Auditing Software

Managing Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare (OHSW or OHS) is most effective when OHS is tackled as a system, rather than as a range of random and unrelated activity. The key advantages of a systems approach are that levels of accountability are more clearly articulated, priorities are easier to determine on the basis of risk assessment and integration with other core business systems can be more successfully achieved. Another by-product is that when things go wrong, there is less likelihood that blame will be attributed to the victim. The operation of the OHS Management System is the starting point for remedial action.

Previously, I have written about systems approaches to psychological injury reduction and hazard reporting and control. Strategic attention to these critical areas undoubtedly reduces the frequency and severity of injury to employees. A strategic approach to OHS is commendable. However, I increasingly find myself wondering whether we are overlooking or minimising the critical role that employees play in the pursuit of safer workplaces. There are no shortage of articles, research papers and other publications about “employee engagement” and “consultation”. Exhortation on this topic is voluminous.

What I do notice is that much of the material is about what organisations and managers do to, or for, employees in order to maximise their safety. There is less in the way of persuasive material about what is done with employees regarding OHS. I would suggest that an organisation staffed by employees who understand and fully comply with OHS policies and procedures is less safe than one where employees understand the intent of the policies and procedures and actively think and discuss ways to achieve the intent. Employees require a workplace where the opportunity and culture supports this kind of initiative. I recently encountered the “L.I.F.E.” model. The model suggests 4 key factors in which there is opportunity for employee engagement. These are;

* L = Leadership

* I = (As in me)

* F = Friends at work, or co-workers, and

* E = Environment

The L.I.F.E. survey asks ”

How Safe am I at Work?” and asks 20 questions from an employee perspective. The survey is notably limited in its scope, but does provide some strategies for employees to initiate improvements in these four domains. As with many other business operations, I believe that employees will, by and large, place the same level of importance on health, safety and environment (HSE) as they see from senior management. Where commitment from senior people is lacklustre, OHS becomes more of a weapon than an embedded way of operating. Two areas not picked up by the L.I.F.E. model are risk assessment and internal OHS audit activity. These functions have a great capacity to be a visible reminder of commitment to OHS in the workplace and to directly involve employees. Risk assessment is so conceptually simple that we often don’t realise we are constantly using this technique. Each time we ask ourselves “What if I do it this way?” or “If [X] or [Y] happens…” we are undertaking a risk assessment. Employees need the opportunity to raise their awareness of the value of risk assessment on a day to day basis and to implement the relevant tools in a conscious way.

Risk assessment doesn’t need to be a major time consuming “production”. It is simply about making informed choices. Internal OHS audits are highly visible and usually accompanied by a heightened self awareness. Managers and employees recognise the process will either showcase strengths, or highlight gaps. The emotional charge that accompanies internal audit activity makes it a potential gold mine for individual and system development. Some organisations take the approach that every employee is an internal auditor and resource them to use these skills in their own work group as well as in other work groups. These organisations frequently report significant progress in terms of systems development and reduced liabilities due to workplace injury. This kind of environment turns criticism and dispute into constructive feedback. As an employee, to be recognised as a critical component in the OHS Management System is a powerful way to be valued and to have faith in organisational commitment to the health, safety and welfare of every person in the workplace.

Author: Lewis Stratton
Source: ezinearticles.com

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.
There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas.
There are distinct processes that enhance problem identification and idea generation and, similarly, distinct processes that enhance idea selection, development and commercialisation. Whilst there is no sure fire route to commercial success, these processes improve the probability that good ideas will be generated and selected and that investment in developing and commercialising those ideas will not be wasted.
It’s all about routine
Graham Green, the famous English novelist, said that his success was down to writing 500 words a day. The value of routine in enhancing creative output is often underestimated:
a) Incremental goals such as the above produce far more output than random moments of waiting for inspiration or a “do your best” approach.
b) Inspiration and insight are the result of the mind working on problems at various cognitive levels. By keeping to a routine, problems constantly are identified and put into focus and the mind is tasked to solve them on a regular basis. Insight and inspiration are increased in frequency and duration.
c) The increased output that results form routine also increases the probability that quality will emerge. The relationship between quantity and quality should not be underestimated. Some of the most recognised works have been produced when the creator was being most prolific.
d) Routine increases the rate at which competencies, refined methodology, knowledge and process are learned, thus speeding up optimisation of performance.
e) Creative leaps or radical innovations are usually made by individuals who have significant experience in a field. Glover et al (1989) identified only three notable works produced before year ten of a composer’s career. If you want to make a breakthrough you have to put in the time.
These and other topics are covered in depth in the MBA dissertation on Managing Creativity & Innovation, which can be purchased (along with a Creativity and Innovation DIY Audit, Good Idea Generator Software and Power Point Presentation) from http://www.managing-creativity.com/
You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.
Kal Bishop, MBA
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You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author’s name and site URL are retained.
Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached on http://www.managing-creativity.com/

