Letters

Crossing PDA platforms

To the Editor:

I enjoyed "Buying Your First PDA" [July/August 2001, page 50] and found that it echoed much of what I have been telling my colleagues over the last several months. However, I do take exception to the statement, "The difference between the Palm OS and Windows CE platforms is similar to the difference between Windows and Macintosh on personal computers. The two do not interface at all, nor can you interchange software written for them."

While they cannot run the same software, they can exchange data, thanks to a program called HanDBase (www.ddhsoftware.com). This program allows Palm OS devices and Pocket PC devices running their respective versions of HanDBase to beam information back and forth so that users, regardless of their operating systems, can share data. To my knowledge, HanDBase is the only such program that can do this. There are other ways the different operating systems can share data as well, but this relates back to special server software, and direct beaming is not supported.

David R. Blair, MD
Lawton, Okla.

Authors' response:

It is important for first-time buyers of personal digital assistants (PDAs) to understand the differences between the operating systems for handhelds and the limitations of each. Comparing the differences between Palm OS and Windows CE to the differences between Windows and Macintosh on personal computers is a useful heuristic for this purpose.

As Dr. Blair correctly points out, there are a few software packages that allow data to be beamed directly across divergent platforms - HanDBase is one. Another is Peacemaker Pro (www.conduits.com/ce/peacemaker/), which allows users to beam appointments and contact lists across different PDA platforms. We anticipate that in the future there will be more applications that can translate data; however, at this time most data cannot be directly shared across different PDA platforms. New users should be aware of this limitation, especially if sharing information with colleagues via a PDA is a need or requirement.

Stephanie Schneider, MA
Springfield, Pa.
Rita Kostecke, MD, MPH
Dunellen, N.J.
Jeffrey Tokazewski, MD
Marlton, N.J.

Need to illustrate respect

To the Editor:

The June 2001 cover article, "Making Sense of Health Plan Denials" [page 39], was well written and apt, but the cover art was insulting. Some of your readers are health plan medical directors who deserve better treatment!

Roger K. Howe, MD, MMM
Tucson, Ariz.

Making HIPAA make sense

To the Editor:

"A Problem-Oriented Approach to the HIPAA Security Standards" [July/August 2001, page 37] was a welcome change from the usual drone of self-serving hysteria from management consultants about the upcoming regulations. I would add two observations.

First, there's an element of "let's pretend" in discussions involving the privacy of online medical information. It is well known that competent hackers (several exist in every high school) can, with the aid of readily available software, hack into virtually any database, anywhere.

Second, even the most determined cyberthief can't hack into my paper records. Furthermore, the small size of my office staff, all long-term employees, obviates most other concerns.

Is there a lesson here?

Douglas Iliff, MD
Topeka, Kan.

Correction

An answer provided in the June 2001 Coding & Documentation article [page 21] stated that a physician should submit an initial hospital care code (99221-99223) rather than an office or outpatient visit code (99201- 99215) when he or she sees a patient in the clinic and admits him or her to the hospital on the same day. It also stated that for services provided to the patient in the hospital on the following day, the physician should submit the appropriate subsequent hospital care code (99231-99233).

This would be accurate if the physician went to the hospital to do the admission or otherwise saw the patient in the hospital on the date of admission. However, this wouldn't be accurate if the physician admitted the patient from the office but didn't see the patient in the hospital until the day after admission. In that case, the services on the date of admission should be coded using an office visit code, and the visit the day after admission should be coded using an initial hospital care code, since, per CPT, it represents "the first hospital inpatient encounter with the patient by the admitting physician."

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