7 Questions Physicians Should Ask When Considering Toxicology Testing (1)
Toxicology testing, from point-of-service testing all the way to confirmation testing, must still remain within the confines of medical necessity
. Several clinics and physicians have been in the news lately for abusing Medicare/Medicaid by blanket testing all patients for every drug and drug class – thereby generating enormous bills and reimbursements. One only has to go so far as the Wall Street Journal to see how Millennium Health, one of the largest drug testing labs in the nation, is in trouble for violating medical necessity and billing the government for unnecessary testing:
http://www.wsj.com/articles/lab-nears-settlementover-pricey-medicare-drug-tests-1434326131
In order to remain compliant, you need a solution that works for you but also maintains compliance through specified testing when applicable. Testing every patient every time they walk through your clinic’s doors will surely get you in trouble unless it is documented and deemed necessary. In order to maintain compliance and operation within regulations, your testing protocol and solution should work for you and generate confidence instead of more questions. There are a lot of toxicology labs that are in operation and most were developed in order to maximize profit instead of maximizing compliance and security.
There are several questions you need to ask yourself when you are considering toxicology testing and many should focus on compliance and whether what is being done is in the best interest of care for a patient.
1.) Are you testing every patient that is being prescribed or is already on a controlled substance?
2.) If so, how often? It is possible to over-test
3.) What is your standard protocol for testing or do you have one?
4.) Do you know if you and your clinic are compliant with the DEA and the Bureau of Narcotics?
5.) Do you know if you are charting and keeping good enough records/notes to show medical necessity to the insurance companies?
6.) Do you feel it would benefit you to have a consultant work with you and go through your process to find and fix any short-comings your process might have?
7.) Would you like to know how to maximize your clinical reimbursement and income while maintaining regulations and operating within the confines of all legal statutes?
Our toxicology solution is a complete solution that offers you and your clinic exactly what is needed. We developed our protocols and our solution to test for exactly what you think is medically necessary instead of working on the premise of trying to generate a big bill to be charged to insurance. We are truly focused on medical necessity and compliance and we work with all of our clinics to maintain CLIA compliance. We work with you to show you the business side of drug screening and confirmation testing. Our solution is focused on meeting your needs while remaining compliant on every level. When our competitors were focused on developing a toxicology testing solution that would bring you and them the most revenue possible, we were developing our solution to maintain compliance and work within the confines of the regulations to bring to you a steady revenue source. When you ask yourself if your current solution is working for you and whether it is medically necessary, question whether the solution is only about making money or if it is putting your practice and your patients first.
If you have any questions about how we can help you, feel free to get in touch with us today!