Invoices paid by the Legal Services Commission
One MHM client provides expert reports for actions that are publicly funded i.e. invoices are passed to the Legal Services Commission. Scenario: Consider there are FOUR parties to an action, all of...
Setting Your Fees
Who really sets your fees? Most consultants, and certainly when they first start a private practice consider how best they can set their fees. In reality, however, it is not the consultant who sets...
Talking to an insurance company
There are certain items that are mandatory when you call a patient’s insurance company. Such requirements are dictated by the Data Protection Act and, put simply, it’s highly unlikely without the...
Not keeping accurate records
The normal item when I get asked to review a consultant’s invoicing process is the potential for weakness in the area of records on his/her part. The filing system Sometimes, I’m presented with a...
Benefits v Fees
The Difference This issue came up during a meeting with a consultant surgeon recently regarding the relationship between benefits and fees. More specifically how fees are accounted for against a...
How easy is it to loose money?
Spent some time yesterday looking at the invoicing of a consultant surgeon. I noticed that the invoices for initial consultations going out to one particular insurance company were being charged at...
Inappropriate Billing
What on earth is that? A couple of examples recently where consultants who have tried to base their fees on the best rate available. Take the consultant who realises that PMI company Num 1 pay £300...
CCSD Codes – where do you find them?
Another question asked at the recent Medical Defence Union presentation. Insurance companies use medical coding to identify and detail a medical procedure. For example, an Orthopaedic surgeon...
Shortfalls and excess – real time perspective
I very recently wrote about this issue and have been asked if the increase was just a blip and possibly “one of those odd things”??? The Real World Therefore auditing the work of the same consultant...
Shortfalls and excess revisited
Just taking ONE client as an example. Week ending Friday, February 14th: out of 15 consultations, 4 (four) came back with excess/shortfall deductions totaling £575. So for a total of £2,500 worth of...
Aim to be a winner
One of the most often asked questions is "how as a private consultant surgeon can I improve or increase my cash flow". The answer, as regards medical invoicing, is very simple to answer:...
Stand your ground but don’t twist the facts
I argue with medical insurance companies all the time. Let me, however, be very specific about when and why I argue with them. I argue with them when I think they are wrong or when I think they...