The convenience of efficient and dependable online ordering, a staple of today’s global marketplace, is now at the fingertips of AANS members. Unique resources created by neurosurgeons and other expert professionals specifically for neurosurgical practices can be quickly and easily accessed, reviewed and purchased securely through the new AANS Online Marketplace.
The completely redeveloped Online Marketplace, which is accessible via the AANS home page or directly via https://marketplace.aans.org, launched in September. When browsing the site, users will notice the Entrust Secured Site-Seal, which certifies that the communication between the Web site and the user’s browser is secure.
Users also will find features that make it easier to find products and services that reflect their own particular interest. Browse by:
- Category and Subcategories
- Key Word or Phrase Search
- Format Search (book, DVD, etc.)
- Advanced Search, which locates items by title/description, author, and ISBN or order number, and offers pull-down menus to specify format, category or group
Learn More About a Product of Interest
To provide more information about products, the new AANS Online Marketplace presents expanded product descriptions that better explain what is included. Visitors can review a product’s table of contents or peruse sample pages — the next best thing to being in a bookstore. Displayed are chapter titles with each author identified, or presenter listings with presentation titles for videos and compact disc products. This feature currently is available for the newest items; the AANS will update the other titles throughout the fall.
The newest offerings and any special promotions are featured on the home page. A “coming soon” feature provides product information about works in progress. This winter an additional feature will enable visitors to sign up to be notified when a product becomes available.
Personalized Experience for Each Visitor
Browsing through the marketplace does not require login. Any visitor can view featured items, plus the AANS Online Marketplace will present recommendations for similar items. A “recently viewed items” pane helps visitors return to items without searching again. However, the AANS strives to personalize each contact with members as much as possible. Once a visitor logs in, the experience is customized. The AANS Online Marketplace remembers items placed in a shopping cart and previously viewed items, and it presents member savings through special member discounts or promotions. The “smart” system will allow only members to purchase items that are exclusive to members and will present the appropriate price based on the visitor’s member status. Visitors use the same login and username that they use for www.MyAANS.org.
Member Services Through AANS Partners
The expertise that AANS volunteer leaders and professional staff bring to the development of new products and services is the foundation of AANS offerings. At times, members and leaders identify practice needs that would best be met by providers with expertise in specialty areas. For those needs, the AANS occasionally joins with select outside partners to offer these member services. The advent of the new AANS Online Marketplace prominently presents these services on the home page, with direct links to service information and vendor contacts.
Examples of partner programs include AANS Professional Liability Insurance, offered through The Doctors’ Company, and AANSCodingToday.com, offered through Physician Reimbursement Systems and part of the AANS Office Essentials program.
Coming in 2006
Realizing that office staff frequently place orders oon behalf of members, the AANS will add a new feature that enables staff to obtain member pricing for designated members. Soon, members will be able to use special promotion codes and coupons to order online; currently those promotions must be managed by calling or faxing in orders.
The AANS appreciates any feedback members have regarding their experience with the new AANS Online Marketplace. Please direct any comments or suggestions to Kathleen Craig, AANS marketing director, at [email protected] or (847) 378-0537.
Kathleen T. Craig is AANS marketing director.
Keep Up With Coding Changes via AANSCodingToday.com
AANSCodingToday.com is the latest addition to the AANS Office Essentials suite, which is available through the AANS Online Marketplace. Through Office Essentials, programs that help AANS members run their practices more efficiently and more profitably are researched or developed; AANSCodingToday, which augments the suite’s coding and reimbursement offerings, promises to help members do just that.
AANSCodingToday.com is a new interactive Web product that effectively obviates concerns about outdated printed coding resources. This Web site gathers information from the most frequently used printed resources into a searchable database that is updated as rules are changed or codes are added or eliminated. Physicians and their billing personnel can search for neurosurgical codes by number or by key words in the procedure name.
Included for each Current Procedural Terminology code are:
- Complete CPT, HCPCS Level II and ICD-9 Codes
- Current Medicare Correct Coding Initiative (CCI) Bundling Edits
- National and Local Medicare Fee Schedules
- Medicare National Policy Information
- Automatic Calculation of Medicare Fees by Geographic Locality
- Full-Text Local Coverage Determinations (LCDs, LMRPs) Filtered by Code
- Documentation Guidelines
- Private Insurance Rules and Practices
AANSCodingToday.com offers a bundling tool that checks the CCI edits for up to 20 CPT codes at one time and displays the results in an easy-to-read results matrix.
AANSCodingToday.com is administered by Physician Reimbursement Systems. AANS members receive preferred pricing through steep discounts on subscriptions, as well as free training and telephone technical support.
An annual subscription for AANS members is “249 for the first user, and “65 for each additional user per office. Both a tutorial in PDF format and a free 10-day trial are available at www.AANSCodingToday.com.