Screening Medicare Secondary Without Sounding Stupid!
Posted by Mike Ferris on Friday, June 19, 2009 and posted in HospiceWhat can we do with that awful part of the registration visit where you have to ask an 85-year-old man when his retirement date was and if this is work-related or due to black lung disease or an accidental injury! You feel almost apologetic as you ask questions that seem either out of place or meaningless to everyone.
So, don’t ask the questions! Medicare requires that you bill properly, but that doesn’t mean you have to ask questions. You can use “the assume approach” instead.
Example: ”Mrs. Brown, there is some information Medicare needs to make sure that they will be the primary payor for your hospice care.
I assume you retired at age 65 (then you figure out what year that was). I also assume that this isn’t related to an accident or work injury. And you’ve never claimed benefits for black lung disease, right?” (And so forth). By using the assume approach, you don’t ask people strange questions but you get the right information!
Excerpted from LEGENDARY RESULTS: Managing Referrals & Increasing Admissions Vol. 2: The Admissions Process by Michael Ferris and Polly Rehnwall.