Handheld electronic games are an economical solution for many of life’s “down times”. While you can always go the expensive route by purchasing one of the high priced gaming systems, very few of those games can compete with some of the old standbys. Games like solitaire, chess, crossword puzzles, word search and Suduko are just a few of the reasonably priced electronic handheld games that you can purchase at game supplies and electronic boutiques, department and discount stores and even in some grocery stores.

Not only are handheld games a great choice for the kids (it practically eliminates the whining from the back seat), but adults as well. Go anywhere where there is a lot of waiting going on – the doctor’s office or any motor vehicles – and you will probably see a number of adults engrossed in a rousing game of Spider Solitaire or Blip Football. I know a lot of boyfriends and husbands who enjoy going shopping with their sweetie, but who just can’t “hang” as long as they can. I have seen many a man sitting outside a changing room door with a purse and shopping bags at their feet and a handheld electronic game in their hands.

The electronic handheld game itself has come a long way since the originals. Now you can get games that offer background lights. Perfect for playing at 3:00 AM when you can’t sleep. Some have forgone buttons altogether and offer a touch screen or a stylus. And yet most manage to stay under $25. I recommend that you take plenty with you on any family vacation. Not only will they help pass travel time, but almost every vacation has at least one day where vacationers find themselves stuck in the hotel room because of bad weather, sickness or just plain old amusement park exhaustion.

Most of today’s board games now come in a handheld electronic form. Many families have forgone the big game box with all of the messy pieces, cards and fake money and converted to electronic versions of their favorite games for family night. The rule in most families is that the loser has to pick up and put the game away. Switching to an electronic handheld version will make that dishonorable task a whole lot easier to bear!

A wonderful added benefit to playing electronic handheld games is its ability to work wonders on your stress levels. People who can get engrossed in a mind puzzle rather than get angry at an unavoidable situation have much lower blood pressure and can transcend most of whatever life throws at them.

Most handheld games run on four or less AA batteries and fit perfectly into any purse, backpack, glove compartment or bedside table drawer. They are light, compact and once you find the game that you enjoy most you will almost look forward to those waiting around times.

Cat owners would readily attest to the joys of pet ownership. But when it comes to the litter box, there is little joy. Luckily there is one solution that will have you spending less time bending over the litter box – The Automatic Cat Litter Box.

The automatic cat litter box can be a cat owners best friend. That is because it eliminates the need for the pet owner to regularly clean up the litter box.

The automated cat litter box is a modification of the ordinary cat litter box, that is a simple box containing litter where the cat is supposed to deposit its urine and stool whenever it needs to.

Because the automatic or electronic cat litter box is the modern version of a conventional simple tool, do not be surprised that it is electrically operated. Currently, there is a number of manufacturers that make automatic cat litter boxes, and each product boasts of different features that aim to topple the current products in the market.

Automatic vs. traditional cat litter box

Needless to say, there are features that are present in the automatic version and not in the traditional one. That is because the automatic cat litter box is already a modern-day modification of the old cat litter box.

However, several cat owners still prefer the old cat litter box for many reasons. One, the old cat litter box does not require electricity, thus, it would function even if there is a power interruption.

Second, the traditional cat litter box is economical and cheaper. It is also less costly to maintain. The traditional cat litter box consumes less space compared to the modernized version, and can be easily bought in the market.

In contrast, there are far more advantages in getting the automatic cat litter box. For one, because it is electrically operated, there is no need for manual efforts in maintaining the device.

For instance, the traditional old cat litter box needs to be cleaned of waste clumps at least every other day. The automatic cat litter box does not require often scooping of waste clumps to separate waste and clean litter. It is recommended that the owner of the automatic version just replenish the litter every 30 days.

The automatic cat litter box de-clutters itself of the waste clumps consisting of urine and stool. There is a special sifting process performed by the machine that makes the task for itself rather than needing the pet owner to scoop out those clumps.

Such sifting process automatically starts once the machine detects the need for de-clumping. Some owners fear that the machine may start the sifting process while the cat is still inside, making the elimination activity traumatic for the cat.

But the truth is, the automatic cat litter box is smart that it can detect the presence of the cat prior to the sifting process.

Savings

The automatic cat litter box may be more costly compared to the traditional counterpart. But the savings the pet owner would generate from using the machine.

The device does not require too much electric consumption, and the notion that it consumes a significant amount of power to raise your utility bill is a misconception.

There is also no need to constantly replace the litter because you are advised to do the activity at least once a month. The automatic cat litter box also guarantees that the cat’s waste would not produce unwanted smell that may spoil the ventilation of the house. You can also be able to travel for a few days without worrying that the cat would create too much waste once you’re gone.

