Physicians Office Resource Volume 7 Issue 07 | Page 10

Medicare’s Website Overhaul malls or parks. Users may also find physicians by last name, medical specialty or a particular medical condition. As an example, patients searching for the term “rash” will be prompted with a drop-down menu box with which they can then choose a doctor specializing in allergy or immunology, dermatology, infectious disease or rheumatology. There’s even an interactive search function, billed under Medicare’s “Physician Compare” system, which allows users to search for physicians and physician specialties by constituent body parts. They simply use their mouse to click on a specific part on a simulated human body. This in turn brings up a list of physicians in their area specializing in ailments and treatment for the chosen body part. These include the head, neck, chest, arms, abdomen, hands, back, groin, skin and legs. More Accurate Updating The physician information still utilizes CMS Provider Enrollment as its base, but improves upon the error-prone system of the past. Charles Fiegl’s recent Amednews article, Medicare’s Doctor Records Riddled with Errors cites federal auditors in reporting that false addresses, outdated phone numbers and incorrect licensing information have been a huge component of the enrollment systems which Medicare uses to approve pay for beneficiary services. An estimated 58% of enrollment records in the Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System were inaccurate, and 48% of records in the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System had errors, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General stated in a report published May 28. The records also were inconsistent between the two systems, with nearly all records for health professionals in PECOS and NPPES containing mismatched information in 2010. The new Medicare site aims to dissolve these types of errors by constantly updating entries. PECOS is still the primary data source but they’re also enlisting the help of individual physicians and their claims. For example: addresses that have been 10 Physicians Office Resource ()???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Q??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Q???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????e????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????5??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????5???????????????Q????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????%?e??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????e????????????????????????q?????????t?????????M????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????e????????????????????????????????????????????????????????A?????I????????%????????????????????? 5L????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Q??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????q?????????????????????????????t???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????5?????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????)Q???????????? ??????????????A????????=?????I???????????????????????((