HEALTHCARE B2B DIGITAL MARKETING & PRACTICE GROWTH

Healthcare providers are perennial learners. From inconsequential drivel to an information powerhouse, Twitter has come a long way. Being a versatile tool, your practice can use Twitter for healthcare business to enhance online visibility. Apart from being a Social Media Platform, healthcare practices can incorporate Twitter to reach the masses and be informative at the same time.

1) Twitter Provides Flexibility The ethical implications of patient consulting make healthcare businesses prefer a human-centered communication style. Perhaps because of its global networking ability, healthcare professionals are migrating towards Twitter as they can connect seamlessly with patients and other medical professionals. The flexibility it provides allows care providers to create a personalized digital community of like-minded people.

WANT TO UTILIZE SOCIAL MEDIA FOR INCREASED PATIENT ENGAGEMENT? CONTACT US

2) How to utilize Twitter Twitter allows Healthcare Professionals to harness their knowledge and skill-set in resolving arising patient’s problems and stay engaged most economiy. --- ###

It is an essential part of the Medical Practice to have online visibility in today’s healthcare industry. In addition, it becomes difficult to drive patients to practices if Medical Practitioners do not have online visibility. Besides providing quality care to patients, it is crucial for healthcare providers to have a strong presence on the Internet. Crafting a strong Digital Marketing Strategy for your practice will help patients to find you easily. Also, it increases the chances of driving more patients to your practice. Besides having great visibility online, your practice needs to attract visitors from your geographic location.

1) Elements to Improve Search Engine Rankings Making the content according to the interests of the patients is important to boost search rankings. Also, integrating the relevant keywords based on research in the content can make your practice relevant and relatable. In addition, try to focus on your competit1ors and see what they are offering on their websites. Offering a service different from competitors which adds value in the patient’s life can help you stand out. Secondly, your practice should be linked with other practices online to build brand reputation. Also, it increases your authority, effectiveness and makes your practice boost rankings. Lastly, having a Verified Google Business Profile with quality patient reviews depicts a positive picture of your practice.

2) Optimize the Website of Your Medical Practice

3) What Content to Publish on Your Website Once the website of your Medical Practice is ready, it is the time you add the content which patients are looking for. You must have a page which shows the information about your company, you can name it the About Us page or anything you like. Also, it should be the place to let patients know about your practice story. Besides this page, your healthcare website should consist of a page where you can put contact details. In addition, this page will help patients to reach you. Try to mention contact details in the form of a phone number or . Another page you should be creating is the Services page, which shows every service you provide in detail. Use relevant keywords in this section that can drive patients to your site. Also, add testimonials on your website to show that your patients are satisfied with the quality care you provide.

4) Final Thoughts --- ###

Medical billing in ambulatory surgery centers differs from regular physician billing or healthcare facility billing. ASC billing necessitates adherence to specialized guidelines for reimbursements. Furthermore, ASC coding and billing are also independent of medical facilities. As the ASCs cater to every specialty in one place, their coding systems do not center on any specific type of services, diagnoses, or procedures. Moreover, it doesn’t mean that your team will have to re-learn a new set of codes for ASC billing, or even new billing techniques. At the same time, what makes ASC billing massively different from hospital billing is billing the hospital codes via a CMS-1500 claim form, which is not a facility claim form. Electronic medical billing requires access to the PHI (protected health information) for accurately carrying out billing procedures. Accuracy of the medical billing services is vital to receiving proper payments for the treatment provided by healthcare practitioners. While healthcare billing companies are not covered entities, they are still contracted as business associates, which fall under HIPAA regulations. So, is billing information protected under HIPAA? Yes, billing information is protected under HIPAA. But how does HIPAA compliance in medical billing work? -We will discuss more on that later; first, let’s elaborate more on:

Protected Health Information Under HIPAA Title II of the HIPAA applies to healthcare billing companies. It directs proper usage and disclosure of PHI (protected health information), simplifying claims and billing processing.

