How To Request The Georgia Special Needs Scholarship – What You Need To Know

May 20, 2013 By Leave a Comment

IEP Education LawIf you have a child whom receives special education services in Georgia and meets certain eligibility requirements, you have the right to transfer your child to:

  1. another public school within your district of residence, or
  2. another public school outside your district of residence, or
  3. one of three state schools for the blind or deaf, or
  4. a private school authorized to participate in the scholarship program

if you believe your child would be better served.

If you are interested in offsetting the costs of sending your child to a private school, you must select a private school that participates in the Georgia Specials Needs Scholarship (GSNS) Program.  To qualify for the GSNS Program, your child must meet the following requirements:

  1. A student must have a parent/guardian who currently lives in Georgia and has been a resident for at least one calendar year.
  2. A student was enrolled and attended a Georgia public school (grades K-12) the entire 2012-2013 school year. Pre-school special education students do not quality. A student must complete a full year in kindergarten before he/she can be eligible.
  3. A student was reported by a school district(s) during mandatory student counts conducted in October 2012-2013 and March 2013 by public schools.
  4. A student does not need to have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for the entire school year to qualify for the scholarship program. A student *must* have received special education services at some point during the 2012-2013 school year under an IEP. A student must be reported by a school district(s) in either the October 2013 or March 2013 student counts or in final student record as a student receiving special education services by the end of the school year.

Scholarship funds received through the GSNS Program can only be used to offset tuition and fees at a private school authorized by the State Board of Education. Funds *cannot* be used to offset the costs of out of district tuition, charter schools or other options available under public school choice.

The deadline to have a student enrolled in a private school through the GSNS Program for the 2013-2014 school year is September 16, 2013. No exceptions.

For more information about the scholarship program or if you need assistance with your child’s IEP , please contact DJ@Jeylaw.com at Jeyaram & Associates.

 

Filed Under: Education, IEP, Special needs Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

ICD-10 Deadline for Healthcare Providers Fast Approaching – Jeyaram & Associates Can Help

May 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment

ICD DeadlineThe October 1, 2014 deadline to switch to the ICD-10 codes set is less than five months away. This mandatory requirement replaces the ICD-9 codes set used to report medical diagnoses and inpatient procedures.

All healthcare providers covered by the Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act (HIPAA) must adhere to this new requirement. Please note, the change to ICD-10 does not affect CPT coding for outpatient procedures and physician services.

All healthcare practices currently using the ICD-9 codes must transition to the new codes. The transition to the new codes set will take several months. If you have not started the transition, we strongly urge to begin now. 

ICD consists of two parts:

1. ICD-10-CM for diagnosis coding
2. ICD-10-PCS for inpatient procedure coding 

ICD-10-CM is for use in all U.S. health care settings. Diagnosis coding under ICD-10-CM uses 3 to 7 digits instead of the 3 to 5 digits used with ICD-9-CM, but the format of the code sets is similar.

ICD-10-PCS is for use in U.S. inpatient hospital settings only. ICD-10­ PCS uses 7 alphanumeric digits instead of the 3 or 4 numeric digits used under ICD-9-CM procedure coding. Coding under ICD-10-PCS is much more specific and substantially different from ICD-9-CM procedure coding.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Web site provides detailed check lists to help healthcare providers make the transition. However, if you have questions or need help with the transition to the ICD-10 codes set, Jeyaram & Associates can help. Contact DJ Jeyaram at DJ@Jeylaw.com or 678-708-4705.

 

Filed Under: healthcare, Healthcare Providers, Hospital, Managed Care, Medicaid, Medical Providers Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Center for Medicaid & Medicare Services Shows Georgia Hospital Charges Vary

May 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Center for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesA new study released by the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services demonstrates that hospital charges for in-patient surgical and life threatening procedures vary greatly – including those in Georgia. The report looks at hospital-specific charges for the more than 3,000 U.S. hospitals that receive Medicare Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) payments for the top 100 most frequently billed discharges, paid under Medicare based on a rate per discharge using the Medicare Severity Diagnosis Related Group (MS-DRG) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011. These DRGs represent almost 7 million discharges or 60 percent of total Medicare IPPS discharges.

Discrepancies for in-patient services in Georgia include:

Joint replacement or reattaching a limb:

  • Saint Josephs: up to $28,000
  • Northside: on average $62,000
  • Grady: up to $85,000

Treatment of pneumonia or pleurisy:

  • Grady: up to $19,000
  • Atlanta Medical Center: up to $41,000
  • North Fulton Regional in Roswell: up to $55,000

Admissions and treatment for life threatening conditions such as heart failure and stroke:

  • DeKalb Medical Center: up to $15,000
  • Atlanta Medical Center: up to $40,000
  • North Fulton: up to $58,000

The Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services issued the report in response to President Obama’s efforts to make the country’s health care system more affordable and accountable. To review the Center’s findings in Excel, click here. 

 

 

Filed Under: Affordable Care Act, healthcare, Healthcare Providers, Hospital, Managed Care, Medicaid, Medicare Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Jeyaram & Associates Volunteers in Local Community

May 7, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Georgia Mision of MercyPlease join Jeyaram & Associates at the Georgia Mission of Mercy from June 13-16 , to provide free dental care for low and no income adults. Georgia Mission of Mercy’s goals are to:

  • Provide free access to dental care for 2,000 low- and no-income adults while placing a high priority on patients suffering from dental infections or pain.
  • Educate patients and family members in attendance about the importance of obtaining and maintaining optimal oral health.
  • Raise awareness of the increasing difficulty low-income Georgia adults face in accessing critical dental care.
  • Challenge patients, policymakers, and dental professionals to work together to improve the oral health of those who have been promised care by the state.

