Sequel Systems Newletter
July 2010

Welcome Aboard

Savvy healthcare professionals are partnering with Sequel Systems as they realize how advantageous it is to become a part of the technology revolution in the healthcare industry. Sequel Systems would like to welcome to our team the following companies either filling the role as Channel Partner or Value Added Seller.


Convenient Business Intelligence

Version 8.0 has arrived. Sequel Systems is committed to making its products and services easy to use,

Featured within Version 8.0 is the Business Intelligence tool which previously was accessed thru a login site, however now, users can click on a button on the menu bar to conveniently access the tool. The beauty of the BI tool is that it allows data to be transformed into meaningful information giving healthcare professionals the ability to make informed decisions that drive change, and maximize both cost savings and quality of care.

The beauty of the BI tool is that it allows data to be transformed into meaningful information giving healthcare professionals the ability to make informed decisions that drive change, and maximize both cost savings and quality of care.


Improving Practice Workflow

SequelMed’s EC Strategy allows users to become acclimated with inputting pertinent patient data into the SequelMed system.

The implementation process gives users time to grow accustomed to the EC workflow before they transition into the EMR full-time while improving the internal workflow within the practice.

The EC module contains the ePrescribing tool allowing physicians and healthcare providers the ability to send prescriptions electronically to pharmacies and PBM’s. The module also provides the option to correspond with and send orders to laboratories. Additional functionality includes Patient Call Reminders, Patient Portal and Payment Portal. Follow-up with patients is imperative to a successful practice which is where Patient Call Reminders lend to the efficiency of the practice.

Providers who give their patient’s access to their practice’s Patient Portal help to improve communication between the patient and provider. Admittance to the tool grants the patient instantaneous access to the health information they need in turn allowing physicians and providers more time to focus on patient care.

Patients are able to log into the Payment Portal, access their e-statements and make secure, electronic payments as well as leave messages for their Provider. The perk to utilizing EC is that after getting acclimated with using it, “Going Live” to the Clinical portion of the application takes 2-4 weeks dependent upon the specialty and practice size.


Certified Medical Claims System

Electronic submission of bills to Insurance Carriers results in faster payments, greater accuracy and increased cash flow through iHCFA,

The highest level of technology and design were fused to create a product that is easy to understand, easy to learn and easy to use. 

The Attending Physicians Treatment Plan (APTP) have been live on iHCFA since February 2010. Utilizing the on-line form gives Providers faster pre-certification information and feedback on the approval of their requested treatment plans. Access to the APTP is granted to all Providers who submit bills to iHCFA. The company was created because it recognized the frustration Providers experienced when their reimbursement was delayed and understood the frustration that Carriers and Payors were experiencing when they received incomplete or improperly submitted claim forms.

In turn, experts in both the Provider Community and the Insurance Industry united their collective knowledge to develop the iHCFA.com initiative. The website is HIPPA/HCFA complaint, secure and easy to navigate allowing users to accurately and safely enter HCFA-1500 or C-4 claims and track their progress, improving efficiencies of organizations while reducing their costs.

The benefits of iHCFA.com are Web Based Claims Submission, Web Based C-4 Submission, Paper Claims Submission and Claim Pre-Funding. Adding a Claim is as simple as logging on, filling in a few required fields to check for duplicates and following the on-screen instructions while adding the specific input requirements already imbedded in the HCFA-1500 claims form. iHCFA.com automatically tracks and records all entries, resulting in secure claims accountability.

The New York State Insurance Fund, Workman’s Compensation and Disability Benefits Specialists since 1914 have streamlined their medical billing process by utilizing iHCFA.com. NYSIF pays approximately 1.5 million bills per year. Electronic bill receipt ensures expedited and timely payments to medical providers and eliminates the need for them to place phone calls inquiring about the status of bills.

This represents a major improvement in customer service and provides more productive time for NYSIF's claims professionals. NYSIF receives approximately 50,000 new claims per year and has about 110,000 open claims at any time. The 190,000+ policyholders are employers of every size and represent just over 37% of the workers' compensation market in New York State. They do business in eight locations consisting of 12 business offices where injured worker claims and provider bills are processed.


Oncology Module launched in Beta

SequelMed’s Oncology EMR module is currently launched in Beta.

SequelMed’s Eletronic Medical Record (EMR) and Practice Management solutions are based on the Cancer Society’s Regime Guidelines and designed to help Oncology practices enhance efficiency, profitability, and patient care.

The module addresses the vast information needs of the Oncology specialty and allows for physicians to automate and simplify the patient record documentation, storage and retrieval process. The system also includes Oncology specific ICD and CPT Codes that are used to capture accurate charges and quickly generate electronic Super bill at the point of care.

To meet specific practice needs, SequelMed offers customizable point-and-click templates, scheduling, e-Prescribing, PQRI data collection/reporting, patient portal, in-bound/out-bound faxing capabilities, clinical benchmarking, redundant security, and other significant customizable options.


ANSI 5010 and ICD-10-CM

HIPPA requires the HHS to adopt required standards for health plans, health care clearing houses,

Timelines established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are currently being followed by Sequel Systems so that the company will be fully compliant for processing both ANSI 5010 and the ICD-10-CM code sets. HIPPA requires the HHS to adopt required standards for health plans, health care clearing houses, and health care providers to use when conducting certain health care transactions electronically, such as claims, remittance advices, and requests and responses for eligibility claims status. Sequel Systems currently utilizes X12 version 4010A1 for the aforementioned, although internal testing for X12 version 5010 has commenced and Sequel will begin testing with Payors and Clearing Houses once they are ready.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has mandated the industry to upgrade versions, therefore implementation of ANSI 5010 is a prerequisite for implementing the new ICD-10 codes. The purpose of the upgrade to X12 5010 will increase transaction uniformity and support ICD-10-CM codification. The reason behind the transition from ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM is that 30 years after their inception of procedure codes, they are near to running out and many of the diagnosis categories are full, preventing further expansion.

ICD-9-CM has proven to be not flexible enough to quickly incorporate emerging diagnoses and procedures as well as not accurate enough to precisely identify diagnoses and procedures. In contrast, ICD-10-CM provides detailed information on procedures, allows ample space for capturing new technology and devices, and has a logical structure with clear, consistent definitions.