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Meet Eric

Meet Eric, Our Chief Information Officer

Let me tell you how Eric and I came together. J3 was providing Chronic Care Management for a family practice in Virginia. At the time, Eric was with a billing company and he was doing all of the billing for the practice. He knew every detail about the business side of the organization. When I had questions of him, he was quick to respond and always helpful. About a year later, Eric was able to find a better opportunity with a different healthcare organization. To say he and his customer service were missed would be an understatement.

Fast forward another six months, and the practice asked me to take over all of the billing. My first thought was "I have to track down Eric". Thanks to the magic of social media and LinkedIn, I messaged him and asked him if he'd like to get involved, even if it was on a part time basis. I was lucky to get an enthusiastic "Yes!"

After only a few months, Eric came on full time with J3 as our Chief Information Officer. They say that every successful organization has an Outside Person and an Inside Person. In his handling of the day-to-day billing and collections for our clients, we are able to grow and maintain our 5 star reviews.

The man is a powerhouse of knowledge in billing and healthcare in general, and we are a better company with him on our team.

Thanks LinkedIn!!!

Here's his story:

Hey! I am Eric Kroetsch and while I was born in Port Huron, Michigan, I will always consider myself a Virginia Beach native since I moved here when I was only 3 years old. I have always been a “Grandma’s Boy”! We bonded before I was born; she was the one who named me. I strive to have her strength and tenacity. She was a nurse for more than 38 years, and seeing her joy caring for her patients is what initially piqued my interest in the medical field. Sadly, we lost her in 2019; but she stays the driving force in everything I do.

I learned from an early age that life is what you make of it and all things can be accomplished through hard work and determination. My family’s philosophy is that success comes from relationship building, friendships, trust, and reliability. I am an active volunteer with various local non-profits and have been since I was 8 years old.

I spent more than a decade working with and volunteering for a non-profit Senior Center for Active Adults. During my time there, I encountered countless conversations over the confusions with medical coverage, such as Medicare, Medicaid, Supplemental Policies, and surprise medical bills. I knew that I was able to help with the confusion through excellent communication. Through my time working with Primeplus Norfolk Senior Center, I met amazing people. One of whom was an owner at a local, family-run medical billing company. She graciously gave me a chance to join her established team and I took the opportunity to gain experience in all aspects of the Revenue Management Cycle to aid those who matter most – the patients.

Through the years I have spent doing Medical Billing, I have learned that this industry is one I was always meant to be a part of. My passion is building relationships with the practices that we serve as this allows me to develop both personally and professionally. I pride myself on working hand-in-hand with Practice Management to develop custom systems that work well for their front end, and our back end, to ensure a smooth billing experience with consistent cash flow for the practice.

I look forward to growing with the J3 family, and our clients, as we continue to help medical practices achieve their financial goals and lead them to success.

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Safeguarding Personal Health Information: Understanding the Risks of Data Leakage in Medical Practices

By Josh Fertel • 07 Apr, 2024

In the digital age of healthcare, protecting personal health information (PHI) has become more critical than ever. While medical practices strive to uphold patient confidentiality, the risk of data leakage persists through various avenues, posing potential threats to privacy and security. One common risk factor for PHI leakage is inadequate cybersecurity measures. Weak passwords, unencrypted data transmission, and outdated software leave medical systems vulnerable to hacking attacks and data breaches. These breaches can compromise sensitive patient information, leading to identity theft, fraud, and other forms of exploitation. Additionally, human error remains a significant contributor to data leakage in medical practices. Mishandling of physical records, improper disposal of documents, and unintentional sharing of information can all result in unauthorized access to PHI. Furthermore, insider threats, whether intentional or unintentional, pose a significant risk to patient privacy and confidentiality. Moreover, the proliferation of mobile devices and remote access to medical systems introduces additional vulnerabilities to PHI leakage. Lost or stolen devices, insecure Wi-Fi networks, and unsecured communication channels can all expose patient information to unauthorized parties. To mitigate the risks of PHI leakage, medical practices must implement robust cybersecurity protocols, provide comprehensive staff training on privacy practices, and regularly assess and update their security measures. By prioritizing patient privacy and implementing proactive measures to safeguard PHI, healthcare providers can uphold the trust and confidence of their patients while ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements such as HIPAA.

What is Chronic Care Management?

By Josh Fertel • 02 Apr, 2024

Chronic care management is probably the most underutilized segment of the medical community. As you can imagine, Medicare patients need more guidance, they need more support, they need more interaction. We monitor our patients, we monitor the practice's patients every month. We touch base with them. We make sure that they're living a great lifestyle, that they're not depressed, that they're taking the medication that they need, that they need refills on the medication we've had examples of people who had gone to the hospital and the provider did not know they were in the hospital. And we were able to connect them and make sure that that everything there was a plan in place for for ongoing care. We've had patients that have run out of medication that was vital to their health, and we were able to get a contact with the pharmacy and make sure that it was done. There's numerous times that just that one phone call that we make monthly, the timing was perfect and we were able to help our patients out. There was actually one time where our staff a call and the patient was actually on the floor and just falling down. They were able to get to the phone. They had a family member there. We connected them with 911 and everything was taken care of. They were able to go to the emergency room. We contacted their provider, let them know what had happened, and everybody's plan was in place to make sure that the care was given correctly.