I Advice - Business

Medical Billing - HA0 Record
In this installment on medical billing, we're going to review one of the shortest and yet one of the most confusing records for electronic billing of claims using NSF 3.01 specifications. This is the HA0 record. Curious as to what all the fuss is about? Keep reading and you'll find out.The HA0 record doesn't really consist of very much. As a matter of fact, going over the individual fields is almost pointless. The first field is the standard record type, which in this case is HA0. The second field is the sequence number in the claim, which we also see in all other records. The third field is the patient ID, which is in every record that transmits patient information. The fourth field is the line item control number, which in this case isn't even used yet. All that is new in this record is field five, which falls between positions 40 and 320. The field is labeled as extra narrative. So how much trouble can this field possibly cause?To understand this, one must first understand the legal speak that goes along with the HA0 record. If you carefully read the Medicare manual, it clearly states, for the description of this field, "Free form narrative record to submit additional information that may assist in the adjudication of the service line item in the proceeding FA0 record".To further understand this

ge site photos and minimal copy, allowing the work to speak for itself. In this scenario a flexible layout grid would need to be created to accommodate a variety of projects. Creative options are endless; consistency is the key.

As a dynamic entity, the Experience must be defined with care given to the messages it will deliver and the type of responses they must generate. Provide value by crafting content that illustrates your working knowledge of the major issues for clients and prospects. While it is good to know that a company has many years of experience, these ‘we’ messages, (we have 100 years of experience, we have won many awards, we understand) will not resonate like messages that mirror a situation that a client or prospect is facing. The former is a monologue, the latter mimics a dialogue by demonstrating knowledge of issues, understanding of consequences, and an ability to envision and craft solutions.

An Introduction to Digital Signage
Digital Signage is the name given to a new and emerging form of advertising that is growing rapidly in today’s digital environment. Digital Signage is exactly what its name implies. It is a way of utilizing electronic data to produce a sign that does not need to be physically altered in any way. The content and the message displayed on the sign is displayed on an electronic screen. The screen may be a scrolling message board or a LCD or plasma display panel. They are often viewed as electronic billboards. The sign is controlled remotely using a computer or other device that is remotely located.Although digital signage has been around for sometime, it has been extremely expensive in the past. It is actually the development of digital signage software that has spurred the rapid expansion into the market place. Walmart is one of the first retail establishments to take full advantage of the technology. Digital signage that is displayed on television screens located at key locations in their stores target specific items with videos and changing messages. Best Buy is another large retailer that has made use of digital signage. It is estimated that the sale of indoor and outdoor retail displays will increase 300% in the next five years.The matching of digital signage software to a specific need or problem is known as a digi

Let’s say you’re the marketing director of a professional services firm, the director of corporate communications, or the company president. You know you’re good at what you do and that your company provides outstanding services. What’s troubling you is the dissonance between these outstanding services and the level of corporate marketing collateral and the web site. You’re worried that marketing communications are sending mixed messages and thwarting business development efforts. In fact, corporate literature design has become a reactive process, often driven by the need for a piece for an upcoming event. With clients and prospects savvier than ever, you’re concerned that the right image for business has not been created.

Creating image is the job of a visual identity system. It is the result of the integration of business goals and creative design. It defines the use of typography, image, color, layout and logo to reflect your business, making certain that all communications send a singular message. A system will provide the underlying architecture for all external and internal communications, ensuring a consistent presentation from corporate literature design to signage.

Musical Chairs

Creating a visual identity is a process that begins by switching seats with clients and prospects to view your business from their perspective. As seen from your former seat, the variety of ways to interact with your business can look like a series of unrelated events. On the surface there doesn’t appear to be a relationship between corporate collateral, public relations initiatives, interior office space design, and the web site. To an individual client or prospect though, these internal and external touchpoints combine to create a single picture of your business. More than passing impressions, these imprints become one’s collective ‘Experience’ of your business. There is no official port of entry into this world. Where someone may enter your sphere cannot, and should not, be controlled. Having many points of entry is optimum. Therefore, it is crucial that the Experience be consistent from portal to portal. Clients and prospects will find it confusing if different encounters send different messages about your firm. The danger to business is that your Experience is spinning without thoughtful input, creating a hodge-podge world of mixed messages and images, all featuring the corporate logo.