HIPAA Compliance in Medical Billing Under the HIPAA, the patient billing information does fall under the PHI. While the other types of PHI also include information regarding an individual’s mental or physical condition and the healthcare services/treatments they receive. Furthermore, payment and billing information becomes PHI when it is likely to link to a person/individual by any one of the known 18 identifiers. It is important to understand the importance of compliance in medical billing. Note: The 18 identifiers are elaborated later in the article.

The Privacy Rule and Billing Information Protected under HIPAA The HIPAA privacy rules ensure that a patient’s PHI remains covered – the rule creates parameters and terms for sharing or using such information without proper approvals from all stakeholders, mainly the patients. So, is billing information protected under HIPAA? Indeed, it also applies to the following:

1\. Health Plans The health plans for the context of privacy include: * Employers * Church * Government health plans * Multi-employers health plans

2\. Healthcare Practitioners The healthcare providers are covered under HIPAA privacy rules regardless of their size. The rules apply to anyone who transfers PHI electroniy. These include: * Referrals * Authorization * Insurance claims * Benefits of eligibility * Transactions #### Who are considered healthcare providers? The healthcare providers include: * Physicians * Institutional providers * Health or medical services * Dentists and other practitioners

3.Business Associates The business associates are the contractors or non-workforce members who might require access to the PHI. If you are a healthcare organization that needs to outsource its IT services, in such a case, you will need a proper business associate agreement. Such agreements are between a contractor or vendor and a healthcare practice to allow them access to sensitive data, like the billing information protected under HIPAA.

What billing information is protected under HIPAA? The protected health information is independently identifiable health information of a patient. It refers to a patient’s billing information protected under HIPAA and two other classes of data, including: A patient’s mental or physical condition or health. Past, present, and future provisioning of healthcare to a patient The past, present, and future billing information for healthcare provisioning for a person is also protected under HIPAA. The listed item number three answers the question is billing information protected under HIPAA. This also includes information on the following: * Insurance payments * Carriers * Payments * Billing statements * Receipts * Credit card numbers * Bank accounts * Other financial information, all of these are part of the billing information under HIPAA protection The payment or billing information must be connected to an individual identifier to be classified as PHI. For instance, a medical bill with a patient’s address can be traced to a specific person. There are some instances where these identifiers are rather indirect.

18 Identifiers for a Patient Any of these entities, when tied to healthcare payments, will constitute PHI: * Name * Address * All dates related to a person, including their: * Birth date * Admission date * Discharge date * Date of death * The exact age, if it is over 89 * Contact number * address * Medical record number * Account number * Fax number * Social Security number * Health plan beneficiary number * Photographic images * Certificate or license numbers * Vehicle or device serial number * Serial numbers or device identifiers * Web URLs * IP (Internet Protocol) address numbers * Voice or fingerprints * Other characteristics that can uniquely identify a person

Implications – HIPAA Violations are Expensive There is a reason why personal and billing information is protected under HIPAA, and as a healthcare practice, you must understand that HIPAA violations are a costly affair. HIPAA violations and data breaches are becoming increasingly common as hackers actively seek to steal PHI. Only between 2020 and 2021, healthcare data-related breaches have doubled. Such patient privacy violations are causing health plans, providers, and healthcare facilities millions of dollars yearly. This is in addition to the negative impacts on providers’ reputation and practice revenue.

Final Word - Outsourcing Medical Billing for Ensuring HIPAA Compliance

Frequently Asked Questions

Which information falls under the HIPAA privacy rule? The PHI includes the individually identifiable information governed by any entity relating to a person’s past, present, or future: * Mental or physical health condition * Billing information or payment for the treatment * Treatment for the condition, etc.

What is the security rule for HIPAA The security rule necessitates appropriate, physical, administrative, and technical safeguarding of public health information: * Integrity * Security * Confidentiality of ePHI (electronic protected health information)

What are the three rules of HIPAA? The three rules of HIPAA are: * Privacy rules * Breach Notification rules * Security Rules ---

📁 MIPS, MACRA & VALUE-BASED QUALITY PROGRAMS (5 ARTICLES) --- ###