Other than that, the convenience brought about by the machine makes it far better than the traditional version. So if you are bout to make that investment, do not hesitate to buy the automatic cat litter box. You will surely like it. And your cat will, too.

Clear your mind, forget all you ever thought you knew about cardboard boxes.

Are they a relatively modern invention? No, actually it has been with us for a long time, since 1890 when Robert Gair first mass produced cardboard boxes, although “Paperboard” (Folded pieces of paper to make a box) boxes have been with us since 1817.

Corrugated cardboard was first produced in 1856, and it was then some years until 1895 when the first corrugated box was mass produced. Then within a few short years by the early 1900’s the majority of wooden cases were being replaced with cardboard boxes.

However for many years all they were used for was shipping goods or parcels. Indeed the pioneers of corrugated cardboard would probably marvel at what has become of their humble brown box today.

In recent years there has been huge pressure on companies to “Go green” and reduce the amount of plastic packaging that they are using. As the majority of plastic is not biodegradable, and will sit in a landfill site for several thousands years before it deteriorates.

This has resulted in many packaging companies looking at alternative materials.

One result of this since the late 70’s and early 80’s, has been the development of cardboard packaging. This has meant that many packaging companies have been looking at how they can use innovative cardboard box solutions to replace plastic packaging, as cardboard is biodegradable.

The inventors of the cardboard box would now be stunned to know that it can now be made waterproof, and that it now replaces many of the drinks containers such as milk, that would have been made of glass in their era.

Indeed they would be amazed to see modern boxes being used to transport hot food such as pizzas.

The uses of the modern box are virtually endless, with new variations and ideas being brought out every year. Cardboard is being used wherever possible to replace plastic packaging.

Yet the concepts used in the production of die cut cardboard boxes can be traced back to one of the earliest uses of cardboard boxes, which was cereal boxes, first produced in America and still in use today, in virtually the same format.

They are now in use for shipping goods in virtually every industry on the planet, from shipping books to multi-million pound electronic assemblies. The box still provides one of the most effective forms of protection, despite being low cost.

Many times…and in many instances, “Point and Click E-Contracts” are the equivalent of pen and paper agreements. The advent of “Cyber Monday” has holiday shoppers running to their PC’s with the anticipation of obtaining – oh yeah, it’s legal – bargain basement purchase power via the Internet.

The latest phenomenon, launched on the heels of “Black Friday,” is concurred and supported by merchants, vendors, and the mass media. In the turmoil of today’s economic woes, I see this as another burden on the consumer at large. “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend!” Television commercials electronically blast this one with a vengeance. “Fella’s, please…they’re telling us that we will not score with the ladies, your significant other, or a sexual encounter/experience if you don’t buy her a new diamond latent item for Christmas. The car peddlers use the identical prose with both genders. As I recall, the children used to be the target of Christmas Holiday gift giving while the adults came second. Most children, at least the ones I knew, didn’t have any money to spend on anything…least of all presents. And for that matter, many of the adults didn’t either.

But we are bombarded anyway – from every direction – to buy, buy, and buy…with no money to buy anything…

Online purchasing power is the other side of the proverbial marketing device. The “caveat emptor” is “click-on-agreements.” This electronic practice is also known as a “shrink-wrap agreement.” This type of contract agreement refers to terms as expressed inside a box in which the goods are packaged. “Shrink-wrap” is a term that describes the plastic cover over a products package, which seals the goods inside. What happens is the party who opens the packaged goods is told that they agree to the terms by keeping whatever is in the box. When a purchaser opens a software package, it is agreeable to abide by the terms of the “limited license agreement.”

Numerous technologies allow electronic documents to be signed. These include digital signatures. Many states have laws governing electronic signatures. The problem is that the State Electronic Signature(s) laws are not uniform. The National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws and the American Law Institute promulgated the Uniform Electronics Act (UETA) in 1999. This act has been adopted, in part, by more than forty states. A buyer’s failure to object to terms contained within a shrink-wrapped software package may constitute an acceptance of the terms – “it’s yours…you opened it, you keep it” – by conduct. This responsibility is supported and enforceable, according to section-2 of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), the law governing sales contracts provides that any contract for the sale of goods “may be made in any manner sufficient to show (agreement of/to terms offered) agreement, including conduct by both parties which recognizes the existence of a specified contract.”

Offerees, vendors, merchants, and/or sellers who do business via the Internet can protect themselves against contract disputes and legal liability by creating offers that spell out clearly the terms that will govern their transactions. Should offers be accepted, important terms should always (or otherwise) be conspicuous and easily viewed by online buyers.