Let’s apply this Experience principle to corporate literature design. In this scenario, you’re the marketing director of a mid-sized law firm. Each of your firm’s clients works with a multi-disciplinary team of attorneys who solve a variety of legal needs across a spectrum of issues. This forward-thinking structure is the unique factor that distinguishes your firm from among the top 10 in your city. Is it enough to state this in the firm brochure or in each practice area brochure? What type of design approach would visually reinforce that message to a prospect looking for a firm of conservative risk-takers? If the content says conservative risk-takers, but the presentation says only conservative, dissonance has been created. If the content says creative and forward-thinking, but the presentation says stodgy, or, if the content says high level of expertise and the presentation says low production values, message and presentation are not aligned. Design and message need to reinforce one another. A seamless integration of content and presentation is a winning combination. Anything less will result in confused prospects.

Who Are You?

What Experience do you want to create for clients and prospects? The answer to this question begins with a definition of your business. This groundwork needs to be in place before a designer can determine how anything may look. Many professionals find the following questions a good place to begin:

who are our key clients, existing and targeted;
what are their major concerns and issues;
what skills, resources, strengths, experiences do we have that will address these concerns;
what do we want clients/prospects to know about us (exclude the obvious: we have a combined 100 years of experience; we provide fresh, creative solutions; we provide top-notch support and follow-through; we listen to our clients…);
which clients/industries make up the largest portion of business now; how do we want that to change;
how would clients describe us;
is there a discrepancy between how the company is perceived in the market and how we perceive ourselves;
is there a discrepancy between current perception and how the business looks to us in 5 years;
what messages about the company, positive and negative, are being delivered by current corporate literature design?

Try thinking of the business as a ‘who’ rather than an ‘it’ and sketch a personality. Start with obvious adjectives (casual, formal, friendly, quiet) to get them out of the way, allowing for more idiosyncratic and differentiating descriptions to emerge. Anything goes during this stage of the process. Leave the editing for later.

Honest and thoughtful answers will drill below the surface, where unique ideas are born. A definition of your company will emerge that truly distinguishes it and its Experience. All creative decisions to come will support this definition as a designer translates it into a visual statement. When linked with business goals and objectives, these creative decisions become strategic rather than capricious. For example, a monochromatic color palette will send a different message than one that features bright, primary colors. Additionally, just because your computer system has 200 fonts, doesn’t mean it makes sense to use them all. Depending on the messages to be supported, a family of traditional fonts may be selected over those that are contemporary. Or a sophisticated combination of traditional and cutting edge typestyles may make the best visual statement. What about imagery? Would it be better to use photos or would illustrations best reflect the message? Architecture firms often prefer large site photos and minimal copy, allowing the work to speak for itself. In this scenario a flexible layout grid would need to be created to accommodate a variety of projects. Creative options are endless; consistency is the key.

The Basics To Setting Up A Merchant Account
If you're business is not offering credit card payments, you could potentially be losing out on a tremendous amount of business. Because of the options you give customers by offering credit card payments, it creates a wider customer base. However, the first step to offering credit card payments through your business is setting up a merchant account.A merchant account is a bank account that is established by your company to receive the payments from credit card purchases. Simply done, right? It is a little more extensive than it comes off as, especially if you are accepting credit cards online. However, it is well worth it to set up a merchant account because of the potential increase in your business.Generally, you will also need to lease equipment and software when setting up your merchant account. The reason for this is to ensure you and the customer that the transaction flows to your operating account.If you are looking to accept credit cards online, you will need to sign up with a payment gateway. The payment gateway will allow you to accept credit card transactions online. When selecting your payment gateway, it is vital that the gateway is compatible with your software so that the transactions go through. Some of the more well-known payment gateways include Paypal, SECPay and authorize.net.<

relationship between corporate collateral, public relations initiatives, interior office space design, and the web site. To an individual client or prospect though, these internal and external touchpoints combine to create a single picture of your business. More than passing impressions, these imprints become one’s collective ‘Experience’ of your business. There is no official port of entry into this world. Where someone may enter your sphere cannot, and should not, be controlled. Having many points of entry is optimum. Therefore, it is crucial that the Experience be consistent from portal to portal. Clients and prospects will find it confusing if different encounters send different messages about your firm. The danger to business is that your Experience is spinning without thoughtful input, creating a hodge-podge world of mixed messages and images, all featuring the corporate logo.

