Check out our list of frequently asked questions that will assist you in opening a chiropractic clinic in Wisconsin.

There are many factors to consider when hiring a physical therapist or massage therapist. We’ve put together an FAQ document that answers all of your questions. 

There may be instances where you will want to consider performing a background check of a potential hire. You should establish a procedure for background checks within your office and should remain consistent in how you perform them. Your procedure should be documented in your Compliance Manual. There are many ways to perform a background check; we have some members who do it themselves on various websites, while some use a private company. Below are useful resources. You should also refer to our HIPAA Toolkit and sample forms, which are contained under the HIPAA section of our website. Search for ‘background’ within these documents for guidelines/form you can modify for your use.

Visit the Job Center of Wisconsin for a wealth of information regarding background checks: http://www.wisconsinjobcenter.org/recruiting/backgroundchecks.htm

Wisconsin Circuit Court: https://wcca.wicourts.gov/index.xsl

Office of Inspector General (OIG): https://oig.hhs.gov/about-oig/index.asp

WI DSPS: http://dsps.wi.gov/Home

It may be a violation of state law to discriminate against a job applicant because of an arrest or conviction record. Generally speaking, an employer may refuse to hire an applicant on the basis of a conviction record only if the circumstances of the offense for which the applicant was convicted substantially relate to the circumstances of the particular job. For more information, see Wisconsin Statute § 111.335.

Workplace posters are an unexciting, yet required, component of your business. The following websites have information on required workplace posters:

US Dept. of Labor Poster Advisor
Helps employers determine which posters they are required to post depending on type of business, number of employees, etc.
http://www.dol.gov/elaws/posters.htm

Wisconsin Dept. of Workforce Development Workplace Posters FAQ’s
Frequently asked questions and chart of requirements for WI DWD posters.
https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/dwd/posters.htm

Wisconsin Admin. Code § DHS 157.21 (1) requires registrants to develop, document and implement a radiation protection program (RPP), which is to be evaluated annually. Additionally, each registrant is required to instruct staff on the safe operation of their facility’s equipment. DHS 157.74 (2) (c) requires these operating and safety procedures be in written form. The information in the regulatory guide is created to summarize the sections of DHS 157 that pertain to your type of facility. This document by itself is NOT the operations and safety procedures or RPP. However, it was designed so that you may use this document and associated appendices to customize an RPP to fit your specific facility; by doing so, create operations and safety procedures that are unique to the registrant’s use but address use and safety requirements.

Many providers, including chiropractors, like to offer patients “time of service” or “prompt-payment” discounts. According to an Office of Inspector General (OIG) Advisory Opinion from 2008, prompt payment discounts are discounts for a patient’s prompt payment of their cost-sharing amounts and amounts owed for services not covered by insurance. Prompt pay discounts are designed to reduce a provider’s accounts receivables and costs of debt collection, and to boost its cash flow. Often times, prompt pay discounts are equivalent to the amount of collection costs that would be avoided and are offered to patients regardless of their financial status or ability to pay. In other words, time of service or prompt pay discounts save time for providers in collecting patient cost-sharing fees. They also may save money for patients, especially those who participate in “high deductible health plans” or HDHPs, which are growing in popularity across the United States. The average annual deductible in HDHPs is about $2,500 for individuals choosing in-network providers and $5,000 for families choosing in-network providers.

Nevertheless, there are state and federal rules and guidelines that govern whether, when and how prompt pay or financial hardship discounts are permissible. As much as some dislike patient cost-sharing, insurers and regulators believe patient cost-sharing plays an important role in controlling overutilization of health care items and services. “If beneficiaries are required to pay for a portion of their care, they will be better health care consumers, selecting items or services because they are medically needed.”

Whether providers may offer prompt pay discounts to patients depends on the patient’s insurance coverage. This white paper answers frequently asked questions regarding offering prompt pay discounts to HDHP, self-pay, and government insured patients. It also answers questions about offering financial hardship discounts.

Coming soon! In the meantime, contact the help desk.