Doctors Can Your Staff Write An Appeal Letter

Doctors Can Your Staff Write An Appeal Letter

I know this sounds weird but the truth of the matter is most people cannot write a letter; especially, an appeal letter. 

When I was working in a doctor’s office I worked in a four-story building with all doctors. One day I needed to write a letter and decided to check the office next door to see what kind of letters they write. 

To my surprise, the office manager told me they do not send letters not collection letters to the patients or letters to the insurance companies for payment. I was shocked. I decided to try other offices on my floor and I found out the same information.

I went back to my office and I wrote the letter of appeal to the insurance company. The doctor I worked for had just purchased a new computer with software and I asked the software technician if they have any collection or appeal letters for their customers to use.

 He said, “No.”

I then proceeded to write collection letters for my doctor and also appeal letters. I asked the software technician if he wanted a copy of the letters for their software company.

He said, “Yes.” I didn’t charge them but I thought this was something which was needed.

Later I was working in a large hospital billing office and to my surprise, I found out that appeal letters were not written correctly. I was then asked by my supervisor to write up sample appeal letters and put them on a CD and let the other members of the department use them.

This is why my two books were written. Fight Your Medical Insurance Nightmares. Let me show you how.

Appeal/Collection Letters For Medical Providers.

Doctor’s if your appeal letters are getting denied it is probably because of the way the appeal letter was written.  Try reading some of the letters which were denied and then read my books.  The Insurance Companies will pay you.

Linda Meckler author, copyright 2017

Medical Providers, You Can Get Paid

Do you think because you are a medical provider you are automatically paid when you bill the medical insurance companies? 

The insurance companies come up with reasons not to pay your insurance claims.

Your staff the people who work in your office and the ones which bill the insurance companies will need to be on top of every piece of paper or Explanation of Benefits (EOB) received from the insurance companies. This is where the detective work is to be able to read and decipher what the denials mean. These denials are the blueprint into how to get your insurance claims paid.

It sounds like such an easy thing to say and do but in reality it isn’t. I was once on a job interview and the woman who was interviewing me asked if I was organized.

I said, “Yes.”

She then proceeded to tell me that the person who was handling insurance billing and follow-up for that medical practice was sticking every piece of paper received from the insurance companies in a big garbage bag. This was the reason the medical practice was not making any money because without following up on the EOB’s there isn’t any payment. The question was what would I do with the EOB’s which were still in the garbage bag and still coming in daily.

My answer was this, “I would alphabetize all the EOB’s in a folder. There was more than one denial for each patient. These all needed to be chronologically put in order by name and date of service.”

She did not like my answer but to be truthful I didn’t know how else to solve the problem. The EOB by the patient’s name and date of service will explain to you line by line why the claim was not paid.

Now everything is electronically online and can be looked up by insurance company patient’s name and date of service to find out this information. The EOB’s still come into the office and if they are read and taken care of immediately there will be a cash flow into the medical office.

Linda Meckler, author copyright 2017

Emergency Rooms Here We Come

It makes sense to me if medical insurance is going to be disbanded and it looks like it will and millions of people are out of luck what is the next step. 

I would suggest the Emergency Rooms gear up big time for the influx of thousands of patients if there isn’t any place for them to go for healthcare.

Since the people who will be losing their insurance who are people who can’t afford the high cost of the insurance where else will they go? To the Emergency Rooms. 

Most of the people running to the ER will not be able to pay for their medical care. This will put a huge hole in the hospitals income and many hospitals will have to close.

There isn’t any simple solution to this situation. Maybe, it is time to try something else. Universal Healthcare.

Take the insurance companies greed out of the health insurance game and give the control of your treatment back to the doctor’s not the insurance companies.

Linda Meckler copyright 2017

Have you asked the Doctors what they think about the Trump Insurance Plan?

I have worked in several medical offices over the last several years, and also have been a patient in several of them. I do know how a doctor’s office works. Let me ask you a question. Do you honestly believe a doctor (specialist) would accept a new patient in his office if the patient had no way to pay for any testing or a surgery? I am trying just like you to understand how this insurance is going to work.

From what I understand a person or family which requests this help must pay up front and when their taxes are completed and submitted he/she will get reimbursed $4,000 dollars. If a person sees a specialist and MRI, CT Scan, X-rays, Lab Work would more than eat up the $4,000 before any surgery is ever performed.

This insurance is supposed to be for the people who cannot afford insurance. How are they going to come up with money in advance?

The specialist will not be able to see the person with this kind of insurance or does not have any insurance (this could be included in this kind of insurance). 

