Greetings and Happy Holidays!

Wanting to bill insurance with your program? Do you know what you need to do to be compliant? This blog talks in brief about compliance surrounding insurance programs you are associated with as a provider.

First, for •profit and non •profit agencies can be on provider panels. So lets ask an obvious question: do you want to accept insurance for service? This is a very individual decision.  It may be based on your mission and whom you want to serve or it may come down to a regional or state preference. For example, we are a Medicaid provider. However, in other states it can be more difficult to be granted "preferred provider" status. In the end you need to decide what works for your business.

When you apply to be a "preferred provider" or to be on a "provider panel" with an insurance company, you will be asked, what I call "demographic questions". These questions center on the "who, what, where, and how" of your business. Some applications are set up as check boxes and are very straightforward. Others may request descriptive information of what you do.  This is the number one stumbling block I hear within the field: the description of what you do. I promise I will cover that on another blog very soon.

From a compliance standpoint, the number one "offense" falls under documentation. You must document thoroughly. To read more about this topic and about some common errors in documentation, click here.

That is it for now. Contact me with questions.

"Til next time,

Lisa
Practice Administrator

"Thanks Shannon for your input!!!!! Great ideas. I will follow your lead and and let you all know how it goes. I do have another question. How would you charge for this kind of demonstration. $$$ did not come up in the dialogue when I was presenting this to the agency head. I was not certain how to charge, if I should charge. This is my attempt to get a firm referral base going, anticipating more referrals to our program which I will get paid for. Thanks." Judy

To view the blog conversation, click here

Hey Judy,

I hear you in wanting to set up a long-term referral relationship with this organization, and we've done plenty of such demonstrations for free with those circumstances in mind. What concerns me about the demonstration you're getting ready to undertake is the length of the event. When we've done it "for free," we've only done it for 2 hrs or so, so as not to lose the whole day, or to set a bad precedent for the future. Currently, Horse Sense is charging not for "demonstrations" but for private introductions for organizations. We try to steer those interested in Demonstrations to our monthly Open House/Tour. When we charge, we usually charge our regular hourly rate of $120/hr; $110/hr for non-profits for such a private introduction. But, if the organization were a large, long-term referral base, I'd take that into consideration as well, and probably do the same thing you are doing.

Demonstrations, Tours & Open Houses are so very important, and such a critical part of success for EAP/EAL organizations. With that in mind, January & Febuary's Topic telecalls with me will spotlight best practices for these events, with lots of tips and hints about what to/not to do. Look also for DVD's from Horse Sense to come out in early 2008 to help you visualize your successful event!

Thanks for your questions, Judy, and I hope the response you get is great!

Best,

Shannon

Dear Friends,

Happy Thanksgiving! By now we're all post-holiday and getting out to exercise off the turkey and dressing!

It's so important for me to remember all the many blessings that brought me to this point of being able to do this amazing work, with amazing animals and people. Today, my gratitude list includes

• my husband, Richard

• all the horses I've known, Dreamer and Sue in particular
• my virtual right hand, Lauri
• my conspirator in writing, marketing, planning and offsite eventing, Brenda
• he who keeps me aware and afloat, Mike
• the inspired and inspiring Elizabeth
• everyone who is interested in this field, and who has a dream to help people and horses

Please have a safe and happy holiday weekend....

Shannon

Question: I am having 25 social workers coming out to our program for a day with the intention of introducing EAP. We are thinking of having the social workers  (2)present a vignette and then design activities/interventions to move treatment in a positive direction.

Any ideas for activities would be appreciated. The majority of the social workers are in the child protective services division.

thanks, Judy

To see the blog and Judy's original question click here

Answer: Hey Judy!

Thanks for your question. When we do a demonstration such as the one you describe, we'll plan about 5-6 activities (a full day is a LONG demonstration, especially if you aren't getting paid. Just my 2 cents!).

First off, I LOVE your idea of having them design vignettes. That's a great way to make it tangible and immediately applicable to them. But I would start first off with some basic psychoed about what EAP is and how it works. When we do this in our CEU training introducing EAP, we spend a little time talking about the roles of the horses, the facilitation team, the client and the referring agency (when applicable), so they can see how it all works together. So I think some time spent there is well-advised.

