Guest guest Posted April 2, 2003 Report Share Posted April 2, 2003 Greetings - I have been a little shy about jumping into the conversations of this great group as I am an Orthopedist and not a Primary Care Doc. However, after a great conversation with Gordon, I was invited into this amazing network. I have just left a 12 surgeon group and am hanging out my own little shingle... in the Oakland, Ca area. I am jumping in to the conversation now as I am an Alteer user. I did an 8 month due diligence process and then helped direct the implementation of Alteer in the large group I was formerly in and I will also be setting it up with my solo practice. I am doing it this time, not directly through Alteer, but linked to a billing service that uses Alteer. They are called Group One and they have a percent of collections based fee which can be set up to include your Alteer lease so that you dot have a huge initial outlay. If you decide not to outsource your billing and still want to work with Alteer, it is worth talking to them as they have recently offered "subscription" models to small size groups that cant afford the initial 15 grand for the license,etc. I think it is an excellent package of scheduling, AR, practice management and EMR. The actual clinical note section is being greatly improved upon this year. They are also very responsive to users (us) input and have very accessible tech support. It is Windows based and very intuitive so a quick learning curve. The AR portion is so good that our large group brought billing in house soon after Alteer was implemented. I am too chicken to take on all of the business tasks at once in my first year out....so I will likely outsource billing until I get my feet on the ground and then take it in house. The great thing is that by using Group One, it will all be in my Alteer system and so there will be no need for a big conversion etc. In addition, even though the billing will be outsourced, I will be able to watch or check on every bit of it from my lap top, as it will all be visible through Alteer. I am not on a retainer for Alteer or Group One, but have had experience with them and definitely am a fan. If I can answer any questions please let me know. Now...in return.... let me know when you would like to do some research on the treatment of Osteoporosis in the small group primary care model....that is my area of research and I am developing a post fragility fracture algorithm so that these patients get plugged in to OP care when indicated. Thank you for all of your insights and I hope I give back in some way to this inspired group. It has been a real morale booster for me to read your enthusiastic and empowered remarks as I am going through this and Goliath scenario. I guess it is really Debbie and Goliath, as I am a female orthopod. So, in the words of Helen Keller...."Life is a daring adventure or nothing at all!" Best wishes, Aenor Sawyer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 2, 2003 Report Share Posted April 2, 2003 , Congratulations on your new practice! I, too, have been interested in Alteer. How are you paying for Alteer? Did you purchase it (I believe the rep quoted $15000) or are you paying by the month? Are there any " cutting edge " doctors who are either established or just setting up in California? I am considering solo practice but would like to visit a practice to see how things are setup and run. -- Seto, MD On Wednesday, April 2, 2003, at 07:11 AM, skarnoult@... wrote: > Greg, > I am in Greencastle, PA which is probably 1 or 2 hours south of you. > I'm > having an open house with ribbon cutting on April 29, 2003 from 1-7 > p.m. Feel > free to stop by then if you want to see my digs up and hopefully > running! I > am using the Alteer system. If you want to come by a different day > that would > be fine too. > K. Arnoult, MD > >> I am writing to see if anyone out there has used or is using Soapware >> by >> Docs.inc >> I have their promotional stuff and have reviewed it but am not >> experienced > in >> computers at all. I thank you Dennis for writing your information >> was very >> helpful. >> I am excited but of course very apprehensive. When you have a family >> to >> support you want to make sure you are going to make it. >> Thanks again, >> Greg Sweeney >> (near Altoona PA, in case anyone is close enough by for me to come >> see their >> practice) >> > > > > --------------------------------------------- > This message was sent using PAdotNET WebMail. > http://www.pa.net/ > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 2, 2003 Report Share Posted April 2, 2003 I am on the payment plan - with my situation I did not have a lot of notice and didn't get to set some money aside to get started. Most of what I had saved is going to keep me and my family afloat until I am started and getting paid. At the end of the lease period I will be able to purchase the equipment for " fair market value " . I don't think this will be terribly expensive. The software will of course be mine after the 5 year lease period too. The software quote I got was 17,000 and was told this was the lowest they could go. Apparently since Gordon was so successful with their program their price has gone up!!!! I start training on April 14th - I took all the training they offered because I tend to be a hands on type and not computer savy. That ended up being a little costly but I figured it's a better deal than not being able to see patients efficiently with my new computer because I don't know how to work it. K. Arnoult, MD > , > Congratulations on your new practice! I, too, have been interested in > Alteer. How are you paying for Alteer? Did you purchase it (I believe > the rep quoted $15000) or are you paying by the month? > > Are there any " cutting edge " doctors who are either established or just > setting up in California? I am considering solo practice but would like > to visit a practice to see how things are setup and run. > -- Seto, MD > > On Wednesday, April 2, 2003, at 07:11 AM, skarnoult@... wrote: > > > Greg, > > I am in Greencastle, PA which is probably 1 or 2 hours south of you. > > I'm > > having an open house with ribbon cutting on April 29, 2003 from 1-7 > > p.m. Feel > > free to stop by then if you want to see my digs up and hopefully > > running! I > > am using the Alteer system. If you want to come by