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ACC.09 Website

Azalea Health Innovations Friends Newsletter – January 2009

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IN THIS ISSUE

* Welcome
* Smith Northview Hospital Implements Azalea LabHub™
* ABC’s Of Purchasing An Electronic Medical Record
* Medical Billing Tip: Coding for Vaccinations

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Welcome

Hello to all of our Azalea Health Innovations friends. We hope you enjoy this
month’s Newsletter.

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Smith Northview Hospital Implements Azalea LabHub™

Azalea Health Innovations, Inc. is thrilled to announce that Smith Northview
Hospital of Valdosta, GA (http://www.smithhospital.com) will become one of the first area hospitals to implement our Azalea LabHub™ laboratory ordering and reporting system. The Azalea LabHub™ system is a web-based online ordering and reporting portal that allows physicians to order and access their laboratory reports from any computer on the Internet.

The Azalea LabHub™ system was designed with easy of use and security in mind. We use industry standard 128 bit SSL encryption and our intuitive web page screens are clean, easy to use, and to the point. Call us today to schedule a live demo of Azalea LabHub™.

All of us at Azalea Health Innovations look forward to a long and prosperous relationship with Smith Northview Hospital.

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ABC’s Of Purchasing An Electronic Medical Record

In today’s tough economic times, many physicians may be putting off purchasing an electronic medical record system. Many practices are waiting to see what the Federal Government will provide regarding funding and incentives. The fact is you can save time and most importantly money by making the switch now to a system that is right for your practice.

Here are a few important steps to consider as you begin your search and this can be done by beginning with the ABC’s:

1.) Available: Make yourself or your office manager available to meet with various companies that sell EMR’s. Look at about 5. Some companies will come meet with you, but most send you information. Do your own research and don’t rely solely on another physician, as you have your own way of practicing medicine and what works for you may not work for another. It is important to take the time to find the one that is best for you and your practice.

2.) Beware: You can find free EMR’s on the internet(remember nothing of excellent quality is free) and you can also find $100,000 EMR’s. Make sure you find the one that fits your practice best . Typically some of the best rated EMR’s run around $5K-$30K per provider.

3.) Cost: Lastly, understand that there is a difference between the word cost and price. The price is solely what you end up taking out of pocket to pay. The definition of cost is the labor, material, resources, time and risk involved. You will save a great deal of your cost once you are up and running on EMR. Think of the
labor to handle charts, storage of charts, and time you spend charting. It is a win/win for you and your office.

Next month we will continue through the alphabet with more good advice on purchasing an EMR. But, if you have further questions and would like to see our NON-TEMPLATE EMR (Praxis), please contact us today for a FREE DEMO. info@azaleahealth.com or call us 1-877-777-7686.

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Medical Billing Tip: Coding for Vaccinations

Many medical practices offer flu and pnemonia vaccinations in their offices during certain times of the year. Often it can be costly to keep these vaccinations on hand. Please remember that as a medical practice you can bill for and get reimbursed for both the vaccine (90655-90658) and the administration of the vaccine (G0008). The same goes for Pneumonia Vaccine (90669-90732) and the administration of the Pneumonia Vaccine (G0009). Most insurances will pay for one shot per beneficiary per year. To avoid denials, don’t forget to include the appropriate ICD-9 code (V04.81 – Vaccine for Influenza, V03.82 – Pneumonia Vaccine).
For more information or if you have any other medical billing questions please feel free to contact us using the information at the end of this newsletter.

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Thank you!

Azalea Health Innovations, Inc.
100 North Patterson Street
Valdosta, GA 31601

Toll Free: 877-777-7686
Local: 229-269-4620
Toll Free Fax: 866-683-8679
Web: http://www.AzaleaHealth.com
Email: info@azaleahealth.com
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