Samuel Johnson's truth that 'many things difficult in design prove easy in performance' holds merit for many processes, especially Medicare set-aside issues.  The numerous steps involved in the MSA process can seem daunting at first glance, but Protocols^® is here to help.  We handle the entire MSA process from beginning to end and beyond, breaking down the complexities into understandable phases and assisting our clients through every step.

To better serve our clients needs, we continually introduce new tools and services and tame the complexities of the Medicare set-aside process.  Several of our newest services include:

1. Medical History Data Mining
   Employers and Insurance Carriers spend enormous amounts of money on workers’ compensation claims. To identify where funds are being spent, our data mining services compile and analyze payment trends to give a detailed overview of costs. Dimensions of cost overviews can be customized to give measurements by provider name or specialty, time range, treatment or procedure code, and many other requested dimensions. Future trends are also predicted to help parties better prepare for financial aspects of workers compensation claims.
   
   Data Mining services are billed at an hourly basis. 
   
   Please contact Robert Sagrillo or Eddie Phillips to determine how data mining can help your needs.

2. Free Copy Services
   As a free service, Protocols^® will send an assistant to your office to prepare an MSA referral.  We realize that your schedules leave little time for administrative duties, so we'll do our best to help. 
   
   Please contact Geraldine Dauby for further information.
    

3. Rated Age Retrieval
   As another free service, Protocols^® will obtain your rated age quotes upon request.  After being provided medical records for a Medicare set-aside analysis, we will provide the records to appropriate brokers to obtain rated age quotes.  To receive a rated quote on a new referral, simply check the appropriate box on our submission form.
   
   Please contact Henry Kohnlein for further information.
    

4. Free Electronic Submission Form
   Another tool provided at no charge is our electronic submission form to facilitate accelerated analysis results.  In addition to accepting standard case information, our form allows the submitter to upload case-related files, including payment history data, medical records, and rated age quotes. Our online form’s unique ability to accept a complete case helps submitters obtain expedited analyses for their referrals.
   
   Please contact Eddie Phillips for further information.

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Parties involved in Medicare set-aside claims realized that they would be affected by the changes in Medicare coverage, but until now, no accurate estimates were available regarding the expected increase of the average set-aside. To help parties prepare for the consequences of Part D coverage, our firm reviewed and assessed set-aside analyses to determine the expected financial impact of the new coverage.

According to our analysis, the lump-sum value of the common Medicare set-aside may double to triple after the inclusion of prescription medications. For example, if the lump-sum value of a set-aside yielded $50,000.00 without considering prescription drug costs, the set-aside value may increase to $150,000.00 after the inclusion of prescriptions. These potential increases can result in dramatically increased costs for Medicare set-asides.

The large financial impact of Medicare Part D coverage on Medicare set-asides highlights the importance of performing Drug Utilization   Reviews   (”DURs”).    As

mentioned, medication costs may double to triple the lump-sum value of a Medicare set-aside, so parties must be cognizant of medications included in the set-aside projections. One of the goals of a DUR is to identify medication overuse, misuse, under-use and cost effectiveness. DURs also seek cost-conscious alternatives through alternative medications.

If a case has not received a DUR prior to the Medicare set-aside analysis, or a large amount of time has elapsed since a prior DUR, we highly recommend that a DUR be obtained at the time of the Medicare set-aside analysis. To assist parties in this regard, Protocols^® offers DURs for both existing and new referrals. We guarantee that we will provide the results of the analysis within one week from the date of receipt of all necessary information, and we still uphold our promise of 12-day turnaround time for Medicare set-aside referrals.

Please contact Geraldine Dauby or Henry M. Kohnlein for further information.

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Launch of Protocols, LLC has been Success, Thanks to Devoted Clients and Staff

We would like to cordially thank all those who have helped the launch of Protocols, LLC become a smashing success.  We sincerely appreciate the support of existing clients as well as new clients and partnerships, and we look forward to assisting others who are ready to join us.  In addition, we can not overlook the value provided by our dedicated staff, without whom our success would not have been achieved.

Our business model of client satisfaction and settlement facilitation strives to exceed our clients' expectations and we look forward to adding new clients to our settlement teams in the future.

Please contact Henry M. Kohnlein, for further information.

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Our Staff Spotlight intends to help our clients get to know the people behind Protocols.  This month's spotlight focuses on Molly Chappell, one of Protocols' newest Case Managers.  Molly graduated Magna cum Laude from the University of Colorado-Boulder with a degree in political science. Outside of the office, Molly enjoys spending her time enjoying road biking, backpacking, snowboarding, and cross-country skiing, and she is currently training for Ride the Rockies, a 420-mile bike tour through Colorado's backcountry.

Please contact Molly Chappell for further information.

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