One of the most challenging administrative tasks, when it comes to patients that fall under Ontario’s Minor Injury Guideline (MIG), is effectively tracking their MIG Blocks.
Treatment under the Minor Injury Guideline typically lasts 12 weeks after the initial visit and is delivered in three consecutive blocks.
Each MIG block lasts four weeks and has a set billing value that includes the treatments proposed by the health care practitioner. Because the value of an individual service is not taken into account when calculating the block fee, the value per service billed under MIG Blocks differs from the standard service rates set by the facility.
For example, say you propose eight physiotherapy treatment sessions in Block 1, valued at $99.75 per session. The total amount for the eight services would usually equal $798. However, the fee for Block 1 is $775. To determine the value for each service, you’ll need to divide the total block fee of $775 by eight. In this case, the value per service drops to $96.88.
The challenge boils down to knowing when one block ends and the next one begins. On the one hand, you want to make sure that treatment is fully delivered for every block. On the other hand, you don’t want to exceed the number of sessions covered in a block as you aren’t paid for extra services.
When you have an abundance of administrative work and lots of patients undergoing treatment under the WSIB Program of Care (POC), MIG, and other types of treatment plans, it becomes very difficult, and at times almost impossible, to avoid mistakes.
So, how can you know when one MIG Block ends and the next one begins?
In Universal Office, we solve this problem in two steps.
- Create a mini-plan, outlining each intervention in every Block within the OCF-23.
- Schedule appointments following the plan by the OCF-23.
Step 1: Create a mini-plan
To start, you will want to plan out each of the three blocks by listing the services to be included per block, the quantity of each service, and finally making sure that the dollar value for the quantity of services you’re planning remains within the range of the block fee.
For instructions on how to plan your MIG Blocks, see the Add and Modify MIG Block Plan knowledgebase article in the Universal Office Help Centre.
Step 2: Schedule appointments
The next step in tracking the end of each MIG Block starts with scheduling patient visits within a designated MIG Block. Naturally, the best time to know when a new block should begin is at the time you schedule an appointment.
Please refer to the How to Track the End of Every MIG Block knowledgebase article.
When you use your practice management system to automate challenging administrative tasks, you reap dividends in terms of increased efficiency and performance. “Great Ideas at Work” is our motto and we work hard to help streamline your practice management.
