Tag: Kit Shellhouse
Billing: Manage your risk
December 10, 2024Kit Shellhouse
Q. How can I stay compliant with Medicare’s fee-for-service plans?
A. Dealing with Medicare fee-for-service plans can be tricky, but there are ways to manage the risks and stay compliant. Documentation errors are a primary risk, as Medicare is extremely strict, and any mistakes can lead to claim denials or audits. To avoid these risks, ensure all patient records, prescriptions and proof of delivery are thoroughly documented and easily accessible. Billing inaccuracies, such as incorrect...
Billing: Invest in compliance
November 13, 2024Kit Shellhouse
Q. What steps can I take to prepare for audits under managed care contracts?
By Kit Shellhouse
A. As a provider, preparing for audits under managed care contracts can be a chore, but the key is to understand the requirements and expectations well in advance. Invest time in reviewing your managed care contracts to grasp all requirements, including billing procedures, documentation standards and compliance obligations. This foundational knowledge is crucial for staying well-informed...
Billing: Protect PHI
October 16, 2024Kit Shellhouse
Q. What types of information will I be required to provide to the OCR in the event of an audit of my HIPAA compliance program?
A. Being proactive will alleviate the pressure of an OCR (HSS Office for Civil Rights) audit. The OCR will request documentation from you as a provider. This information must demonstrate that your company has adhered to the required HIPAA Program.
To prove adherence, a portion of the required documentation will include the policies and procedures related...
Billing: Maintain clean record
September 16, 2024Kit Shellhouse
Q. Should I be performing regular audits of my provider enrollment record?
A. Short answer, yes! Providers should review, or audit, their Provider Enrollment Record at least annually. In doing so, you could avoid potential issues with incorrect or outdated information that, when discovered by your payer’s provider enrollment department, could result in a revoked or deactivated enrollment. Loss of enrollment status could not only result in penalties and fines, but also impede the ability...
Kit Shellhouse rejoins OAMES board
May 9, 2023HME News Staff
ATLANTA – The van Halem Group has announced that Kit Shellhouse, director of business development, has been named as an associate board member of the Ohio Association of Medical Equipment Services (OAMES). “Serving as an associate board member for OAMES is a privilege,” Shellhouse said. “To fight for our patients, state associations must continue to play a vital role in the business. Supporting providers from a local level to Capitol Hill on a state and national level is essential.”...
Kit Shellhouse joins van Halem Group
March 27, 2023HME News Staff
ATLANTA – Kit Shellhouse, formerly of ECS North and ACU-Serve, has joined the van Halem Group, a division of VGM Group, as director of business development. Her duties will include managing key partnerships, generating new clientele, fostering relationships and building the van Halem Group brand. “I have known and worked with Kit for over 15 years,” said Wayne van Halem, president of the van Halem Group. “She is a widely recognized thought leader in our industry, and I am...
Billing: Put it together like a puzzle
April 13, 2022Kit Shellhouse
Q. How can we better organize how we adapt to changing customer and payer behaviors?
A. These changes force owners to upend their business practices to stay ahead of the game. There are valid reasons why these disruptions are prevalent, but most are attributed to ineffective past practices. An initial step is a root cause analysis to define the areas of neglect. Once areas are identified for improvement, the organization and management of that data will require time and attention. Unfortunately,...
Billing: Dedicate time to improvement
March 9, 2022Kit Shellhouse
Q. What part of the revenue cycle can I focus on that would assist in collecting all revenue vs. continuously writing off balances due?
A. To achieve success, there needs to be a root-causes analysis. To get started, it’s always best to look at the organization’s top denials, who owns the denial, what part of the process is contributing to the denial and then finally what process changes can be implemented to prevent future denials. The key to success is continued trending and...
Billing: Streamline those processes
February 8, 2022Kit Shellhouse
Q. How can I ensure I’m maintaining accurate information in my system?
A. Challenges in our industry continue to grow. Part of that battle is making sure that the business runs efficiently, as we continue to improve profitability for growth. To do that, streamlining our processes is the first step; staff education and direction from management are necessary.
Intake/customer service are the gatekeepers as we emphasize the importance of accuracy, compliance and the confirmation...
Set expectations, set up for success
May 28, 2021Tracy Orzel
If you want to manage your staff successfully, consistency is key, says Kit Shellhouse, vice president of operations for ECS North. Here’s what Shellhouse, who will be hosting a Medtrade session on how to monitor employees without micromanaging them, had to say about establishing expectations and what to do when employees don’t meet them.
HME News: How should executives manage staff?
Kit Shellhouse: Set realistic, mutually agreed upon expectations and communicate often. Provide...