Providers throw technology at their documentation woes

GLENDALE, Ariz. - Provider Gary Cox was sick of chasing doctors around for proper documentation for power mobility devices. So he developed a website that walks them through the process.

"What it does is simply require the prescribing physician to address and sufficiently document all of the necessary parameters," said Cox, who owns All-Med Health Care. "It then takes all of that information and produces three things: exam notes, a narrative of the face-to-face evaluation and a seven-element prescription."

After working on www.PMDRX.com for more than a year and a half with a computer programmer, Cox opened up the website to other providers in November.

Here's how providers can use the website: First, they sign up (it costs $179 per month plus an administration fee of $10 per completed transaction); when they get an order from a physician, they sign in and enter the physician's information; the website sends the physician a secure e-mail with log-in information; the physician logs in and pulls up the provider's request and begins the process.

The website creates a win-win-win situation for all parties, Cox says. For the provider: "Owning a DME company, I now know with confidence, 'Hey, I'm covered,'" he said. "I'm not worried about payment recoupment because I know that my documentation is complete and comprehensive."

For the physician, he gets the help he needs to maneuver a confusing and frustrating process; and for the payer, it gets the proof it needs that there's medical need for the device, Cox says.

"PMDRX doesn't force patient qualification," he said. "We're simply providing the methodology for the documentation. It's up to the supplier, then the payer, to take that information and decide."