal Nanavati, MD
Medical Oncology
Pushpendu Banerjee, MD
Charles Redfern, MD
James Sinclair, MD
Neurological Surgery
Jeffrey Schweitzer, MD
Vikram Udani, MD
Neurology
Ian Purcell, MD
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Wendy Buchi, MD
Kim Bui, MD
Valerie Gafori, MD
Laurie Greenberg, MD
Heather Gunnarson, MD
Keerti Gurushanthaiah, MD
Colleen McNally, MD
Lauren Robertson, MD
Ophthalmology
Srinivas Iyengar, MD
Atul Jain, MD
Mark Smith, MD
Orthopaedic Surgery
Maneesh Bawa, MD
Christopher Behr, MD
David Dalstrom, MD
Larry Dodge, MD
Ben DuBois, MD
David Fabi, MD
David Hackley, MD
Peter Hanson, MD
Franz Kopp, MD
Bryan Leek, MD
Ralph Rynning, MD
Peter Wile, MD
Otolaryngology
Perry Mansfield, MD
Theodore Mazer, MD
Michael O’Leary, MD
Brian Weeks, MD
Pediatric Endocrinology
Sherry Franklin, MD
Pediatrics
Stephen Carson, MD
Shannon Cheffet, DO
Angelo Del Re, MD
Shakha Gillin, MD
Tami Nakahara, MD
Lori Taylor, MD
Robert Warner, MD
Pulmonary Disease
Scott Eisman, MD
Radiation Oncology
Reza Shirazi, MD
Damon Smith, MD
Reproductive Endocrinology/Infertility
Arlene Morales, MD
Sports Medicine
Scott Evans, MD
Lee Ralph, MD
Frederick Richburg, MD
Surgery of the Hand
Richard Brown, MD
Surgical Critical Care
Vishal Bansal, MD
Urology
Stephen Bridge, MD
Edward Cohen, MD
Carol Salem, MD
OSHA Consultation & Training in San Diego
August 1, 2016
Cal/OSHA provides free consultations to all employers with more than one employee in the state of CA. They do NOT enforce or report results or findings to enforcement. They will review your site, your records and any other pertinent information for free and give you recommendations based on the analysis.
If you are an employer who wishes to obtain assistance from Cal/OSHA Consultation, or want to learn more about what services are available, you can do so by calling the toll-free assistance number, 1(800) 963-9424. If you want to arrange an on-site visit or obtain technical information, you can contact the Cal/OSHA Consultation area office nearest your workplace or you can email CalOHSA at [email protected].
CalOSHA also hosts free training seminars for injury and illness prevention each month. Classes in San Diego are held at:
7575 Metropolitan Drive, Ste. 204
San Diego, CA 92108
To register simply call (619) 767-2060.
1st Wednesday Classes:
- Injury Illness Prevention Program Training
(8:30am to 10am ) English
- Injury Illness Prevention Program Training
(10:30am to Noon ) Spanish
The Rose Group Launches TRG Workplace Investigations
June 22, 2016
The Rose Group APLC is pleased to announce that we have launched TRG WORKPLACE INVESTIGATIONS, as a division of The Rose Group, APLC.
Over the years, The Rose Group has conducted numerous workplace investigations for private, public and non-profit employers of all sizes, throughout California or elsewhere in the United States. We are routinely hired by employers directly, or as the result of referrals from their go-to employment litigation defense firms (who do not conduct investigations for their clients to avoid disqualification from defending any related litigation). Our investigations allow employers to make informed decisions which may reduce the likelihood of litigation, and could significantly limit an employer’s liability for the underlying conduct.
As the demand for our investigation services has expanded, we have given much thought to how to best position ourselves to meet this growing interest in our investigative services.
Through TRG WORKPLACE INVESTIGATIONS, The Rose Group is enhancing our capabilities to conduct thorough and unbiased internal workplace investigations for private, public and non-profit employers of all sizes, in any location in California or elsewhere in the United States. As an added plus, TRG WORKPLACE INVESTIGATIONS is able to conduct investigations in both English and Spanish.
The principals of TRG WORKPLACE INVESTIGATIONS are employment law specialists Ken Rose and Robert Rose. Ken and Robert undertake high-level sensitive investigations that are best handled by independent seasoned employment lawyers. They are experienced investigators who understand the issues and employment laws, and they can obtain the facts objectively without the emotional involvement. Ken and Robert gather and analyze detailed facts through interviews and document review and provide sound, reasoned conclusions. Their legal training, interpersonal and interview skills, temperament, extensive employment law knowledge, and experience litigating employment lawsuits, provide the framework for investigations that are impartial, objective, thorough and prompt.