Author: Kal Bishop
Source: articleage.com

One of the major fears of an average American, is when taxes are concerned is that of an IRS tax audit. Over the years, people come up with a number of ways of avoiding a tax audit. The following are a few simple tips, in order to avoid a tax audit. Now, even when we are confident that you can file your taxes properly, you keep wondering as to when, you would re required to receive a phone call, as well as a letter from the an IRS representative. So, you might worry a little bit lesser this tax season.

A few types of taxpayers have been much likely to be audited, than in case of others. They involve taxpayers who earn in excess of 200,000, small business owners as well as self-employed taxpayers. It also includes taxpayers who might be hiding the taxable income overseas. A major catalyst, in regard to tax audit is by having high deductions, in comparison with the other taxpayers within the same tax bracket. As it is, one can account for high deductions, caused due to attachment of a receipt or in other cases,Now, since the documentation to the tax return. While an average deductions might make way for an audit, being proactive, as well as reduction of the chances of getting audited. Do not be afraid to deduct the expenses, which tend to be legally deductible. Instead, you can make sure that you can justify the sum of your deduction. You should write checks wherever possible and keep up a copy of the cancelled checks in your records.

You can make use of tax preparation software. You can take up Tax prep soft wares, such as TurboTax, which eliminate the calculative errors, which may lead to an audit. As it is, they may also do a study of the tax return to let you realize that any items which could trigger an audit. You should be aware that tax software can not completely eliminate the chances of getting audited as the IRS computer systems audit a number of random taxpayers each year.

You can make use of a reputable tax preparer. As it is, you may not have an idea, as to what kind of reputation a particular tax preparer has made up with the IRS. Make sure that your tax preparer must be experienced with the filing of the kind of return, which you need. You may find out about the audit record at the preparer.

Author: Celina Joe
Source: ezinearticles.com

In this global economy, corporations are vulnerable to security breaches that could result in the stealing of essential information, property loss or damage, and even harm to executives and their families. Companies both in the United States and abroad are ramping up security systems and employing new strategies to keep themselves protected. Here’s a brief look at the three main areas of corporate security.

1. Background investigations and due diligence

It is essential that a company protect itself and its interests by having background information researched on every new applicant or employee. Some of the areas that are checked include criminal history, financial reviews, personal reputation, validity of credentials, etc. Performing a comprehensive check on each individual is one of the most effective ways for a company to make sure its prospective employees or employees are who they say they are.

2. Executive and workplace protection

What would your company do in the event of a crisis or emergency? Do you have a plan in place? Many companies are hiring a team of experts to come in and formulate a crisis management plan that can be implemented immediately when needed. This plan includes protective measures for executives and their families, what to do if information systems come under attack, and how to act if a physical disaster either man-made or natural occurs.

3. Physical security audits and planning

How secure are your physical facilities, and do you know who is coming in and out of your doors at all times? Having a physical security audit performed is a great place to start: security experts will come in and assess the measures you are taking and determine what’s working and what is not. They will then be able to suggest and implement a better system to keep your physical facilities and workers as safe as possible.

Corporate security should be paramount on any executive’s or business owner’s list of priorities in this dangerous world: it is wise to stay on top of it.

Author: Billings Farnsworth
Source: ezinearticles.com

What steps can you take to improve your practice? Five key areas you can focus on are reimbursement systems, billing and collections, accounts receivable management, operations improvement, and practice growth. Following are key questions you should answer regarding each of these areas.