a different day > > that would > > be fine too. > > K. Arnoult, MD > > > >> I am writing to see if anyone out there has used or is using Soapware > >> by > >> Docs.inc > >> I have their promotional stuff and have reviewed it but am not > >> experienced > > in > >> computers at all. I thank you Dennis for writing your information > >> was very > >> helpful. > >> I am excited but of course very apprehensive. When you have a family > >> to > >> support you want to make sure you are going to make it. > >> Thanks again, > >> Greg Sweeney > >> (near Altoona PA, in case anyone is close enough by for me to come > >> see their > >> practice) > >> > > > > > > > > --------------------------------------------- > > This message was sent using PAdotNET WebMail. > > http://www.pa.net/ > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 4, 2003 Report Share Posted April 4, 2003 I am an internist, looking at practice management systems, with total integrated functionality, like Alteer. I have actualy narrowed my search to Alteer and e-MDs. I would be interested in hearing from folks who may have had occasion to see both, and why one was choosen over another. I tend to lean toward Alteer, except I feel one thing that seems to be lacking is how thwy deal with medications. The patient's meds do not show up on the respective encounter form for that visit, and I do not think you can even copy and past the med list into it. And the medication list shows all drugs the patient was ever on. So those of you who are on Alteer, how do you deal with this issue? Thanks, Leonard Kancher lkancher@... (O) lkancher@... (H) (O) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 4, 2003 Report Share Posted April 4, 2003 The med list is on the screen whenever I'm looking at the pt's " front sheet " or in an encounter. During an encounter I review the med list, making appropriate changes. I remove meds when they are no longer on them. Gordon At 07:09 AM 04/04/2003 -0600, you wrote: I am an internist, looking at practice management systems, with total integrated functionality, like Alteer. I have actualy narrowed my search to Alteer and e-MDs. I would be interested in hearing from folks who may have had occasion to see both, and why one was choosen over another. I tend to lean toward Alteer, except I feel one thing that seems to be lacking is how thwy deal with medications. The patient's meds do not show up on the respective encounter form for that visit, and I do not think you can even copy and past the med list into it. And the medication list shows all drugs the patient was ever on. So those of you who are on Alteer, how do you deal with this issue? Thanks, Leonard Kancher lkancher@... (O) lkancher@... (H) (O) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 6, 2003 Report Share Posted April 6, 2003 Hi, I actually narrowed the choice to the same two systems, but I choose e-mds. Although both seem to be great systems, I was concerned that Alteer did not have medication interactions as part of its system (I was promised this is coming out in the new version). Also, the cost of the Alteer system was about $12,000 more than the topsSuite package (for two terminals, server, printer, and scanner). If you are truly solo and do not need more than one terminal, the price differential is even greater. Although I would have found the resources for the extra cash if needed, I did not see any practical advantages of one system over the other. Of note, I don't go " live " until the end of this month so I have not yet tested the system to see if it is as wonderful as I have been led to believe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 22, 2003 Report Share Posted May 22, 2003 > Gordon, I really appreciate your comments on the billing. I am using Alteer and GroupOne for billing. .... I didn't want to take on one more task. ... you need to learn something..... how to learn billing without investing a fortune in courses? > I knew absolutely nothing about billing and was very intimidated by it. The model drove me to take responsibility for it, though. I'm glad I did. Billing is now one of the easier parts of the practice, even as things pick up and the volume is climbing. Here is what I did: 1. I bought and read a standard text on medical billing. (those billing clerks learn somewhere don't they). This gave me a leg up on the overall process and voabulary. 2. My alteer training taught me the nuts and bolts of THAT program 3. Practice. My first few went right through with prompt payment! What motivation! 4. Typically, if anything doesen't work, it will be the first claim for a new insurace company. If I can'f figure it out, my VAR (GroupOne) has a help desk, and they have been very decent about helping me over each hump. Once solved, things go well with THAT insurance company. There are,after all, a finite number of insurance companies. The major ones get solved first, of course. Jim in Kansas City Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 28, 2003 Report Share Posted May 28, 2003 I am wondering if someone could give me a few tips on billing......I am going to use Alteer and Group One but cannot afford to get on line with them until approx July 1. In the meantime, my practice is already building quickly and I need to submit some superbills. I could use some really simple advice such as... 1.What forms do I use to submit the bill to the insurance companies? Could I just make up an invoice form with my Office name on it and send the invoice to the Ins company? 2.Do I always use a HCFA form? 3.Can it be handwritten or must it be typed? 4.Is there a way that I can get a digitized format so that I can complete the form on the computer instead of on an old fashioned typewriter? (I dont mean electronic billing, as that I am aware of and it is coming..) I am sure you are shocked at my lack of knowledge in this area........but I came from a large group in which we used Alteer and had a large billing office, so I am not familiar with the mechanics of actually submitting charges. I will only need to do this for about 2 months more but I dont want them to pile up anymore. I am an Orthopedist and have office and surgery charges to submit. Any help would be appreciated...........Thank you, Aenor Sawyer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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