Two activities that jump out at me are 1) have them design an obstacle course of, say, 4-5 obstacles their clients, on the whole, generally present with. Label the obstacles as such, and then have them get the "client/horse" through the obstacle course without lead ropes, bribery, etc... That tends to be a really rich one we've used in the past!

The second activity that springs to mind is one in which you create
4-5 tasks for the group to complete with a horse/horses. You create 4 tasks such as "get horse over the jump" or "get horse to circle the barrel once to the right" and write them on separate slips of paper.
Then, break the group up into subgroups, giving each subgroup a slip of paper. No talking. This tends to bring up the many differing goals/divisions/groups that a client must "pass through" to complete a treatment program, and how sometimes one group overrides another, or whatever. It's been a great one for us!

Best of luck, Judy. Let us know how it goes!

Shannon

Yep, folks, it’s that time of year again. ‘Tis the season for family gatherings, office parties and friendly festivities. The holidays are a great time to connect with friends and family, colleagues and clients in a fun and joyful way! Planning ahead can make the difference between having a jolly holiday season or feeling like Ebenezer Scrooge.

If you’re someone who really enjoys the holidays like I do, I invite you to consider how you can leverage this festive time of year to help your business. Here are some quick tips and ideas…

1. Send holiday greetings to your current clients, past clients and prospective clients. Tip: Send “A Note of Gratitude” in November and beat the December flurry of cards and notes that inevitably float around. You’ll stand out in the crowd.
2. Attend parties where your ideal clients and/or potential referral sources might be hanging out. Tip: ALWAYS carry your business card. Even though you may attend a holiday gathering for primarily social reasons, you never know when you might meet someone who could support your business.
3. Give meaningful and practical gifts. Tip: Make a list of who you’d like to send gifts to (Clients? Colleagues? Referral sources?) then set a budget. Find an item that suits you and order it or buy it now. Avoid the last minute scramble which creates stress and leads to unoriginal greetings.

Remember, the idea of the holidays is to express thanks and joy for the wonderful people in your life. It’s not about how much you spend or how outrageously cute and creative you can be… it’s more about letting people know you care about them and you appreciate their contributions to your business and life. Be genuine and real. Be yourself and let your passion for your work and what you do shine through!

 
--- Coach Elizabeth
www.elizabethbarbour.com

Greetings!

In this “episode” of compliance I am going to address other compliance issues.  Do you know what you have in your filing cabinets?  If you get a visit from someone saying they are an investigator are you prepared to have that person (or persons) start at one corner of your office and not stop until they are at the far corner of your barn?

HIPAA was fun, but let’s get into what you need to have “on deck” for the other “players” in the compliance game.  Before I generate the list, I want to remind you that your are open to inspections from the federal government, state government, granting agencies and private sector parties that have an investment in your business (ex: insurance companies).

Okay, so get ready to hit the print button on this and start hunting to see if you are compliant.  Here’s the list of what you are responsible for:

• Certificates of Insurance(s)
• Records on all financial transactions
• W-2’s, I-9’s, and 1099 forms
• Payroll records for anyone and everyone
• Tax returns and records on what you have paid (SS, unemployment, sales tax, Etc.)
• Worker’s Comp records
• Policies and Procedures
• Personnel Files: resumes, evaluations, rate of pay, start date, criminal background checks, copies of driver’s licenses and SS numbers.  This list goes on, and feel free to contact me.

• Conflict of Interest policy and statement
• Health Insurance Records
• Subcontract Agreements
• Grant Agreements
• Articles of Incorporation
• Fiscal accounting policies

 Okay, I’ll stop...and yes there is more.  Don’t panic, take a breath and pause.  This list is doable. If you think you don’t have it together, I bet you have 75% of it.  But do you know where it is?  Is it readily accessible and is it efficiently compiled?

Some of you may be wondering,  “What happens if I don’t have this stuff together and I get audited?”  Depends on what agency is auditing you and what mood the auditor is in.  Consequences can range from slap on the wrist and a warning all the way up to hefty fines, jail time, loss of license(s) or certificates, and closure of your business.

The area of compliance, I think, is one of the easiest things for you to keep up with and probably the number one thing blown off or overlooked by programs.  It may prove costly to you if you don’t take the time to make sure all your ducks are in a row.

I have one more entry on compliance and then we’ll move on to less scary and more fun administrative stuff.  Please don’t hesitate to contact us here at Horse Sense if you want or need help with any of this.