Reimbursement Systems

· Are you maximizing all reimbursements? If not, why not?
· Are optimum codes being used?
· Are the fees being charged correct and are they maximized? One worthwhile exercise to check coding accuracy is to perform periodic reviews of visits to make sure they are coded correctly. Another worthwhile activity is to periodically reeducate those in the office responsible for coding and also to review coding inaccuracies by coder to determine where additional training is required.
· How many coding errors are taking place and what can be done to improve coding accuracy

Billing and Collections

· How effectively are denied claims followed up on?
· What percent of claims initially denied are accepted and what can be done to improve this denial recapture?
· How effectively does your office perform insurance verification and eligibility checks?
· Do you have a good report of co payment collections to make sure that all co payments are collected?
· Are claims submitted and validated electronically?
· How effective is your re-billing procedure?
· How effectively are you collecting for self-pay accounts?

Accounts Receivable Management

· How effective is your collection agency in recovering amounts?
· What percent of receivables are written off? Are write-offs coded by reason?
· Do you regularly receive and review an aged accounts receivable report?
· Do you receive a report of receivables sorted by insurance company to flag any insurance companies that appear to be contributing a disproportionate share of old receivables?
· Have you considered using small claims court to pursue old large balance receivables?

Operations Improvement

· When was the last time you conducted or had someone conduct a review of your policies and procedures to determine if they can be updated or improved?
· To what extent have you considered outsourcing?
· Do you regularly review practice expenses by category to make sure that all costs are adequately managed and controlled?
· Have you reviewed how patients are processed and how they flow through your office to determine if this could be improved?
· How do your staffing costs compare to other practices that are similar to yours?
· Do you have and do you regularly review on a weekly and monthly basis key performance measures for your practice?

Practice Growth

· Do you have an effective way to track which new patients come from referrals?
· What percent of your new patient enrollments is created from referrals? What steps can you take to improve this percent?
· If you advertise your practice, how do you track the effectiveness of that advertising?

All of these areas can be improved by using effective practice management and billing software. In evaluating any new software for your business, you should consider these questions and how the software will assist you in improving reimbursement, billing and collections, accounts receivable management, operations, and practice growth.

Author: Frank Gordon
Source: ezinearticles.com

September 6, 2004 — Hard to believe but one of the most influential rock bands of all time, The Yardbirds, have never received a GOLD RECORD. How can this be? Surely their top 10 hit from 1965 FOR YOUR LOVE must have sold the required amount of copies to go “gold” (500,000).

A while back I did some checking up on this and here is what I was told by the R.I.A.A. (the recording association that issues such awards) is that for a record to be certified gold it must first be audited and certified by the R.I.A.A. and that only the original record company that released the single could request (in this case EPIC Records) such an audit.

Since there is a hefty fee involved Epic has never requested an audit/certification. Does this mean the door to a Gold Record is closed for the Yardies? No, not at all. With the recent advent of legal downloads there is another way.

You can download the live extended version of FOR YOUR LOVE from The Yardbirds Reunion Jam. For ninety-nice cents or less fans can join a grass roots effort to have this version certified GOLD. As soon as the requirements for certification are met I will contact the R.I.A.A. and pay the required fees for the audit and certification. The Yardbirds can at last receive an award that is long overdue.

FOR YOUR LOVE (from The Yardbirds Reunion Jam -MSR release 1999) is available as a digital download from Napster, Apple iTunes, MusicMatch and over a dozen other digital distributors. If you would like to be part of helping get The Yardbirds a GOLD RECORD you can do it for 99 cents or less! We are already well on our way to capture the GOLD. Join us. Yardbirds founding member and drummer Jim McCarty is available for selected interviews. Please e-mail me if you are interested in setting something up. Keep on Yardmorising!

Russ Garrett

Mooreland Street Records LLC

http://www.yardbirds.us

Author: Anonymous
Source: free-articles

If you want to protect your personal possessions in case of a disaster or fire, you need a complete and up to date home inventory to ensure that you get properly reimbursed from your Insurance Company.

1) Prepare a home inventory list now – before you have any loss. Include a description of the item, its age, replacement cost, where purchased, and if the item was a gift, indicate when you obtained it. Do they best you can. You will find that on the first go through you won’t remember a lot but as you revisit it, details should start to pop back into your memory. Don’t forget to include items in the garage, attic or backyard.

2) Be sure your homeowner’s insurance policy contains a Replacement Cost Endorsement for your contents. It only costs a few extra dollars per year and is well worth it. If you have any collectibles, expensive jewelry, silver, etc., be sure to let your agent know this. It may be necessary to “schedule” some of the items so there is sufficient coverage. Your policy will most likely limit the amount for various items, so be sure to ask your agent to explain other coverages or options if you want to insure those valuables.