In virtually every area of law, the use of the Internet to conduct business activities had raised new legal questions – or, more often, new variations on old questions. With respect to jurisdictions, this is certainly true, and cited in The Fundamentals of Business Law, authored by Roger Leroy Miller and Gaylord A. Jentz. “The bench is coming to some consensus regarding commerce cases before the courts that do not really fit into the categories and rules being developed by case law.” This point is the commerce clause in and of Interstate Commerce Regulations, “Pro Tempore” (for the time being).

An “E-Contract” is a contract that is formed electronically. “E-Money” is prepaid funds recorded on a computer or a card (such as a smart card or a stored-value card – a gift card). A “Destination Contract” is a contract for the sale of goods in which the seller is required or authorized to ship the goods by carrier and deliver them at a particular destination. The seller assumes liability for any losses of damage to the goods until they are tendered at the destination specified in the contract – under the auspices of Business Law in the Online World of Web Contracts and Jurisdiction.

Should a party (one or more persons or entity) encounter contract difficulties or disputes, there are legal steps available to launch a challenge. Any person who is a party to a lawsuit has the opportunity to plead the case before a trial court and then an appellant court, if she or he loses (before at least one level of appellate court), as cited in the statutes of business law. Also, a statement alleging the facts necessary for the court to take jurisdiction – a brief summary of the facts necessary to show that the plaintiff is entitled to a remedy, and a statement of the remedy the plaintiff is seeking. In most cases, the defendant or the attorney for the defense will file a motion of “Expost Facto” (a statute of limitations or motion to erase). But the complaint and/or argument remains – “Resipsa Loquitur” (the facts speak for themselves).

All – in – all, the complaint and answer (and the counter claim and reply), taken together are called the pleadings. The pleadings inform each party of the other’s claims and specify the issues or disputed questions involved in the case.

So when you go running to the PC to order that new stereo, television, camera, cell-phone, kindle, Mitsubishi SUV, lap top, or garter belt…remember – “Let the buyer beware!”

You might end up in court – and still with No Money.

Til Next Time.

Choosing gifts for a grandma can be challenging. The more traditional gifts of slippers, bath robes, chocolates, flowers, and knickknacks may be fine for some grandmas, but others will appreciate receiving gifts that offer added value and enjoyment, as well as gifts that fill grandma’s needs. Perhaps thinking outside of the box just a little will help before deciding which gifts would be good for the grandma on your list.

What Kinds of Gifts Would Grandma Prefer?

Before purchasing a gift for grandma, it would be wise to consider what she would prefer. Just a few years ago, an independent research firm commissioned by Circuit City Stores, Inc., conducted a national survey on the kinds of gifts mothers preferred for Mother’s Day. Over 3,000, participants from across the country responded. It is interesting to note that consumer electronics such as digital cameras, ranked higher on their lists over some of the more traditional Mother’s Day gifts. The same survey unveiled the following noteworthy statistics. When asked the question, who takes most of the family photos? 58 percent of respondents said, Mom, 28 percent of respondents said, Dad, and 15 percent of respondents said, kids or others. The findings of this survey may indicate that many of today’s grandmas would rather receive consumer electronic gifts over more traditional gifts.

What Gifts Offer Added Value?

In today’s economy, everyone wants to get more bang for their buck. Most grandmothers enjoy taking, sharing, and displaying pictures of their loved ones for all to see, and many grandmas today live hundreds or thousands of miles away from their children and grandchildren. Gifts such as digital and video cameras, electronic frames, and web cameras for computers, offer grandmas the added value of reliving their fondest memories over and over, and the ability to stay more closely connected with their loved ones across the miles.

What Gifts Would Best Meet Grandma’s Needs?

The needs of grandmas vary depending on a number of factors, including the season of life grandma is in. Does she have young grandchildren? Does her family gather at her house for special occasions, vacations, or at other times? If the answer to these questions is yes, then Grandma may be in need of essential baby items and other kids equipment to make her house more child-friendly, and comfortable. Practical gifts for a grandma in this stage of life would include a high chair for baby, and a portable crib. Kids equipment such as wagons, would also be useful grandma gifts, because they keep the grandchildren entertained while making grandma’s house more inviting and fun!

The next time you are choosing gifts for grandma, you may find the perfect gift by looking just a little outside of the box.

It’s very important for businesses to keep their facilities, vehicles and other important business property secured.  Most companies will have many keys for keeping their buildings and cars locked.  An electronic key cabinet can help to keep all of these keys organized in one central location and secure within a locked box.  A system can be set up so only authorized individuals have access to the keys.  A key cabinet then is an organizational tool as well as being an important part of the business’ security system.