Who Are You?

who are our key clients, existing and targeted;
what are their major concerns and issues;
what skills, resources, strengths, experiences do we have that will address these concerns;
what do we want clients/prospects to know about us (exclude the obvious: we have a combined 100 years of experience; we provide fresh, creative solutions; we provide top-notch support and follow-through; we listen to our clients…);
which clients/industries make up the largest portion of business now; how do we want that to change;
how would clients describe us;
is there a discrepancy between how the company is perceived in the market and how we perceive ourselves;
is there a discrepancy between current perception and how the business looks to us in 5 years;
what messages about the company, positive and negative, are being delivered by current corporate literature design?

How Much Should I Charge For My Commercial Cleaning Services?
You've bought all your cleaning supplies and equipment, told everyone you know that you have started a cleaning business and now you are ready to start bidding on jobs and getting down to work. So your next step is to meet with potential clients and put together a bid for their cleaning services. But how do you know what to charge for cleaning your potential client's building?Start off by remembering that you are in business to make a profit and earn a living. Sometimes the tendency is to price our services low in order to get our foot in the door. Pricing your services too low may mean you will end up working for very little per hour. And more importantly, will have little left over to reinvest in the growth of your company. There are cleaning companies that charge more than others and have all the work they can handle and there are companies that have lower fees yet are struggling to find work! Don't sell yourself short or you will not be able to earn a living off your cleaning business.The rates for commercial cleaning vary widely depending upon the area you live. Hourly rates are anywhere from $15 to $40 per hour depending on the type of services that you provide, whether or not you're doing the work yourself, and your company's overhead and expenses. Monthly square footage rates could run anywhere from $.05 to $

ers, but the presentation says only conservative, dissonance has been created. If the content says creative and forward-thinking, but the presentation says stodgy, or, if the content says high level of expertise and the presentation says low production values, message and presentation are not aligned. Design and message need to reinforce one another. A seamless integration of content and presentation is a winning combination. Anything less will result in confused prospects.

Who Are You?

who are our key clients, existing and targeted;
what are their major concerns and issues;
what skills, resources, strengths, experiences do we have that will address these concerns;
what do we want clients/prospects to know about us (exclude the obvious: we have a combined 100 years of experience; we provide fresh, creative solutions; we provide top-notch support and follow-through; we listen to our clients…);
which clients/industries make up the largest portion of business now; how do we want that to change;
how would clients describe us;
is there a discrepancy between how the company is perceived in the market and how we perceive ourselves;
is there a discrepancy between current perception and how the business looks to us in 5 years;
what messages about the company, positive and negative, are being delivered by current corporate literature design?

2006 Year-End Salary Planning is Right Around the Corner
Upper Saddle River, N.J. - September 19, 2006 – As year-end is rapidly approaching, companies are beginning to scramble to finalize their salary budgets for the next year. It is time for Human Resource professionals to put their thinking caps on and make important merit increase decisions throughout the next couple of months.According to a recent survey published by WorldatWork, total salary budget increases and salary structure increases will increase slightly for 2007 . Overall results indicate that general increases/cost of living increases, merit increases, and total increases show a steady increase from 2004 to 2007.When evaluating salary budget increases, salary structure movements, etc. at the end of each year, companies should consider testing the marketplace to determine if there are any significant changes in compensation for their positions. For companies that intend to maintain parity with the compensation levels within their appropriate labor markets, companies should consider conducting a benchmark study every two (2) years (or more often for other jobs, as needed) to assess any discrepancies that may exist between the actual pay and the marketplace. Any adjustments necessary would then be a factor in the salary planning process.Compensation Resources, Inc. (CRI) will be releasing its annual

pancy between current perception and how the business looks to us in 5 years;

what messages about the company, positive and negative, are being delivered by current corporate literature design?

