Claim to Fame

The health care industry has certainly had its fair share of ailments to cope with over the past year. With a government shutdown topping the long list of offenses, courtesy of nationwide debate over the Affordable Care Act, many are taking a guarded approach in 2014. Could this spell trouble for an otherwise stable sector? Not if Jim Magdaleno has anything to say about it.

According to Magdaleno, health care product manager for TFP Data Systems, Oxnard, Calif., distributors are in luck. The commonly used CMS-1500 medical billing form recently got a facelift, which means the existing documentation is being phased out to meet an April 1 deadline.

Because billions of these forms are filed each year, Magdaleno said that TFP Data's reseller partners enjoy a spike in sales any time a revision is made. To keep its partners informed, TFP Data created a print advertisement containing important information about the new (02/12) CMS-1500 Health Insurance Claim Form.

Here, Magdaleno shares the thought process behind the company's latest promotional tool.

Print+Promo (P+P): Describe a promotion of yours that you consider one of TFP Data's best.
Jim Magdaleno (JM): The CMS-1500 medical billing form was recently revised by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. TFP Data Systems, the designated provider of the form, worked with the government agencies on the revisions. When the final transition timeline was released, we developed a print ad that accomplished two goals:

1. Promote the significant sales opportunity that always accompanies a mandatory change, as all health care providers transition to the new form.
2. Create a sense of urgency by informing distributors about the transition timeline.

P+P: What items were featured in this promotion, and what influenced that decision?
JM: The advertisement prominently featured the CMS-1500 medical billing form along with a bold, easy-to-read timeline.