hamdpa wrote on Saturday, October 19, 2013:
Hello to all,
The office sells contact lenses. What is the best way to handle this in OpenEMR? My first impulse is to input all contact lenses with their own cpt codes, but perhaps there is a better way using the Procedure Section.
Thank you,
Henry
blankev wrote on Saturday, October 19, 2013:
You could try to use the module of Pharmacy and Stock products.
I think it is activated in Global settings.
fsgl wrote on Sunday, October 20, 2013:
Pimm is correct.
Go to Administration/Globals/Features & choose from the Drugs and Products drop down menu.
Harley Tuck did a very nice revamp of the Pharmacy Dispensary Module.
If you billed with CPT codes in the past, continue doing the same.
hamdpa wrote on Sunday, October 20, 2013:
Hi fsgl’
Have you used this module for contact lenses yourself? I tried looking for a tutorial, video or otherwise and could not find anything except what is on the Wiki page. Tried experimenting with it but can’t really see how to use it for contact lenses or how to incorporate it into the fee sheet. The office does not stock lenses thus I started creating “CPT” codes i.e., Acuvue 2 ect.
Thank you,
Henry
blankev wrote on Sunday, October 20, 2013:
If you don’t stock lenses and you don’t sell lenses? Why do you want the fee sheet entry for lenses?
I do not understand. Or you charge the Client, buy the lenses and wait till the lenses are arrived and than provide the already paid for lenses?
What are the steps taken, to accomplish the task you try to implement? It even might be an option to include your lenses in Pharmacy Department with selling of products other than tablets etc…
hamdpa wrote on Sunday, October 20, 2013:
Hi Pimm,
The office doesn’t stock lenses, but puts in orders that patients pay for at the office and they arrive to the patient by mail.
Thank you,
Henry
blankev wrote on Sunday, October 20, 2013:
My guess would be Pharmacy, but probably FSGL has better ideas.
fsgl wrote on Sunday, October 20, 2013:
Hi Henry,
We don’t dispense contact lenses nor glasses.
I assume that no insurance billing is involved with the contacts.
If you are merely interested in billing the patient directly for contacts mailed to them, then forget about the Dispensary Module. You don’t need it.
Because no insurance billing is involved, you can make up a set of CPT codes for each of the type of contacts, i.e. 00012 for the Acuvue II, et cetera. Put this set of private CPT codes into Administration/Codes with the description and fee.
OpenEMR does not have the ability of sending the charge directly to the patient and bypassing insurance billing if the patient has insurance.
This is the work-around:
Have staff enter the charge in the Fee Sheet. Go to Past Encounters and Documents, Billing View. Pretend that the insurance did not pay and send the charge to the patient. Have staff double check in Billing View that the charge is indeed set to go to the patient. See attachments.
hamdpa wrote on Monday, October 21, 2013:
Hi fsgl,
Sounds good. I was concerned that the billing might be a problem, i.e. that the contact lens charges would be sent to pt’s insurance. Insurance does not cover contact lenses and would only confuse. Will look at your suggested work around after I finish with the exam forms. Unfortunately, “of all the bars and gin joints in the world” (Casablanca) the power outage had to come to my house and leave me without wifi for 2 hrs. I guess either Murphy or a Sith was hard at work. Which brings me to the obviously ridiculous thought that you, a Jedi Master, would be a basket case over anything. Surely you jest!
PS Yes still hope to do MU.
Thank you,
Henry
fsgl wrote on Monday, October 21, 2013:
It was my pleasure.
fsgl wrote on Monday, October 21, 2013:
For the next outage, consider the use of a laptop (hopefully with the battery fully charged) for OpenEMR work at home. I understand that we are at the start of hurricane season.
It functions perfectly well offline, which is how I use it 95% of the time because of my security concerns.
E-prescribing, e-claims and insurance eligibility inquiries necessitate Internet access, but I try to log out of OpenEMR first.
Speaking of e-claims, what are you fixing to do with clearinghouse setup (I’m a Southerner, just not of the United States)? Minimal disruption of cash flow is important.
If you have not yet started, permit me to suggest Office Ally. There has been a number of negative observations by other Floridians about Availity such that you may want to avoid them. This post will give you a sense of the difficulties with Blue Shield of Florida via Availity. J. Defoe recently gave another reason to steer clear of Availity.
Office Ally enrollment consists only of Medicaid and Medicare. Their Payor List is the most extensive that I’ve come across.
It’s $19.95 per month if the ratio of governmental claims to commercial claims exceeds 50%. I and CVerk (in Colorado) have never received a bill from them to-date.
It’s 40 cents per paper claim for the rare insurer who does not accept electronic claims. With the postage rate going up to 49 cents for the first ounce via first class, it is more cost effective if it’s just one paper claim to go out.