Ensuring Business Success: 4th Quarter Publicity = 1st Quarter Prosperity
As the year 2006 starts to wind down, many businesses and entrepreneurs are making plans and budgets for the year 2007. Those plans could include anything from setting up goals for new products to preparing marketing, sales and PR/publicity campaigns. When it comes to your publicity plan, WHEN you launch your campaign can be just as important to what and how you launch.HOLIDAY PUBLICITY OPPORTUNITIES:If your product/business lends itself to increased holiday sales, the next few weeks are a perfect time to get a publicity campaign launched – given the right media targets. Many holiday issues are already been laid out for magazines, and many other media outlets are feverishly seeking information/pitches on innovative stories for the holidays. Some media outlets even reorganize or beef up staff around the holidays to allow for an increase in stories on products. Have your publicist help you take advantage of this increased media opportunity.PLANTING PUBLICITY SEEDS NOW FOR 1ST QUARTER RESULTS:Some business owners may be of the mindset: “I think we’ll wait to launch a publicity campaign until after January 1st.” The problem is -- if you wait to launch your publicity campaign until the first of the year hoping for a quick media interest blast in January, you may be in for a quiet month. Keep in mind most med

The same principle applies to web site design and content. Several years ago there was widespread panic to get a web site ‘out there.’ Many companies did just that: got something out there. They mistook action for progress. Today these sites are being gutted because they cost a lot and generated little. Listing resum? content is acceptable, but shouldn’t drive the site design. It creates a monologue where there should be dialogue. Visitors to the site must be able to pick up their issue thread on the home page. A web site is not confined by binding or page count. Take advantage of the medium to let prospects easily find exactly what they are looking for. This is how to avoid creating a digital brochure. Refer back to the definition exercise and review your list of client issues. Demonstrate to users that not only do those of us at Our Company understand these issues, we have anticipated questions and furnished answers, so please click here. This provides real value, imparting working knowledge that can make the site a reference point.

Maybe Later

This process of defining the Experience, the business, and visual identity is a difficult exercise. It lends itself to procrastination and excuse-making. Do any of the following sound familiar?

We’re too busy to deal with this now.
I don’t have the budget to do this.
We know we should do this, but we’ve decided to give it another year to see where business goes first.

If you find yourself thinking that you’re too busy, remember that identity is all about perception. At the same time that you and your staff are hard at work, corporate collateral is working too, creating an Experience of your company for people you may never have met, who may be working for firms you’ve never heard of, or ones you’ve been trying to get into. Communications that align with the Experience will support your efforts and strengthen business. A disconnect will generate headaches that will make their way to the top of your to-do list.

Budget is an ongoing concern. Time and money were invested in those one-off pieces created for that upcoming event. A system will eliminate costs incurred reinventing the design decision wheel. Laying a strong visual foundation first and adding components (literature program, web site, advertising, etc.) in phases will ensure that the pieces developed today will work with those added next year. Each addition to the system, even if it is for a one-time event, will add equity to the logo and support name recognition efforts.

If you want to give it all a little more time, ask yourself why. As temporary solutions, existing communications will be out of alignment with your Experience and confusing to prospects and clients. The marketplace is moving too fast to lose position through confusion. During that same timeframe an identity could begin to develop a presence, planting seeds for the future. Because it is about perception and capturing the essence of the Experience, a visual identity will provide a solid foundation for expansion. The strokes are broad enough to accommodate transitions and adjustments. Imagine the system as a structure: too narrow in its vision and it will be quickly outgrown.

Everyone is clamoring for clients’ or prospects’ attention. Noise in the marketplace is loud. With a visual identity that has thrown your company’s Experience out of alignment, its voice is unable to strike the clear and resonant chord that will rise above the din. Intelligent design will bring a quiet symmetry to the Experience that will be clearly audible.

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The use of cubicles by forty million Americans, about sixty percent of the workforce of America, clearly establishes the significance of cubicles in the corporate world. It has been felt that cubicles provide privacy at an affordable price. Since they are usually taller than a person sitting in a chair, cubicles tend to block out a lot of a person's voice when they are talking on the phone. This ensures that everybody can achieve greatest efficiency with the least amount of square footage invested in the office.

In most cases, sales promotions are better at reaching consumers with direct contact than traditional advertising channels are. Sales promotions also can have a more meaningful impact on customers. For example, free samples and point-of-purchase displays will often be accompanied by a store manager or employee who can explain the product and provide further information. You can’t sample a TV commercial or get more information without going to the store or getting on the internet.

Promote your customers through your brand. If you put on a special event such as a seminar, make sure you include your current customers and have them invite their customers.

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