We conduct investigations covering a broad scope of workplace issues:
- EEO COMPLAINTS: TRG WORKPLACE INVESTIGATIONS will investigate whether unlawful discrimination, harassment, or retaliation has occurred.
- EMPLOYEE MISCONDUCT: TRG WORKPLACE INVESTIGATIONS will investigate whether there is a reasonable, good faith, and honest basis, to believe that misconduct occurred and that “just cause or “good cause” exists for taking adverse employment actions.
- WHISTLEBLOWER AND SARBANES-OXLEY COMPLAINTS: TRG WORKPLACE INVESTIGATIONS will investigate complaints by internal whistleblowers who report alleged illegal activity occurred within their company.
- UNETHICAL CONDUCT: TRG WORKPLACE INVESTIGATIONS will investigate whether employees have engaged in alleged or suspected unlawful and/or unethical conduct for which the employer or management officials can be held responsible.
- WAGE LAW COMPLIANCE AND COMPLAINTS: TRG WORKPLACE INVESTIGATIONS will investigate claims that an employer has violated California and federal wage and hour laws including claims for overtime, for failure to provide mandated meal and rest breaks, and charges of employees being misclassified as independent contractors.
Our investigations are unbiased, unemotional, comprehensive and structured to allow employers to make informed decisions which may reduce the likelihood of litigation, and could significantly limit an employer’s liability for the underlying conduct. Our investigation reports are of excellent quality and written with the expectation that the employer may need to present our report as evidence at a potential trial. In the end, we provide the employers’ decision-makers with information critical to make the hard decisions.
Employers who retain TRG WORKPLACE INVESTIGATIONS’ independent investigators eliminate the appearance of impropriety and minimize the likelihood for accusations of a pre-determined outcome being made by the complainant or subjects of the investigation. We structure our investigations to avoid actual conflicts of interest, minimize perceived conflicts of interest, and preserve attorney-client and work product privileges.
We take pride in being available 24/7 when necessary. Our investigators have a track record of conducting investigations on short notice and otherwise accommodating time sensitive requests from the employers who engage their services.
We structure our engagement agreements with employers to preserve attorney-client and work product privileges, leaving the employer with latitude to determine whether and when to waive those privileges.
TRG WORKPLACE INVESTIGATIONS recognizes that there are many considerations facing employers when choosing an investigator. Through the article below, we share our thoughts on the legal and practical reasons as well as the strategic advantages for hiring an employment lawyer experienced in conducting workplace investigations.
For an in depth breakdown on the importance of well executed, unbiased workplace investigations, we recommend you read our newest article, entitled WHEN SHOULD EMPLOYERS USE INDEPENDENT EMPLOYMENT LAW SPECIALISTS TO CONDUCT WORKPLACE INVESTIGATIONS?
For more information about TRG WORKPLACE INVESTIGATIONS, please visit our new website, http://www.rosegroup.us/workplace-investigations
ABOUT THE ROSE GROUP
The Rose Group, APLC was founded in June 2006 by San Diego, California-based employment law specialist Ken Rose. The Rose Group is a boutique firm dedicated to providing cost-effective, practical advice and counsel to employers and employees on domestic and international employment law matters and in related litigation. The Rose Group is often called upon to conduct sensitive workplace investigations. In addition, through Rose Mediation www.rosemediation.us, Ken Rose serves as a neutral mediator and arbitrator in employment law and other civil litigation matters. Ken Rose is listed in the 2014 Who’s Who Legal: Management, Labour & Employment, as well as the 2015 San Diego Super Lawyers. The Rose Group recently added attorney Robert Rose to the practice, and moved its San Diego offices to 10021 Willow Creek Road, Suite 200, San Diego, CA 92131.
The Successful Contracting Campaign
May 23, 2016
PREPARATION – EVALUATION – NEGOTIATION – DOCUMENT REVIEW – IMPLEMENTATION – REVIEW
By: Kena Galvan | Absolute Solutions
Contracting takes time. The proven steps to a successful Contracting Campaign:
- PREPARATION includes gathering all contracts, scanning the documents, and then creating a spreadsheet of key terms. It is rare for a practice to have all their contracts accessible and many will need to be obtained from the payors themselves. As we gather the documents they need to be scanned. Both the preparation time and scanning time are considered Administrative and can be performed by our staff or yours. Once the documents are scanned a Skilled Associate will review the documents, extrapolate the pertinent terms and summarize on the Payor Contract Matrix. This task is best served by our staff as their experience guarantees accuracy and expediency.