There are two main forms of key cabinets.  There are locking key cabinets which open and close with a key, and then there are electronic key cabinets.  For personal use or a very small business with only a few keys, a simple locking key cabinet may be adequate.  However for larger businesses or entities which want a greater degree of security, an electronic key cabinet offers several advantages.

The first advantage to an electronic version is that it is easier to provide access to multiple individuals if that is what is desired without having physical keys.  They will just need an access code to the keypad on the cabinet.

Another advantage is electronic key cabinets come with more features and high levels of security.  Access codes can be programmed and re-programmed using thousands of possible combinations.  Some of these cabinets come with an alert that is signaled whenever a wrong pass code is entered and then will deny entry after a certain number of failed attempts.  This makes it virtually impossible for someone who is not authorized to gain access to the cabinet.  There can also be tracking mechanisms which track usage of access to the cabinet and usage of the keys. 

In addition to extra features, electronic versions will generally also give you the option for high grade steel as swell as high security code options, whereas locking key cabinets do not generally have the higher level materials or security features.

Electronic key cabinets generally run on simple AA batteries with a low battery indicator signal.  Even when the batteries are low or die, the access codes will still be active.

Locking key cabinets can work well for simple key storage needs for personal use or small businesses.  These cabinets are inexpensive and can do the job well if more sophisticated security measures are not needed.  However, for larger businesses or entities with the need for higher levels of security and other additional features, the electronic key cabinet is clearly the better option and worth the extra money.

When submitting professional claims to Medicare part B, there are some things that Medicare requires that differ from other insurance carriers. If you do not follow these guidelines or rules, you will find that your claims will be rejected.

First of all, most Medicare carriers are requiring that claims be submitted electronically, even if Medicare is secondary. If you are not capable of submitting your claims electronically you can apply for a waiver. An office with less than 10 full time employees can obtain a waiver granting them permission to file on paper. The CMS requires you to obtain a waiver certificate “demonstrating extraordinary circumstances”. If accepted by Medicare, they can then file claims on paper. If you do not qualify for the waiver then you must find a method to submit your claims electronically.

If your software is not capable of electronic billing, which in this day and age would be unusual, or if you just do not want to go through the expense or trouble, you can get a free software from your Medicare carrier. The biggest problem with using the free software is that it many times is cumbersome to use, and it requires double entry of the claims. However, if you do not submit a lot of Medicare claims it can be a viable option.

Another little quirk with Medicare is that they require you to enter the word “none” in box 11 (or the equivalent of box 11 if submitting electronically) on the CMS 1500 form. We have had many providers over the years contact us because “Medicare won’t pay!” when it was all just because they didn’t have the “none” in box 11.

Whenever we train a new employee that is one of the things we try to drill into their head! “Don’t forget the ‘NONE’!” There is nothing more annoying to me than getting a rejection to find that the only problem is that ‘none’ was missing. We are working with a company who is building a rules engine to prevent problems like this from getting through. The claims scrubber will alert you to the missing word before you submit the claims!

Then of course there are the modifiers required only by Medicare such as the AT modifier for chiropractors or the GP modifier for physical therapists. These modifiers are not used by any of the other carriers, but without them Medicare will not pay.

Another thing Medicare requires is referring dr name and NPI number for simple in office services such as EKG’s. So if one of my doctors decides to do an EKG on one of his patients, I have to put HIS name and NPI number in as the referring doctor, even though he provided the service. Seems kind of ridiculous to submit a claim for Dr. Smith doing an EKG where Dr. Smith referred the patient to himself. But if I don’t put it in, the EKG is denied.

Another Medicare quirk is that many Medicare carriers (maybe all) require that you do not put the NPI number in box 24J if you are filing a claim for an individual provider who bills using just their individual NPI number. When the NPI number is in 24J for an individual provider, the claims are rejected. However, if you are filing a claim for a group, the individual NPI # must be listed in 24J and the group NPI# must be listed in box 33A.

When a claim is denied by Medicare or any other carrier, it is important to identify why the claim, or service, was denied. If the denial on the eob is not clear, call to get an explanation. If you do not agree with the reason for the denial ask what the process for appealing the denial is. If the claim was denied for something simple that you can fix easily, make the correction and resubmit the claim. If you do not understand the denial even after getting an explanation from a customer service rep, you can always Google it, or post a question on a good medical billing forum. The important thing is to take care of the denial and not to ignore it.

Most Medicare rules are consistent from carrier to carrier, but some are not. Rules change and you’ve got to be ready to change with them. Stay on top of the requirements, take care of any rejections, and attend any seminars you can. It is important to completely understand Medicare rules to do a good job at collecting the money due for the services rendered.

Copyright 2009 – Alice Scott

Solutions Medical Billing