3) You can use seasonal catalogs to help remember various holiday items that you had stored away and not recently used. This can include Halloween, Easter, anniversary and other unique decorations that you only pull out once or twice a year.

4) Use your camcorder or digital camera to videotape your house or shoot photos to document your items. Go room by room. Be sure to open drawers and look in closets. Store the video or pictures at an offsite location like your office or save to an electronic back-up system. You can use your written home inventory list as a script as you go through the house. If you know how, put your photos and video on a USB drive, DVD/CD disk or removable hard drive and then store them away somewhere safe – not in your house. Make copies and store them in a safe deposit box or a with a member of your family.

5) Enlist the aid of your grandchildren, family, or friends and have each of them perform an inventory of the items in the home. Maybe assign each a room. Have them use their written list as a script so that they don’t get too far off topic. Make it fun and take your time. Having your grandkids do it may serve as a fond souvenir of them as little kids.

6) Update your inventory annually. A good time of year to do so is around the beginning of the year, right after the winter holidays, as that is when you have probably added the most to your contents.

7) If you received a real estate appraisal when you bought your home, make a copy and keep it with your contents inventory information. An appraisal should contain a floorplan as well as descriptions of flooring, roofing, walls, countertops and other items attached to your home. This is critical information the adjuster will need.

If you do have a loss, keep in mind that the insurance company will apply depreciation to each item based upon the age of the item. The depreciation will reduce the amount of money they will pay you until those items are actually replaced. Once replaced, you will need to provide receipts proving you spent the replacement cost amount for the items.

If you do suffer a loss of contents, start making a list of damaged items as soon as possible. You can go back later to search for prices and add descriptions and ages. It is easy to forget as time goes by. Don’t submit your list until you feel it is complete. Don’t let your insurance company rush you. They will want to have you sign off on the list before you are ready. Expect that and be ready.

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Author: Ron Reitz
Source: ezinearticles.com

Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows from insurance companies,

Or to take arms against a insurance reimbursment checks,

And by opposing, end them.

With the hassles of precerts, increasing coding complexities, increasing insurance post payment audits, decreased reimbursements, and rising deductibles, this question seems to become more and more prevalent every day. My answer is maybe, eventually.

If you are a doctor who is tired of trying to explain to you patients what medical necessity is and why their care might not be covered even though they have ‘30 visits’, you are not alone. The fact remains, however, that there is still a substantial amount of money that you would be leaving on the table if you decided to go completely cash. Patients will still want to use the coverage they have and going cash will result in, at least some drop, in the new patient conversion rate. That being said, the trends are clear:

Premiums continue to rise
Deductibles continue to rise
Reimbursements continue to shrink
Post payment audits are increasing in frequency and dollar amount
The definition of true compliance remains vague and elusive.
Coding is becoming more complex (ICD 10)

This means the overall cost of billing insurance goes up, shrinking profitability, and the affordability for the patient continues to go down. Eventually, the patient will not be able to afford their health plan, with chiropractic coverage, and or the doctor will not be able to afford to bill the insurance companies. These are the only things that we can count on going forward.

My suggestion to my clients is outsource billing to a company that can help you manage all these variables with ease. In other words a company and or technology that makes it easy for you to, bill with coding guidelines, create complaint documentation quickly and easily, warn you of insurance audit red flags, and maintain transparency into the billing and follow up process. When you are able to do this you can continue to bill without fear of losing an audit, and be sure that you are coding properly while maintaining profitability. In addition you will be freed up to focus on building you patient base and delivering quality care.

When the profitability of doing this finally dwindles away and patients can no longer afford coverage, it will be a good time to go cash. In that case the same technology should be able to manage a cash practice as well so you can make the transition seamlessly.

Author: Brian Capra
Source: ezinearticles.com

Ever since Freud, more women than men sought therapy. Consequently, terms like “hysteria’ are intimately connected to female physiology and alleged female psychology. The DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, the bible of the psychiatric profession) expressly professes gender bias: personality disorders such as Borderline and Histrionic are supposed to be more common among women. but the DSM is rather even-handed: other personality disorders (e.g., the Narcissistic and Antisocial as well as the Schizotypal, Obsessive-Compulsive, Schizoid, and Paranoid) are more prevalent among men.