- EVALUATION consists of reviewing the Payor Contract Matrix and your Billing Data to design a Contracting Strategy specific to your practice. The Contracting Strategy’s objective is to identify the Leverage (what makes your practice special), define the plan-of-attack using objective criteria, as well as set contracting goals. It is an evolving document, updated at least annually, to reflect on the ever changing needs and trends. The Contracting Strategy is drafted by our Contracting Experts and then fine-tuned with you and/or your physicians.
- NEGOTIATION combines data, market trends, Leverage, and payor relationships. Some negotiations take two weeks, others take six months. There is no way to predict the time frame as we are often at the mercy of the payors. If stagnant, we will evaluate the termination option to force the payor into action. Negotiations are managed by our Contracting Experts; however it is common to enlist an outraged physician who can pine about ridiculous underpayments or a physician who has good relationships with board members. We Leverage what we have to obtain the best outcome.
- DOCUMENT REVIEW is crucial to ensure the deal you thought you struck is what you end up with on paper. It also includes reviewing key terms for crucial items such as claims submission, appeal time frames, termination. This is handled by our Contracting Experts.
- IMPLEMENTATION is a team effort and requires collaboration from everyone. Our Contracting Experts and Skilled Associates will update the Payor Contract Matrix and educate your billing and management teams on implementation. This may involve your software support to load fee schedules as well. The payments will be monitored closely after implementation to ensure the payor implemented on their side correctly.
- REVIEW is the ongoing process of monitoring the results of your Contracting Strategy. It is recommended a summary audit is completed to measure the results at quarterly intervals on an ongoing basis. The Review is performed by our Billing Optimization Team.
Common Contracting Terms:
- Billing Data – the data generated from your billing system providing reports, claims data and payor responses.
- Contracting Strategy – The written plan-of-attack to manage your contracts.
- Leverage – What makes you and your practice special.
- Payor Contract Matrix – the master document containing the key components to each of your contracts which should include, rates, effective dates, term and termination provisions, billing limits, appeal time frames and other nuances specific to your agreement.
- Review – The process documented in the Contracting Strategy of looking back at the impact and effectiveness of your actions.
Questions or Comments?
Contact Kena Galvan ([email protected]) at Absolute Solutions (858-256-0351) for more information.
Absolute Solutions is a full-service medical billing and consulting company dedicated to the healthcare industry. We are committed to surpassing your expectations by assessing the state-of-affairs, developing clear and attainable goals coupled with innovative implementation plans to increase efficiency, streamline operations, and add value resulting in a maximized bottom line.
Employee law expert weighs in on new OT laws, potential minimum wage increase
May 20, 2016
Important Laws that Would Increase the Local Minimum Wage, and Raise the Minimum Base Salary for Exempt Employees
By: Robert Rose | The Rose Group, APLC
California employers are subject to both the federal and California wage and hour laws. Also, local entities (cities and counties) are allowed to enact minimum wage rates which establish a higher minimum wage rate for employees working within their local jurisdiction. The effect of this multiple coverage by different levels of government is that, California employers must follow the strictest wage laws; that is, California employers must comply with the federal, State, and local wage laws that give the most protection to employees.
If the following pending proposed changes to the wage and hour laws go into effect, San Diego employers, including medical practices, will have to make some adjustments, to the extent their current pay practices would no longer be totally complaint with applicable laws.
MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE
Currently, the California hourly minimum wage rate is $10.00, which took effect on January 1, 2016. On June 7, 2016, City of San Diego voters will vote on the City Council’s proposed minimum wage increase ordinance. If the voters approve, the minimum wage for workers in San Diego will immediately increase to $10.50 per hour, and further increase to $11.50 per hour in January 2017. Please take note of this pending development if you employ any workers at minimum wage.
INCREASE IN MINIMUM SALARY FOR EXEMPT EMPLOYEES
Currently, to be salaried exempt in California, an employee must fit the statutory definition for executive, professional and administrative employees, AND earn a minimum salary of two times the California minimum wage (based on a 40 hour workweek) –which amounts to $41,600 a year. Salaried workers properly classified by their employers as exempt are not entitled to weekly or daily overtime compensation regardless of the number of hours they work each week. On December 1, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor will increase to $47,476 the minimum salary to qualify a position as exempt under federal wage laws. Employers who want to maintain the exempt status of any employees earning below the new federal minimum salary for exempt employee will need to raise the minimum salary paid to those workers or convert them to hourly workers eligible for overtime pay. Please take note of this development if you employ any workers on a salaried exempt basis who are paid a salary below $47,476.
