Are You Buying a Safe House?

Would you let your safe spot become a potential danger, not only to your close ones but also for the people living in the immediate surroundings? While buying a property, you just can’t get away without testing the small details that vouch for the structural soundness of a construction. The problem is more serious than it appears. As the minor flaws get unnoticed, a layman might completely overlook the tiny issues that determine how safe the construction of a home is. Here, we have compiled a list of a few tests which must be conducted and their results analyzed, before you move into a house. Soil TestBefore starting the construction, all builders are required to go for a soil test. The soil on which construction takes place plays a very important role. For instance, clay-rich soil expands and shrinks depending on the moisture content. Ask the builder to get you a copy of the soil test that was done before the construction and seek professional assistance if the report is fine. Quality of ConcreteIt is nearly impossible to keep a check on the quality of concrete mix on the site, therefore ask the builder for a copy of the test done in a trusted laboratory that certifies the purity of the concrete mix.Furnishing & FixturesThough every builder claims to use quality fixtures and furnishing materials in the house, yet one must check whether the quality of wire, electrical fittings, tiles, paints, etc. is certified by the competent authorities or not.Third Party AuditsFor a buyer, it is not possible to inspect all the aspects of the construction before buying a house therefore he can avail of the services of an independent auditor. In several countries, the prospective buyers can seek assistance from the members of quality council for the inspection of the construction material to ensure compliance with the standards of safety and quality.Know “Thick & Thin” of The WallsMake sure you know the thickness of the walls before buying a house; builders should mention the thickness of the walls in the layouts & booking/purchase agreements. It is suggested to visit the construction site to see if the builder is adhering to his commitment. Know The Structure In & Out For a layman, it takes a while to interpret the blueprints, but it is essential to know about the structure of the building. One can ask for the designs and take help of a third party professional to make sure everything is in place. The few tests, guidelines and tips mentioned above are not exhaustive in nature but provide an outline about how to ensure that you buy a safe home. Prevention is better than cure, so you must not skip these stages of tests and inspections.

Top 5 Tips to Send Money Online to Philippines

If you are working overseas and need to send money to your family in Philippines, then the quickest and safest option is online remittance. Here a few tips that will facilitate a smooth process when you send money online to Philippines. Compare online money transfer providersThere is a wide spectrum of online money transfer services but only a few deliver professional services at competitive rates. Before you finalise a company, compare the currency exchange rates and transfer fees of different companies. While some companies may provide services at no extra cost to the recipient, others may levy hidden costs for converting the currency. It is important to shop around as even a slight difference in the exchange rate will directly affect the amount that the beneficiary will receive. Choose a trustworthy provider:The most crucial step is to ensure that you use a reliable money transfer service provider. The online market is inundated with remittance agencies but you should aim to find one that conducts transactions within a legal framework. One way to ensure this is to check their track records as well as their client’s reviews.Check the turnaround time:Besides making sure that your money is in safe hands, you would also want your money to reach your beloved ones as fast as possible. With the help of advanced technology, providers can transfer money within a matter of minutes to the recipient’s doorstep. Depending on the location, money transfer providers today offer convenient delivery options such as bank deposits, home delivery or cash pickup. This is works out to be a very feasible solution during emergencies. Network of partner companies: Most of the money transfer providers work in tandem with a host of partner companies including bank partners and pick-up location vendors. This means that the provider is operating by delegating the tasks to different companies, which in turn expedites the transfer process. So, be sure to check the list of partner companies.Update the recipient about the reference number:Depending on the medium used by you for transferring the money, your provider will issue a unique transaction reference number as a proof of the transaction. Remember to inform the recipient of this transaction number as they will need it for reference when claiming the transferred funds from a cash pick-up location or home delivery. You can even track the transferred funds with the help of this number, if your provider offers this facility. Also, advise the beneficiary to get along an ID proof.In case of cash pick-up or a home delivery cash service, the recipient will also need to show proof of identity. If you want to send money from Australia to China or for that matter anywhere in the world, you can either do it through a bank or use money transfer service providers. While banks only allow bank to bank transfers, overseas money transfer providers offer various benefits.

How to Prevent (Denied Medical Claims)

It’s approximated that $3 trillion worth of medical claims are submitted every year to insurance companies, etc., with $262 billion worth of these claims denied. Approximately 65% of the denied medical claims are not resubmitted to the organization which denied the claim. Statistical data indicates that commercial payers are denying 58% of those claims.

Appealing against denials can eat up a lot of time and money, hence a good bit of health providers find it impractical to appeal against denied medical claims. Additionally, it can be a real burden to create a denied claim reduction program (within their medical billing process). This is due mostly to the extra manual processes, work and pressure stacked on internal resources.

However, handling denied claims shouldn’t be so difficult. Here are some denial management tips, which will make the handling of denied claims easier for healthcare provider teams. Review these tips carefully and implement them.

Claim Review Guidelines — Check These Before Submitting

Medical billing and coding professionals should use a checklist (QA process) before submitting every claim. This will create a much higher rate and probability of acceptance by insurance groups. Within the checklist, the following should be taken into consideration:

Get Proper Signatures
Claim Proofreading
Ensure that the Coding is Accurate under ICD-10-CM
Patient Information Confirmation
Authorized Information Release or Signature on File
Calculate Fees Properly
Physician Credentials Attached
Make Sure All Attachments are Included
Original Claim Forwarded
Know Your Numbers and other Denial Statistics

Health care provider resources handling medical claims should be aware of the dollar rate, the number, value of claims and the denial rate, before trying to resolve the problem of high number of denials. This helps discover the root cause of the denials and how systems can be improved and also assesses how many claims will be accepted in the future. The provider should understand the type of claims for which it can recover the maximum amount of money. It’s important to determine the trends in denied claims and take measures to prevent such trends.

For example, if a medical provider is making appeals for denied claims to a particular payer, and winning almost all the appeals, it is possible that they’ll will be able to work with the payer to make relevant process improvements, so that claims are not denied in future. On the other hand, if the healthcare provider is losing appeals, there are errors in the upstream process, so it is necessary to make improvements in the overall protocol to eliminate future problems.

The resources handling denied claims should not exclusively focus on getting denied claims for larger amounts resolved. Denial management additionally involves handling smaller problems which recur frequently, which collectively amount to larger figures.

Check Upstream Processes

A denial management team should try to determine at what stage the problem is occurring in the revenue cycle and how it can be resolved. If the problems are identified and resolved early, the efficiency of the program to prevent denials, as well as the revenue cycle, will increase. It’s advisable to analyze the processes in the revenue cycle. Often, a problem in an upstream process adversely affects downstream activities. After problems are detected (accountability application); solutions can be applied.

Leverage Data and Analytics / Attribution

In denial management, it’s crucial to have complete data on claims made, denied claims, reason(s) for denial, so that it can be analyzed to spot trends. Analytics tools should be used to find data set patterns more easily. Denial management often becomes easier after analytics is used, since it’s a lot easier to predict data. Reporting delays can take place for organizations who do not have real time analytics. Claims Analytics / Attribution tools are extremely useful resources for hospitals and medical providers, since they assist in determining denied medical claim trends, which ultimately cause revenue loss. The key is to attribute what works and why.

Team Up with All Departments

A denial management team should be formed within a medical provider. It’s a lot easier to handle denials if a group of internal resources are involved. Those resources that’ll consistently monitor issues and implement improvements. The team should meet regularly to discuss the root cause of denied claims. Suggestions to ensure that the claims are not denied should be considered. Get all departments involved on this team.