‘Til Next Time!

Lisa
Practice Administrator

As a timely reminder I wanted to throw down some general company tips to get your barn in order for the annual tax man.

• Purchase business assets before year end and take advantage of the (up to) $108,000 section 179 deduction.  See details at http://www.irs.gov/publications/p946/ch02.html#d0e2333.  I bought a computer at 11pm on December 31 once.  Good stuff.

• Defer income to next year.  If you are on the accrual basis, delay your billings.

• Prepay expenses this year.  Expenses on a credit card are deductible in the year charged (not paid), and if you are on the cash basis, paying your bills with cash early will get you a better deduction.

• Write off your client accounts that are uncollectible.  You get no tax benefit from waiting.

• If you are on the cash basis, pay out employee bonuses before year end.  If you are on the accrual basis, you will get the deduction even if you don’t actually pay them until next year

• Issue 1099 forms to your contractors.  If you paid anyone more than $600 for services, you will need to follow the instructions for issuing those forms.

• Have the company contribute to your 401k plan if you have one.

• If your company is going to have a loss as an S-Corp, LLC or Partnership, review your basis in the company with your CPA so that you can take advantage of the loss personally.

• Clean up your books for year end.  Hire a bookkeeper to clean it up, they are much less expensive than the tax accountant/CPA.

Feel free to contact me with questions, complaints go to the IRS!

Mike Sowinski, CPA

www.cfoconsultants.net

If you've been to any of my presentations or read the Horse Sense, Business Sense book, you've heard me talk about one of Horse Sense's guiding principles: "If it's ever about us, we're doing it wrong ." I'd like to spend just a minute talking about why I say that, and what it means to me.

When people get involved in this field, it is my hope that they become aware of how much they can impact a session. They can impact it by how much or how little they share about horses, about their roles, about safety, about any number of things. The EAGALA Part 1 goes a long way to helping people The 'S of the SPUD'S also helps highlight recognize & avoid leading questions.when facilitators' own biases and agendas show up, and the EAGALA training addresses how to deal with that.

But there is still one more area that relates to "If it's ever about us, we're doing it wrong" that I've noticed in facilitators that concerns me, and it's not just confined to one organization or methodology (like EFMHA, EAGALA, Epona and others). It's what I call the "Look at me" facilitation, when the facilitator becomes impressed with their insight, their questions, and their ability to "show" the client what he/she needs to do or know. Instead of "Look at the horse," it's "Look at me," a clear sign that the session is off-track in some way.

I love the Alcoholics Anonymous statement, "Principles Before Personalities", which reminds us that it's not us that makes this intervention work, it's the horses. While we all strive to be the best we can be in our field, it's an important point to remember!

All the best,

Shannon

There’s a TV ad where a hapless mother confronts her pre-teen daughter over the alarming use of her cell phone text messaging, only to become entangled in a barrage of text messaging shorthand. “OMG it’s NBD! TISNF!” protests the girl.

I found myself in a similar situation when my teenage niece started Instant Messaging me every afternoon a few years ago. It wasn’t long before I was lost in the maze of IM lingo: “Hi AB! Your last email made me LOL. BTW, gotta go, but I’ll BRB...I have to go to VB! TTFN!” (Translation: Hi, Aunt Brenda! Your last email made me laugh out loud. By the way, gotta go, but I’ll be right back...I have to go to volleyball! Ta-ta for now.”)

Anna and her brothers obviously found my IM ineptitude hilarious as I struggled to keep up. I loved connecting to my faraway family every day, but I definitely needed a translator!

It may be part of a teenager’s DNA to create barriers between themselves and everyone else, in business that same tactic is a very bad idea...yet we do it nearly every day. We may attract a client, only to lose them in a badly executed phone call or poorly written yellow page ad. In our “conversation” with the outside world, we regularly omit important information, drop lingo people don’t understand, or – worse yet – forget obvious things like our phone number or how to find our website.

So take a few minutes to think about this: What kind of barriers are you creating for your potential customers? Look at your flyers, your newspaper ad, your website. Do you make it easy for clients to find you? Do you make it easy for them to say “Yes”? Marketing doesn’t do much good if the message is flawed. If you make them jump through hoops, I guarantee they’re gone!

TTFN,
Brenda
CreativeInc.net