SOAPe Chiropractic Software - Chiropractic SOAP Notes in SECONDS! Try It Free!

Most doctors are unaware that insurance companies utilize fancy computer programs to determine what is reasonable and necessary treatment for a patient, especially in personal injury claims. One of the more popular programs used by the insurance industry today is Colossus©. Colossus© provides insurance adjusters with a means for evaluating injuries, treatment, resolution, impairment and damage settlements.

The good news is that Colossus© and other similar programs use your daily SOAP notes and other documents you submit to make these determinations. What you write in your notes - including specific words and phrases - has a significant impact on the "value" Colossus^© attaches to a claim. The better your documentation, the better your office and patient will be compensated.

The following components of a report score a high number of "points" in Colossus^©:

Notes that are legible.

Documenting the presence, location and severity of tenderness and spasm during each exam.

Documenting a loss in range of motion during each exam..

Changes in posture and gait are mentioned and followed over the course of the patient's treatment.

Documenting multiple contusions. Physicians typically view contusions as a cosmetic "non-issue" and fail to document each and every one of them, thereby deflating the value of the case.

Radiological evidence demonstrating a loss of normal spinal curvature or a disc "herniation." Prolapses, protrusions, extrusions and bulges are automatically down-coded to a sprain/strain diagnosis by the software.

Documenting the impact of the injury on the patient's sleeping patterns, ability to work and recreational activities throughout the course of care (ADLs). Gainful employment while in pain is valued highly.

Referring the patient to a specialist such as a neurologist, orthopedist or physiatrist for a second opinion.

Patients are not the only ones profiled by these programs. Physicians are also profiled. When a physician treats a patient who makes a claim against an insurer for bodily injuries, Colossus© values the case and automatically associates it with the physician's federal tax identification number.

If Colossus^© devalued most of your cases last year because you took poor notes, had illegible handwriting, failed to refer for second opinions, or used improper terminology in your reports, the settlements it comes up with for claims you manage this year will be correspondingly lower - not exactly what your patients and their attorneys want to hear.

Having a high number of devalued cases associated with your tax ID number can also adversely affect the amount of treatment that is deemed reasonable and necessary for your patients. It is very possible that your patients could be "cut off" from treatment much sooner than other patients with similar injuries. This of course can have a negative impact on your overall profit margin and lead to poor patient satisfaction.

To help ensure the highest number of "points," physicians should be sure to make their daily SOAP notes complete, legible and understandable. They should avoid the use of nonstandard shorthand. SOAPe can help to ensure that the highest number of points are awarded for the cases you manage. Because they are electronically generated there is never an issue with legibility. SOAPe allows the treating physician to document "high value" components on every visit. Best of all, SOAPe presents this information in an easy to understand format that attorneys and adjusters will appreciate.

Try SOAPe FREE for 14 days!