Week in Review: OIG and Texas Medicaid payments; bringing on an associate; HIPAA issues

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Texas owes the U.S. government $133 million for unallowable orthodontic Medicaid treatments from 2008 to 2010, according to a new report by the Office of Inspector General (OIG). Many of the claims were improperly approved because they did not have required documentation or lacked the necessary scores to qualify for orthodontic services. Read Features Editor Donna Domino's article here.

Each year, thousands of practices add associates. An associate can be a valuable asset when the practice is growing or the doctor is approaching retirement. Adding an associate can alleviate scheduling stress while facilitating an increase in productivity, but only if the practice is properly prepared, according to Dr. Roger P. Levin.

In the second part of her series on HIPAA, Lindy Benton of healthcare information exchange company MEA/NEA lists the 10 most common HIPAA violations and offers practical tips to make sure you stay in compliance.

As a practice owner, you often hear about the need to be organized, but how do you put this into practice? Practice management consultant Cindy Day Hauk offers five tips to help your practice develop and maintain good organizational skills.

If you are going to be in San Francisco for the Academy of General Dentistry show, let us know. We'd love to hear your impressions of the conference and about your profession.