Outside financial aid might not be the best long-term solution to the national problem of high healthcare costs and inadequate insurance coverage, but two rural hospitals are taking innovative approaches to tapping philanthropic resources to reduce their bad debt and help patients with medical bills. The American Hospital Association’s latest Annual Survey of Hospitals showed […]
Released earlier than usual, the fiscal year (FY) 2022 ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting became available online Monday, July 12, and include instructions for assigning novel code U09.9 Post COVID-19 condition (found under Section I.C.1.g.1). Familiarize yourself with the following new and revised guidance, effective October 1, to ensure proper diagnosis coding and […]
Medical practices are leaving money on the table by under-coding. Are one or more of your physicians under-coding? Missing revenue? Or relying too much on COVID-related funding? These are valid questions, as medical practices are getting back to pre-pandemic levels of care and encounters. Under-coding in particular has been a topic of concern lately. As […]
Hospital groups are digesting the 863-page CY 2022 OPPS proposed rule, but many are already commenting on new hospital price transparency penalties and other policies. The newly proposed Medicare Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) rule for calendar year (CY) 2022 is causing a stir with new hospital price transparency enforcement rules and other policies. The […]
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the ICD-10-CM Official Coding and Reporting Guidelines for the 2022 fiscal year (FY) on July 12th. The latest edition comprises 115 pages, which marks an 11-page reduction compared to the FY 2021 version. These updated guidelines will come into effect for discharges and visits from October […]
Analysis from Kaufman Hall reveals a historically low number of healthcare mergers and acquisitions in Q2, but revenue continues to rise. Healthcare merger and acquisition (M&A) activity was minimal in Q2, but total transacted revenue rose as health systems focused on acquiring smaller hospitals and strengthening regional partnerships, according to Kaufman Hall’s quarterly M&A report. […]
Understanding the qualifying payment amount and the initial information on the independent dispute resolution process “should be a short-term priority for revenue cycle leaders and their teams,” says attorney Harvey Rochman. Earlier this month, the federal government released an interim final rule outlining certain provisions of the No Surprises Act (NSA), which is designed […]
“It really undermines what the physicians are doing at the point of care, and it’s bad policy,” says Doug Wolfe, co-founder and partner of the Miami-based law firm Wolfe Pincavage. UnitedHealthcare’s attempt to “Monday morning quarterback” emergency room visits by retroactively denying emergency claims is not only likely a violation of the prudent layperson standard, […]
Five tips to ensure better documentation and, along with it, better patient care and improved reimbursement. Providers and coders need a cooperative relationship, working toward a common goal of complete coding and positive reimbursement results, as supported by medical documentation. Here are five tips to ensure better documentation and, along with it, better patient care […]
AAPC’s senior VP of products answers your questions about coding for office and other outpatient services. Ever since the release of the new 2021 evaluation and management (E/M) guidelines for office and other outpatient services, AAPC has been conducting numerous trainings through webinars, virtual workshops, conference sessions, online courses, and multiple articles in Healthcare Business […]