Why this gender disparity? There are a few possible answers:

Maybe personality disorders are not objective clinical entities, but culture-bound syndromes. In other words, perhaps they reflect biases and value judgments. Some patriarchal societies are also narcissistic. They emphasize qualities such as individualism and ambition, often identified with virility. Hence the preponderance of pathological narcissism among men. Women, on the other hand, are widely believed to be emotionally labile and clinging. This is why most Borderlines and Dependents are females.

Upbringing and environment, the process of socialization and cultural mores all play an important role in the pathogenesis of personality disorders. These views are not fringe: serious scholars (e.g., Kaplan and Pantony, 1991) claim that the mental health profession is inherently sexist.

Then again, genetics may be is at work. Men and women do differ genetically. This may account for the variability of the occurrence of specific personality disorders in men and women.

Some of the diagnostic criteria are ambiguous or even considered “normal” by the majority of the population. Histrionics “consistently use physical appearance to draw attention to self.” Well, who doesn’t in Western society? Why when a woman clings to a man it is labeled “codependence”, but when a man relies on a woman to maintain his home, take care of his children, choose his attire, and prop his ego it is “companionship” (Walker, 1994)?

The less structured the interview and the more fuzzy the diagnostic criteria, the more the diagnostician relies on stereotypes (Widiger, 1998).

Quotes from the Literature

“Specifically, past research suggests that exploitive tendencies and open displays of feelings of entitlement will be less integral to narcissism for females than for males. For females such displays may carry a greater possibility of negative social sanctions because they would violate stereotypical gender-role expectancies for women, who are expected to engage in such positive social behavior as being tender, compassionate, warm, sympathetic, sensitive, and understanding.

In females, Exploitiveness/Entitlement is less well-integrated with the other components of narcissism as measured by the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) – Leadership/Authority, Self-absorption/Self-admiration, and Superiority/Arrogance- than in males – though ‘male and female narcissists in general showed striking similarities in the manner in which most of the facets of narcissism were integrated with each other’.”

Gender differences in the structure of narcissism: a multi-sample analysis of the narcissistic personality inventory – Brian T. Tschanz, Carolyn C. Morf, Charles W. Turner – Sex Roles: A Journal of Research – Issue: May, 1998

“Women leaders are evaluated negatively if they exercise their authority and are perceived as autocratic.”

Eagly, A. H., Makhijani, M. G., & Klonsky, B. G. (1992). Gender and the evaluation of leaders: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 111, 3-22, and …

Butler, D., & Gels, F. L. (1990). Nonverbal affect responses to male and female leaders: Implications for leadership evaluations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 48-59.

“Competent women must also appear to be sociable and likable in order to influence men – men must only appear to be competent to achieve the same results with both genders.”

Carli, L. L., Lafleur, S. J., & Loeber, C. C. (1995). Nonverbal behavior, gender, and influence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68, 1030-1041.

Author: Sam Vaknin
Source: articledashboard.com

There are two words that can send sheer terror through most people and those words are IRS audit. You probably just shuddered. The good news is the chances of getting audited are not in your favor. About 1 in 75 people get audited and audits are not necessarily random. The IRS is pretty good at identifying returns that have actual mistakes. If you do get selected it doesn’t mean that the IRS thinks you are a tax cheat. It just means that there appear to be some irregularities with your return and you shouldn’t panic.

There are three types of audits and each carries a different level of severity. The first is the correspondence audit where you communicate with the IRS on your return via mail. This is the most common of audits and usually only is meant to verify certain documents involving a third party. Next is an office audit in which you visit the IRS on their turf and usually are asked in advance to bring certain documentation to verify information on your return. This is a good time to consult a tax professional as you will be subject to somewhat of a grilling. The third form of URS audit is the field audit. That is the one that is responsible for striking fear in the hearts of taxpayers. A field audit is when the IRS comes to your home or office and conducts an investigation into your taxes. This one is serious and you need a professional to protect your rights.

Whatever kind of IRS audit you may be subject to the main thing to remember is to not panic. Even though you make mistakes the IRS does too and most audits go off fine and sometimes you may even get money back! There are a few things to remember. First of all, don’t blow off an audit. No response will bring serious repercussions. Second, have all you ducks in a row. Scare up any documentation that may be relevant even it includes register tape receipts kept in the proverbial show box. Being prepared will really help.

What you really should do in the face of any IRS audit is consult a professional who can make sure your rights are adhere to during the audit process. Not only will this give you peace of mind, tax experts know exactly how to handle all three audits best.

Author: Manuel Davis Jr.
Source: ezinearticles.com