This is just a quick note regarding Windows 7 (W7) installations. I had posted a couple of notes regarding the installation of MedLook on W7.  A few customers had problems with the installation (many more had no problems). 

After wrestling (as in mud wrestling, it wasn’t fun) with a couple of the problem installations I decided to do a little digging.  It turns out my installation packaging software had an update just for W7. Apparently there is some sort of manifest file that helps with W7 installations.  After re-building the setup program with the new software I have not encountered a single W7 installation problem. This doesn’t mean there won’t be another problem, but hopefully nearly all such W7 installation problems have been resolved.

The next release of MedLook 3.0 is just a few short days away. There is a fantastic update to the patient statements that we have all long waited for.

Trivia: How long did the 100 Years War Last?

The last trivia question was: What do Vatican City, Haiti, Costa Rica, and Grenada have in common? 

The answer is:  They do not have any military.

Just about everybody is feeling the economic pinch and we want to help where we can. We can definitely save you money on your paper patient statements.  If you print 100 or more statements each month then you should consider using one of our eStatement services.  Yes, we offer a choice. Each service brings something to the table the other does not and no one size fits all.  I want to point out some obvious advantages of BillFlash.

Consider the costs to generate statements in the office.
If you purchase from Office Depot (as of January 26, 2010) on-line:

• Medical self-seal envelopes, a box of 500 for $42.99.  That’s 8.6 cents per envelop.
• Clean seal security envelopes, a box of 500 for $24.99.  That’s 5 cents per return envelop.
• Laser Print Paper, Ream of 500 for $8.99. That’s 1.8 cents per page.
• One US postage stamp cost 44 cents.

Paper and postage cost alone are 59.4 cents per statement.
This does not include the cost for ink/toner, wear and tear on the printer, and time spent folding, stuffing, sealing, and mailing the statements.  This can easily add another 20 cents per statement.

The economy is tough and we’re being pushed to save every penny we can wherever we can. Let us help you make every penny count.

With MedLook and BillFlash you can… 

MedLook supports at least two separate services for electronic statements (eStatements).  This includes BillFlash and BestBill.  In the very near future we will provide even more options.

While many users continue to mail their own statements there are some very good rea$on$ to do otherwise.  Yep, you guessed it - money.

Consider the costs to generate statements in the office.
If you purchase from Office Depot (as of January 26, 2010) on-line:

• Medical self-seal envelopes, a box of 500 for $42.99.  That’s 8.6 cents per envelope.
• Clean seal security envelopes, a box of 500 for $24.99.  That’s 5 cents per return envelope.
• Laser Print Paper, Ream of 500 for $8.99. That’s 1.8 cents per page.
• One US postage stamp cost 44 cents.

Paper and postage costs alone are 59.4 cents per statement.
This does not include the cost for ink/toner, wear and tear on the printer, and time spent folding, stuffing, sealing, and mailing the statements.  This can easily add another 10 to 20 cents per statement.

eStatements provide convenience along with time and labor savings all while providing cost savings.
The economy is tough and we’re being pushed to save every penny we can wherever we can. Let us help you make every penny count.

Hopefully you can begin billing in less than one hour.  Downloading and installing the software depends upon your internet connection speed.  Typically this takes two to ten minutes.  After that you can submit your request for a serial number from the Help::Registration dialog.  While waiting for the serial number you can immediately begin entering your provider and facility information.  The next step would be to begin entering patient information (along with CPT and ICD codes, and carriers).  Once you have your serial number you can generate claims and statements.

Of course, submitting claims requires some sort of enrollment forms so you’ll have to begin that process immediately.  This is the single largest hold up for claims submission.

In MedLook 3 and MedLook 4 the software is identical.  MedLook On-Line is a hosted version of the desktop software.  This means you have any where, any time access from a Windows or Mac computer via the internet.  The client computer only has to run the CITRIX setup once and after that MedLook On-Line is available from your launch page (e.g. http://medlookusa.wizmoworks.com/).

Another difference is that MedLook On-Line is installed and ready to go, protected from viruses, backed up nightly, free from IT worries (such as system or disk crashes). Updates are posted for you when available.

MedLook On-Line does not require a software purchase.  You pay the simple monthly fee as long as you use it.  You also can have a desktop license while you are using MedLook On-Line if you need it but you are responsible for it’s upkeep. 

Those are the key differences.  To learn more visit http://www.medlookusa.com/medlookonline.php#

MedLook has always been current with the CMS 1500 Print Image file. The 837 professional data file is nearly complete (November 20, 2009). There are “free” services and direct submission methods available. Generally we frown on these solutions as they are not centralized and generally troublesome. Using a clearinghouse, SolAce, or our integrated claims submission is much easier. If time and convenience equates to money saved then avoid the free or direct pay (i.e. from the carrier) alternatives.

Yes, MedLook reads and writes HL7 formatted files. It also supports a few custom formats and can do more as required.

MedLook allows you to export virtually everything to .csv files or straight text files with no magic involved. Plus you can export much of the information in HL7 format.

Yes, and no. Yes, if you can create any sort of text file(s). We prefer not open any database directly. There are so many versions of any given product with different database structures that it is prohibitive to attempt to convert all versions of any one product. We prefer to read data such as the CMS 1500 claims files, .csv files, or report listings. We can import transactions but we frown upon this. It is impossible to handle all of the nuances of each software package. Generally, reading the 1500 claims files is a great way to start and is widely available on most systems. Normally the fee is $200 or less.