Posted by Marie Westerhof on September 6, 2012 at 5:39 pm
Whether you’re working with a healthcare revenue cycle management company or managing hospital or practice revenue cycle on your own, it’s important to evaluate your system regularly. Doing so ensures that revenue is being collected optimally and that funds are being managed in the most efficient way possible within your healthcare organization and to measure your company’s success.
Putting in place a fixed set of steps to analyze revenue cycle management within your hospital will help make the task more efficient and more likely to be done on a regular basis. You can experiment within the business to find a system that works for you and tweak your practices accordingly.
Step 1: Check your records.
Identify you’re the key indicators of your company’s healthcare revenue cycle and look at your business records. If you haven’t been keeping records for the purpose of revenue cycle evaluation, do your best to collect pertinent data from your financials and spending.
Step 2: Set standards for your healthcare organization.
No two companies are alike, and your business has unique criteria by which to judge its performance. Set standards for the company to strive toward based on the healthcare industry, size of the company, company financial goals, etc.
Step 3: Analyze data and trends.
Look thoroughly at the key indicators of optimal performance within your healthcare organization (like efficiency, income, spending, etc.). Examine the relationships between these factors and the revenue of the company – what’s influencing your revenue cycle the most? Note: be sure to look at these factors over a long period of time – examining only the company’s performance during the past quarter doesn’t give you a complete picture of how your hospital or practice is performing.
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Posted by Marie Westerhof on July 26, 2012 at 12:28 pm
Yes. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (or OSHA, the government organization that determines much of what’s covered by workers compensation), heat stroke acquired while on the job has claimed the lives of over thirty US workers every year since 2003. During harsh July temperatures, heat can cause more than just a sunburn – people who spend much of their workday doing manual labor in the sun as well as those who are required to wear heavy uniforms are easily susceptible to more serious health problems as a result of the extreme temperatures.
The July 2012 heat wave means that temperatures during the past two weeks have topped out at upwards of 100 degrees in Maryland – and many are predicting a rise in cases of heat stroke, heat exhaustion, extreme sunburn, and other heat-related conditions to workers comp attorney Rockville representatives. The people most likely to be affected by hot summer conditions are construction workers, farm workers, public works employees, utility repairmen and women, and highway and road construction workers. Police officers and others required to wear dark, heavy uniforms could also be susceptible if temperatures are high enough.
In an effort to prevent serious physical harm and death caused by heat stroke and heat-related medical conditions, OSHA is releasing preventive advice for people whose occupations put them in the sun during the day. Encouraging staff to take heed can significantly reduce the likelihood that your team will need workers compensation benefits.
- Know the warning signs. Be aware of the risk factors and first signs of heat stroke (headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, and muscle cramps). Be sure that your staff is made aware of this.
- Encourage breaks. Allow frequent breaks during hot weather, and set aside space in a cool area for employees to rest.
- Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water throughout the day, even if you are not immediately thirsty.
For more information on workers compensation in Rockville, MD, visit Kennedy & Dolan online.
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Posted by Marie Westerhof on December 16, 2011 at 10:32 am
December 16, 2011 (San Diego, CA) – Law firm practice management software, such as a Virtual Law Office (or VLO), may be an excellent solution for law firms expecting to suffer setbacks due to the coming changes to the Unites States Postal Service delivery system. The USPS is seeking to end next-day mail delivery in an attempt to cut costs and stay open – and as attorney web design firm Legal Web Experts reports, many law firms that rely heavily on prompt mail delivery could find their practices in trouble without a reliably fast mail service.
With increased reliance on email and internet technology for communication and sending of documents, the U.S. Postal Service has struggled over the last several years to continue providing many first-class mail services. They recently announced a plan to save $2.1 billion in costs by laying off 28,000 workers, closing hundreds of mail processing plants and ending next-day delivery of regular (also known as “first-class”) mail.
Without next-day mail delivery, the delay of important court papers, documents, evidence and other materials could cause problems and even cost an attorney their case. By switching to a law firm practice management software system, legal practices that rely heavily on the mail could completely avoid problems associated with the USPS. “Sending and uploading documents via the internet is beginning to affect every industry, including legal,” says Ryan Nelson, Director of Operations for attorney web design firm Legal Web Experts. “All firms must seriously consider having a digital document sending solution – or, at the very least, have a solution that can be implemented quickly should they need it.”
The Virtual Law Office (or VLO) system allows attorneys to set up a client login portal on their website. Clients can log in over a secure connection to download and upload documents, send completed forms, securely message their attorney and even make payments online. Beyond simply solving the mailing problem, a VLO allows lawyers increased flexibility at their office and gives them the ability to work from anywhere. Clients also love the flexibility of sending and completing forms and documents online and communicating without traveling to their attorney’s office. The VLO can be integrated into almost any website in under two weeks – in many cases, within days. There are a number of low-cost online law office solutions that can fulfill a law firm’s document-sharing needs.