What is wrong with this picture when the Republicans have suddenly without really studying how medical insurance works wants to make such a drastic change which will not help anybody.

Please for once ask the medical doctors and their billing staff what they think should be done. Everybody is entitled to medical care.

 Evidently, millions of families are on Obama Care and it is working for them. Taking this away without anything to replace it would be devastating. If Obama Care has faults why don’t you fix a program which is already up and running?

If I am wrong please comment. I would love to hear from you. We need to get the public speaking out about this before it is too late.

Linda Meckler copyrighted 2017

Author,   Fight Your Medical Insurance Nightmares!! Let me show you how.

Medicare is Disconnected

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How Medicare Really Works

Horror Story

Have you ever needed your Medical Insurance and it hasn't been there for you? Without knowing how the rules work it hits you smack between the eyes when you actual try to move within the insurance system.

This is my recent story. When I became Medicare eligible eight years ago I picked my Medicare Insurance (HMO) Health Maintenance Organization plan and (PCP) Primary Care Physician. I decided to change my PCP recently without thought to the consequences. This is what happened. I did not change my HMO Plan it stayed the same, but my new PCP was in a different Medical Group. The insurance, on the whole, will run the same way or so I thought.

I recently had eye surgery and my eye had cleared up and was back to normal. I forgot about my eye and the special care it had required. After I had seen my new (PCP) I suddenly had eye pain, swelling and redness in the eye I had surgery in. Since it was late at night I went to the Emergency Room and found out it was a Cornea Abrasion. The ER Doctor flushed my eye and gave me antibiotic drops and drops of the pain. I was told to make an appointment with my eye surgeon ASAP.

The next morning I called my eye surgeon and found this out. He was not on the Medical Group I was now on. He was still on the HMO Plan but not the Medical Group and did not plan to become a provider for this Medical Group. If I wanted to see the eye specialist I would have to pay for my visit since it did not have anything to do with my recent eye surgery even though it was the same eye.

I was told to call my new (PCP). I did I immediately called my new Primary Care Doctor and because I had recently been in to see him I was told, Susan, would start working on a referral for me to see a new eye specialist it would take at least a week.

Note: Even if I would have paid for the visit to the eye specialist who had performed my eye surgery he could not have given me a prescription or performed any kind of procedure. I was out of luck since I was not on the medical group that he was registered with.

This ladies and gentlemen is how our Medical System Works. Would you call this a broken system?

Let me hear from you. Let me hear your horror stories.

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Why Wood or Tile Floors Is Healthier Than Carpeting

I recently had the experience to replace old worn out carpeting with wooden floors. I knew this was a much healthier alternative than replacing carpeting but until I saw the reason with my own eyes, the reason finally sunk in. I didn’t need my eyes to see the floor underneath in dirt, but the smell hit me in the nose big time.

When you have carpeting, it gets dirty and dusty. It gets covered with animal hair. It gets wet from spilled drinks. All we can do with the carpeting is vacuum it. Then periodically once a year or whenever you feel your carpeting is an eyesore you can hire a professional to come in and steam clean it or do it yourself.

With wooden or tile floors immediately I knew the difference. The floors do require more maintenance especially if you have pets, but the floors are definitely cleaner.

They can be dry moped daily or whenever and wet mopped once a week. In this way, the dirt and dust will disappear

 and the animal hair is under control.  Using a steam cleaner will work even better. It really cleans the floors, shines and sanitizes them without toxic chemicals.

When you remove your carpeting take a whiff of the odor which is reeking from the padding. Look at all the dust and dirt which has collected underneath the carpeting after being on the floor for years.

If you have members of your family with asthma, allergies or upper respiratory problems wood floors which require no glue is the answer.

I will say when you have a wood or tile floor it is recommended for you to wear shoes at all times. It is better for your legs, feet and your whole body.

Even with padding underneath the flooring it is still hard. It is a small adjustment to make wearing shoes when you are not used to them in your home.

Thank you for reading my article. Please feel free to read any of my numerous articles on many different subjects.

Copyright Linda E. Meckler 2007 updated 2013, updated 2017

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Friendship Is Magic

There is such a thing as friendship and there is such a thing as being taken advantage of.

Yes it is nice to have friends come over and make plans and do things with. Isn’t that what life is about. Loneliness is terrible and it can lead us to do things we normally wouldn’t do. But when you feel that your friends are starting to take advantage of you. Something has to change.

1.       Start speaking up for yourself. No means no. Start saying it when you feel you are being moved like a chess piece.

