Professional Training for ClientTracker Is Now Available

Education is an investment that pays dividends for your business.

Ginkgo Software now offers paid training from an Acupuncturist or from a former Office Manager!. Learn how to make more effective use of your time and save money every day by completing tasks sooner!

Michael Weinstein, L.Ac. is a practicing acupuncturist in Southern California who has used ClientTracker for over 7 years.  He also has a Master's degree in Learning Technology from Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA.  Michael is a "solo-preneur," running his office all by himself. He has mastered the art of filling SOAP Notes quickly and accurately, and setting up custom SOAP Templates to save significant time in his practice.

Jen Cline is a former Office Manager in a busy acupuncture practice.  She used ClientTracker every day for 3 years, and discovered the fastest ways to perform many everyday processes such as making appointments, completing invoices, and billing insurance.  Since then, she has been providing customer support for Ginkgo Software, and has learned even more!

Training is an investment that pays for itself many times over, and can be used to take you business to the next level.

• Train new employees or groups to help them contribute earlier
• From the simple to complex, master time saving techniques and shortcuts
• Find the best ways to use parts of the program you've always wanted to learn
• Expand your practice and use ClientTracker for affiliated practitioners
• Learn how to take insurance to better compete in your local market

Our professional training is available by appointment, and costs $100 per hour ($100 minimum charge).  Detailed training can be designed for any practice!

Straight Talk About the New 1500 Form and ICD-10 Diagnosis Codes

Unless you have been blessed to be on sabbatical in the Himalayas for a couple of years, you've undoubtedly heard of the new 1500 form changes required by the government.  The good news is, ClientTracker is ready for these changes, and will make dealing with them a LOT easier!

The New 1500 Form is Required for Use as of April 1, 2014
The new version is called the HCFA CMS-1500 Claim Form, version 02-12.  The changes were a long time coming, and were mandated by the Center for Medicare Services (CMS) and the National Uniform Claims Committee.  We at Ginkgo Software had noting to do with requiring these changes, and our bliss is to make it easier for you to deal with!

Click here to view our new video introducing the new form and some new features to make it easier!

The primary change on the new form is to allow for up to 12 diagnosis codes in Box 21, to accommodate the larger code sets that will eventually be required for ICD-10.  However, use of the new ICD-10 Codes will not be allowed on this new form until October 1, 2015 (current timeline).

NUCC Timeline Governs Usage of the New 1500

• The official NUCC timeline for the new form specifies that you may use either the old or new form through March 31 (which is just 6 weeks away as of this post).
• The new 02-12 version will be REQUIRED by clearing houses and payers nationwide, starting April 1, 2014.  Any claims submitted using the old 08-05 version will be rejected.
• The new 1500 allows for use of the new ICD-10 Diagnosis Codes, which are not to be used  now but will be required on October 1, 2015.
  
• ClientTracker will have another update before then, with new features to make the transition to ICD-10 as easy as possible for you.

The New ICD-10 Codes Will Be A HUGE CHANGE
If you haven't learned about the new ICD-10 codes yet, you still have lots of time until they are required.  When required, they will profoundly change how you interact with patients, payers, legal issues, and other health care providers.

ICD-10 codes are not "new," except in this country.  The rest of the world has been using these codes for decades, and the U.S. will have to start using them eventually! 

• (Update April 2014)  Strong protests from AMA and other lobbies have pushed back the compliance date for ICD-10 to October 1, 2015.

Future Think
If you are not prepared to use these new diagnosis codes, it will take MUCH LONGER to code a visit and provide a valid superbill to your patients!  If you bill insurance directly, it's even more imperative that you use the new codes properly.  And of course you want to present a professional image as a healthcare provider, even if you do not deal with insurance at all!

If your patients do not have proper diagnosis codes provided by you, they may not be reimbursed by their insurance, and some will seek other healthcare options so they don't have to pay out-of-pocket!

Watch for more information in this blog and other Ginkgo Software resources.

Clarifying ClientTracker Desktop's OPTIONAL Subscription Service

ClientTracker has been available since 2003 as a stand-alone desktop program.  This presented many challenges over the years in upgrading the software to work with new technology, devices, and government requirements.  A subscription allows us to provide better service to you, our customer, and to develop the features and requirements you need - when you need them.  This is the concept of "Software as a Service" or SaaS, which is transforming our industry, and the way that consumers use the benefits and services that software provides.

• ClientTracker Desktop is now available EITHER by subscription, or "buy it when you want it"
• ClientTracker Cloud is available only by annual or monthly subscription

How the New Subscription Works
For the desktop ClientTracker, you pay one annual amount (currently $395) to use the software and have all upgrades and support.  This amount is not expected to change much over the years, but honestly, who can say what will happen to the world's economy?

• At $395 per year, this is about a dollar a day to use software that handles many aspects of your practice, including patients, inventory, and billing.  Most people spend more than this on supplements!

You don't have to renew every year, but keeping your subscription current is one way to manage your business expenses and keep them predictable.  Every year, we plan to have amazing new features and easy-to-use tools to deal with new government regulations like ICD-10.

How the Upgrade to 5 Works
In the past, you paid one fee to get software that was "stuck in time."  That is, it worked in a certain way, and only that way.  For example, our versions 4.0 (and earlier) had few updates, and will not have any new development for the new 1500 form or ICD-10 codes due to technical limitations.  To upgrade to v5 from an earlier version, you simply pay your first year's subscription, with no extra fees.

What Happens If I Don't Pay the Subscription Renewal?
Your subscription renewal will be due a year from when the upgrade is delivered by email download, and every year on that date.  If you choose not to renew your subscription, the program will still function 100% as it does now.  We are one of the few software companies that still offers this option, and we will keep it available for as long as it is fiscally possible.

If you choose not to renew, there will be a fee for any needed email or phone support.  Our searchable online manual remains free and available all the time.  Your subscription enables us to provide the program development and support services you need.  It's your choice.

• We are simply pointing out that if you want to have software that evolves on an ongoing basis to meet your needs, it is worth paying for it on an ongoing basis.  It's certainly better than paying once for a program that never changes and becomes obsolete.

We know that some of our customers purchased ClientTracker because it was one of the few programs that had a low, one-time fee.  That works for software that never changes.but not for practice management software in the 21st Century.  As technology has advanced exponentially, there has been an explosion of new devices and options that require a software program to keep up.  Also in the healthcare field, we face unprecedented changes in privacy and interoperability on an historic scale.  The evolution of comprehensive, nuanced, intelligently designed software costs more money than ever before.

Over 90% of your subscription goes to new development.  We are not a large, faceless corporation.  As we have said in previous posts (and on our web site), we are people just like you who CARE about your practice and the important healthcare alternatives you offer your community, and we want to support you.