The USPS anticipates holding off on the mail delay until at least May 15, 2012. In the meantime, it is advisable for attorneys who depend on prompt mail in their legal practices to look into options like VLOs.
About Legal Web Experts
Legal Web Experts, a division of New Wave Enterprises LLC, offers expert attorney web design and affordable Virtual Law Office integration for law firms of any size. For more information, visit http://www.legalwebexperts.com.
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Posted by Marie Westerhof on November 21, 2011 at 10:06 am
November 21, 2011 (San Diego, CA) – Attorney website design and marketing agency Legal Web Experts is announcing the launch of http://www.mylegalbookmarks.com, the first social bookmarking website for lawyers and legal professionals. The site allows users to share news, websites, internet resources and other law-related web content with individuals in the legal profession as well as people with similar interests.
“The legal industry is so large and has so much information available online that it deserves a social bookmarking website dedicated to it specifically,” says Ryan Nelson, Director of Operations at Legal Web Experts. “That’s why we’ve created My Legal Bookmarks. We hope to make this a site that attorneys can routinely visit to find the most quality news to help their business and keep them informed.” The concept of social bookmarking – or using social media websites to bookmark and share important web content within a community of users – has become increasingly popular over the past year. No other quality social bookmarking sites offer the opportunity to share information specifically with a community of legal professionals.
MyLegalBookmarks.com allows users to create a user account in under thirty seconds and post law-related content from all kinds of sites around the web. Other users can easily view the most current posts, comment and “vote” on material they found interesting, discuss topics, save pages, and share content with friends. Content comes from a wide range of sources, including news websites, legal blogs, forums, government resources, and updates from the VLO and legal technology industries. Marketing and legal web development materials are also readily available.
The site’s narrow focus makes it perfect for social media users with these specialized interests. MyLegalBookmarks.com is helping legal professionals adapt social bookmarking for their unique needs as well as helping to make social bookmarking an even more important way of sharing information online.
About Legal Web Experts
A division of New Wave Enterprises, Legal Web Experts offers specialized legal website design and marketing services for law firms, accountants and other businesses in the legal and financial industries. Their new attorney social bookmarking website mylegalbookmarks.com helps adapt social bookmarking for legal professionals. Visit http://www.legalwebexperts.com for more information.
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Posted by Marie Westerhof on November 10, 2011 at 3:29 pm
Mediation is an efficient and alternative way of resolving legal conflicts without resorting to a trial. The process revolves around engaging a mediator to act as a neutral third party and 
help the two conflicting sides come to a mutually beneficial agreement. A Sydney mediation attorney does not choose a side or issue a decision as to who is “right” and who is “wrong;” rather, he acts as a negotiator and helps both parties resolve their issues.
There are several characteristics of the mediation process that make it unique.
- Volition. Both parties hire the mediator by their own free will, and they are free to leave the mediation or end the process whenever they desire.
- Collaboration. All three parties work together to find a solution.
- Control. Both parties involved in the disagreement share power in the decision-making process. No one can be forced to accept terms they don’t agree with.
- Confidentiality. The process is confidential, and materials assembled for mediation are usually not admissible in court should the matter in question come up again. The mediator will always describe the exact terms of confidentiality.
- Impartiality. A mediator will always remain impartial and not favor one party over another. Decisions are made without bias.
- Smart spending. Mediation is an extremely cost-effective alternative to court proceedings.
With alternative dispute resolution methods like mediation and arbitration Sydney residents involved in legal disputes have a way to resolve their issues efficiently and out-of-court.
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Posted by Marie Westerhof on July 27, 2011 at 2:36 pm
The concept of “cloud computing” has really taken off among legal web development agencies and users in the past several years. It’s a system that solves a lot of problems, but many business owners looking into web development solutions are unsure of what it really is and how it can help them.
Cloud computing is a way of storing and accessing digital documents – as well as performing digital tasks – on an outside server. A server is a large computer that stores files and displays them online. Traditionally, while you’re working on your computer or smartphone, your documents and data will be stored on that computer or on that smartphone. Instead, cloud computing systems store this data on a server that is accessed via the internet.
As “cloud” is a common metaphor for the internet, the name explains more now: rather than computing on your own computer and home (or office) network devices, you’re doing your computing work on an outside server, which allows you to store information and access it from any location. SaaS (or “software as a service”)-style cloud computing uses a single browser application to allow users to access the information stored on the “cloud.” This means no additional costs or investment in software or servers for the clients, and the price of an SaaS system is usually quite affordable.
So how can cloud computing benefit a legal practice? With more and more law firms creating a “Virtual Law Office” identity for themselves, SaaS cloud computing is the simplest and most cost-effective way to set up a VLO system. Cloud computing makes this possible by allowing for document storage and tasks on a browser-accessible shared portal. For more information on setting up a virtual law office, visit Legal Web Experts online.
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