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Employee compensation: Make bonuses motivational

Q. Are bonus programs effective?
 by: 
Ana McGary
  - 
05/24/2012
  | 
Smart Talk

A. Bonus programs reflect a company’s definition of success, how that definition is measured, and the extent to which that measurement is met.

Marketing: Use uncertainty to open lines of communication

Q. How can providers use the competitive bidding discussion as part of their marketing plan?
 by: 
Anna McDevitt
  - 
04/23/2012
  | 
Smart Talk

A. National competitive bidding (NCB) is on everyone’s mind. It seems like whether you bid or not, these are the type of regulatory changes that will touch every provider.

Finance: Create budgets to predict outcome

Q. Visiting with the accountant, I don’t know what to expect as I look at the monthly financials. Isn’t there a way to eliminate the surprise?
 by: 
Tom Shay
  - 
04/23/2012
  | 
Smart Talk

A. In a word: budget. Every business should be working with 12 budgets which represent the next 12 months. The monthly budget is your prediction of what that month’s income statement is going to look like. Row by row, you are estimating what the numbers will be.

ICD-10: Take the guesswork out of code changes

Q. What intake processes will be affected with ICD-10 implementation?
 by: 
Gregg Timmons
  - 
04/23/2012
  | 
Smart Talk

A. Intake will become the critical link for claims accuracy. The risk of keying ICD codes incorrectly during intake will most likely increase with this changeover unless personnel have tools to improve efficiency and precision.

Employee Compensation: Balance expectations with goals

Q. What’s the best way to determine employee compensation?
 by: 
Ana McGary
  - 
04/23/2012
  | 
Smart Talk

A. Employee compensation can be a sensitive subject. Many human resource-related concerns need to be addressed, but equally important is understanding the financial aspects of employee compensation.

Employee Compensation: Consider the total package

by: 
Ana McGary
  - 
03/26/2012
  | 
Smart Talk

A. When most of us hear the term "compensation," we typically think only of the money we receive in our paycheck each payday. However, "total compensation" goes beyond salary--it is the complete pay package for employees.

ICD-10: Learn a new language

by: 
Gregg Timmons
  - 
03/26/2012
  | 
Smart Talk

A. The International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition (ICD-10) developed by the World Health Organization will replace the ICD-9 coding system, which, among other issues, did not allow enough characters to classify new diagnoses.

Finance: Hire an accountant to make money

by: 
Tom Shay
  - 
03/26/2012
  | 
Smart Talk

The accountant has two jobs: helping you pay as little as legally possible and pushing the tax liability into the future as far as possible. Having explained the job, selecting the accountant should be a lot like hiring an employee.

Marketing: Put your information out there

by: 
Anna McDevitt
  - 
03/26/2012
  | 
Smart Talk

We often incorrectly assume that the HME target audience isn't online; however, as the Internet becomes less of a novelty and more of an everyday tool, it's no surprise that our aging population is becoming tech savvy.

Mergers & Acquisitions: Surround yourself with strong players

by: 
Stephanie Morgan Greene
  - 
02/24/2012
  | 
Smart Talk

The ideal team will include both inside and outside players, each bringing a unique experience and know-how. The type and number of team members will vary greatly from deal to deal. Nonetheless, there are some strategic members that should be a part of each team.

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