2.       Friendship is a two-way street.

3.       When you start implementing boundaries in your friendship it will be a more give and take relationship.

4.       Friendships are magic. They need to be cultivated just like any other relationship.

5.       Keep it healthy. If you are getting upset with you friends speak up. After all you have left this situation go on and on. Now is the time to stop it in a nice way.

6.       Your friend probably didn’t know how upset you were becoming since you’ve never said anything before. But now you are and stick by what you say.

7.       Your friendship will either grow or end.

8.       When friendship works it is magic.

Use common sense when you have a problem with a close friend. Don’t forget your friend can’t read your mind.

Author, Linda Meckler

Copyright Linda Meckler 2012 updated 2017

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Wedding Planning

When there is a wedding in the family many questions and meetings need to be held to find out what kind of wedding, how exclusive, expensive or inexpensive. Here are some hints or suggestions whichever you need in your time of crisis and excitment.

The Venue

The venue is where is this wedding going to take place.
Date
Time
Address
With information the next step is:

The Invitations

How do you want your guests to respond
1. By having them return a card.
2. By phone call.
3. By e-mail
What ever way you decide you need a head count.

The Lists

The names and address of all to be invited.

If to many, start eliminating.

Everything to be done. Even things you had never thought of.

Everything to be purchased.
Everything you want to make.

Etc.

The Bridal Dress

 It’s not just the bridal dress it’s the undergarments. The shoes the jacket the jewelry, and of course you can’t forget the fittings. The bridal stores have a rope around your neck everything is there right at your fingertips. When you leave the store you are sweating and hyperventilating and poor for the next five years.

You don’t have to use the bridal store for all of this. If you have the time, nerves, shop around it’s a good way to open your mind to new things.

The Maid of Honor and Other Dresses

Decisions need to be made upon the color and the dress the women in the bridal party will wear. This can become a combative zone if there are disagreements.
It is also the maid of honors duty to execute a bridal shower for the beaming bride to be.

Best Man and Other's

These are the women's escorts and they must match and look enticing also. They can rent their tuxedos, suits and shoes at the same place so they look alike. It is accepted now a days for the men to wear black pants a white shirt and a tie no jacket.  You pick the what is appropriate for your wedding.
Also it is the best mans pleasure to have a bachelor party for the groom and the men of the wedding.

The Caterer

The next huge expense is the menu. What are you going to eat and how many are going to be there. Of course, you can do this yourself if you can cook and have family or friends to help. If doing yourself don’t forget the cleanup.

Flowers

Flowers add elegance, grace and color to the room. The bridal bouquet and all the other bouquet’s needed for the bridal party small to large depending upon the bride’s wishes. What kind of flowers, what colors? Will the flowers be fake or real? Real flowers die but the silk are gorgeous and if taken care of properly last forever. These can be made up ahead of time and less stress and hassle on the big day.

More later on the planning and execution of the big day. Don't forget the camera.
At my daughter's wedding is all silk flowers and a friend is putting them together in bouquets and table arrangements. They are going to be gorgeous and really beautify the room.

Photographer

This is another huge expense. 
Do you have friends coming to the wedding which are good at taking photos.
Make a list of all the photos you want to have clicked.
This is a special occasion family and friends you haven't seen or heard of for years will show up and you don't want to miss this.
Or you can hire a professional photographer. There are choices for you to make during the entire wedding planning frenzy.

MC

You will need someone to MC the evening by announcing the various items on your list to be check off.
This can be family or friend. Somebody you are comfortable with. 
My daughter, the bride, found a website where you can download the music in order of which it will play into you Iphone. This will be connected into the microphone.

Band, DJ or other

The music is another list item. How are you going to make music.
You must take into consideration where your venue is, the size of the guests and the amount of space to dance.

Out Of Town Guests

No they can't all stay at my home. I wish they could but there isn't enough room. 
Hotels nearby are a must. 

The Rehearsal Dinner

This is usually the night before. Everybody meets at the Venue and go through the line up. It's also a time where you can decorate the room. Then off to a restaurant which can accommodate the entire cast and crew of the wedding.
This is expensive and it is the grooms side of the family who are supposed to foot the bill. But when this is too expensive the bridal party can pay for its own dinner or not. This is for you to struggle with.

The big day is slamming into me fast. I will let you know how it went.

Linda Meckler, Author copyright 2017.

Hot Topic Medical Insurance How It Works

While the new people in the White House scramble to change a complex subject as Medical Insurance first you have to understand how it works. If you don't know the nuts and bolts how can you fix it?  

Medical Insurance works by contracts from Insurance Companies. The insurance companies control the medical professional and hold on to the purse strings of your medical care. 

My book, Linda Meckler, Author