Contact Ken Rose ([email protected]) and Robert Rose ([email protected]) at The Rose Group (619.822.1088) should you need expert guidance for complying with these important legal developments.
The Rose Group is a San Diego based Law Firm specializing in Labor and Employment Law. We regularly consult with medical practices and other businesses on compliance with the myriad of federal and California employment laws, including the wage and hour laws.
The Best Team – What is it really worth?
March 23, 2016
By: Kena Galvan, Absolute Solutions
In the medical practice we are often so focused on taking care of the many patients waiting for our services we forget to step back and look at ourselves as a business. We recently took some time for this internal evaluation. A focus on building the best team was at the top of my To-Do list. As mid-January rolled around, I realized I must actually put some planning behind this ideal. This is how it all rolled out.
I started with four simple questions:
- Why “The Best Team”?
- What does “The Best Team” look like?
- How to engage the staff?
- What indicates these efforts are working?
Why “The Best Team”? This one was easy for me. I want the best results and I know that starts with the best group of people I can find. Skills are important, but attitude surpasses skill any day. I evaluated the team in place and felt pretty confident. We have a good group to build on.
Now I need to determine what “The Best Team” looks like. Those obvious cliché terms of collaboration and excellent customer service were just that, obvious. But what creates an environment that fosters those behaviors? I went back to the Company Values: Do the Right Thing; Put Forth our Best Efforts; Team; Confidence; We All Succeed.
Engaging the staff was next and I knew my goal was to create an environment where even though we all have to go to work, we enjoy being at work. I scheduled one lunch date per week with a staff member. The goals were simple: What works and doesn’t work in your professional and personal life? How can I work with you to improve what doesn’t work and capitalize on what does? What are your goals and how can I support you in reaching your goals? It was a fascinating and fun couple months. I learned things I didn’t know about my team and we are stronger for their openness and honesty. There were many more common threads among the team than I realized. Another set of building blocks to build upon.
Client success and happy employees directly link to the successfulness of “The Best Team”. Our clients attest to their success. Our employees comment regularly on their enjoyment of their job and being at work.
The Practical’s of Building the Best Team.
Getting to know – really KNOW one another. We budgeted $35 per person to use as monthly Fun Money. What we do is determined by a member of the team each month. We have thus far had a fancy lunch out, spent an evening at the Zoo, enjoyed Thai Massage, Manicures, Facials, left early on a hot Friday, enjoyed a play at the Civic Theater, and the list goes on. Fun Money has been fantastic. It generates excitement in the office and it fosters friendships and camaraderie outside the office. We all know it is easier to overlook little frustrations and help a friend versus “just a coworker”. Fun Money builds these bridges.
Education. Through those valuable lunch meetings, I learned many of the personal issues were similar for members of the team. Budget was a big one – I had three employees tell me their recent raises were absorbed into their day-to-day and they don’t feel them at all. Several commented on wanting to learn about credit scores and finances. I invited my banker to come and speak with the team on banking, budgeting and taking charge of your credit. He did an excellent job of breaking it down in simple terms. Everyone learned something and appreciated the info session. They also realized that I care about them as people and support them personally. We continued our education this year with communication – how to communicate better – and we’ve used staff meeting time to watch videos to support our goals.
Summer Hours. Many of us would love an extra day off during the week – to catch up on chores, avoid commuting, decrease child care costs or to simply have fun. We created an opt-in program to allow employees to work four- ten hour days, or a modified schedule, during the summer. The flexibility supports employee desires without impacting the overall workflow.
Goals & Bonus Program. We set goals each month for every client. The goal setting process is time consuming as it needs to be attainable and challenging, finite and clear. The difference this year is the Bonus Program – and wow what a difference! If every client meets their goal and the total collection goal is met, the each team member receives a bonus. If the goals are met three months in a row, they receive an extra bonus. And it goes on from there. The collaboration is no longer a cliché; it is a tangible effort visible and palpable every day.
To develop your own Best Team, start with the four questions. If you need help, we will be happy to help you customize a plan that works within the confines of your company needs.
Contact:
Kena Galvan
Absolute Solutions
CEO/Founder
858-256-0351
[email protected]