Jeyaram & Associates’ attorneys will assist the dentists and dental assistants and register patients. You can learn more by watching a short documentary here.

Dental DashAlso, on March 30, 2013, Jeyaram & Associates sponsored the Dental Dash at Dawn, a 5K run/walk benefiting the DDD Foundation. The DDD Foundation supports a dental office that solely treats patients that have developmental disabilities. To learn more about the Dental Dash at Dawn, you can view a mini documentary here.

Filed Under: healthcare, Special needs Tagged With: ,

Georgia Medicaid Providers Can Now Access HP Online Portal

May 5, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Georgia Health PortalAccording to a press release issued by the Georgia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, currently enrolled and future Georgia Medicaid providers can now access the HP online portal to submit their attestation to become eligible for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Rate Increase. The initial enrollment period will last until July 31, 2013. When accessing the site, click on “Provider Information”, then select “Forms”, and then select the “Enrollment” link.

For more information, click here

Filed Under: Affordable Care Act, Department of Community Health, healthcare, Healthcare Providers, Managed Care, Medicaid, Medical Providers Tagged With: , , , , ,

Georgia False Medicaid Claims Act Does Not Meet Social Security Act Requirements

April 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Georgia False Medicaid Claims ActIn response to a request to review the amended Georgia False Medicaid Claims Act, the U.S. Inspector General wrote to Toni Prine, interim Inspector General for the State of Georgia. In a letter dated April 3, 2013, the U.S. Inspector General determined that the amended Georgia False Medicaid Claims Act does not meet the requirements of section 1909(b) of the Social Security Act.

Some key differences between the Federal False Claims Act and the Georgia Act include the following:

1. The Federal Act “establishes liability for knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, a false or fraudulent claim for payment or approval.” The Georgia Act requires that the claim be submitted to the Georgia Medicaid Program.

2. The Federal Act establishes liability for “conspiring to commit a violation of another subsection” of the Act, but the Georgia Act does not establish liability for this conduct.

3. The Federal Act states that a qui tam action shall be dismissed “if substantially the same allegations or transactions as alleged in the action or claim were publicly disclosed in a congressional; Government Accountability Offic[e]; or other Federal report, hearing, audit, or investigation.” However, the Georgia Act does not set forth a provision that is as effective at facilitating qui tam actions.

Section 1909 of the Social Security Act provides a financial incentive to states that enact a law regarding submission of false or fraudulent claims to the state’s Medicaid program. Georgia must resubmit an amended Act by August 31, 2013.

Filed Under: Georgia False Medicaid Claims Act, healthcare, Medicaid, Social Security Tagged With: , , , ,

Jeyaram & Associates Now Provides Education and IEP Legal Services

April 9, 2013 By Leave a Comment

IEP Jeyaram & Associates now provides advocacy and legal assistance in education, specializing in IEPs.

As educational advocates for your child, Jeyaram & Associates help you understand your child’s legal rights and champion what’s best for your child academically. As the father of a special needs child, Attorney DJ Jeyaram has first hand experience with the intricacies of IEPs and navigating the complex education process.

At Jeyaram & Associates, we believe every child should be given the opportunity to reach their fullest potential. To achieve that potential, parents and education professionals must work together as a team.

However, sometimes this approach is not effective and additional assistance is needed. Jeyaram & Associates can help you partner with the school district to develop a plan that optimizes your child’s learning potential.

We’re committed to building positive relationships with you, your child and your child’s educators to develop an academic plan that creates a positive learning environment and experience for your child.

We’re here to help your child. At Jeyaram & Associates, we take a hands-on, positive and objective approach to helping you navigate the IEP process. In addition to legal representation and experience, the firm’s team has experienced special education advocates to help you. We’ll help you prepare for IEP meetings, during the meetings and after – including appeals if necessary.

 

Filed Under: Education, IEP, Special needs Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Jeyaram & Associates Relaunches Web Site

April 5, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Jeyaram & Associates Web SiteWe’re excited to announce the relaunch of our Web site. Tell us what you think!

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Healthcare Providers Unprepared for New ICD-10 Codes

March 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment

ICD-10 CodesAccording to the latest edition of Georgia’s Department of Community Health’s newsletter, most healthcare providers are not ready for the conversion for the ICD-10 Code set.

ICD-10 survey* says most providers are ill-prepared!

  • 62% of Georgia physicians have not begun to prepare for the conversion to ICD-10 Code Sets.
  • 83% said that they have either been too busy with other priorities to embrace and implement ICD-10 or are unaware of where to start and what they need to do.
  • 11% know ICD-10 is coming but don’t think it will be difficult to handle.

*Physician Survey of ICD-10 Awareness and Readiness, Medical Association of Georgia and the Department of Community Health (2/2013)

DCH is offering a free Webinar on March 26, 2013, to help providers prepare. Visit http://dch.georgia.gov/icd-10 for more information

Filed Under: Department of Community Health, healthcare, Healthcare Providers, Managed Care, Medical Providers Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Jeyaram & Associates Celebrates 6 Years of Business

March 11, 2013 By Leave a Comment

cupcakeCongratulations to Jeyaram & Associates for hanging out its shingle 6 years ago this month! Less than half of start up businesses are in business for more than 5 years.

The firm celebrated with a little help from Cloud 9 Cupcakes http://www.cloud9cupcakes.com/home – winner of cupcake wars on The Food Network

 

Filed Under: healthcare, Managed Care
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