EDITOR’S NOTE: Five Looking at Ten is a month-long series on ICD10monitor and Talk Ten Tuesdays that examines lessons learned since the nation’s healthcare system adopted ICD-10 transition – many of which are expected to come into play with the looming transition to ICD-11. George Vancore of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida appeared as […]
How many times has a provider asked you, “What do I need to document to get a 99215?” All too often, medical coders feel they should help their providers understand what elements of documentation are needed to warrant the higher level evaluation and management (E/M) service. Do not do it! If It Isn’t Documented, It […]
President Donald J. Trump pushed back against his democratic rivals October 3 by signing an executive order aimed at taking the wind out of the sails of their Medicare for all propositions. The executive order says that the proposals calling for “Medicare for All” in the Senate would destroy the current Medicare program, and that […]
Effective revenue cycle management can reduce hospice claim denials, particularly those associated with billing or documentation errors. In addition to slowing down payments or losing revenue, submitting inadequate or incomplete required written documentation is a sure-fire way to bring surveyors or auditors to a hospice’s doorstep. As regulators increasingly fix their eyes on the hospice space, providers […]
With patients seeing higher medical bills than ever and healthcare costs continuing to rise, healthcare organizations need to stay on top of the revenue cycle to ensure they can capture payments and be prepared for changes in 2020. Speaking at the annual meeting of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) in Chicago, Cassi Birnbaum, […]
An ad campaign opposing the move is raising eyebrows nationwide. We’re more than halfway into September, but if you’re like me, it feels like 2019 is already over. It doesn’t feel like I’ll have enough time to finish everything I was supposed to before the end of the year. Congress is in the same boat. […]
CMS wants to identify bad actors -– even if they are or have been affiliated with a legitimate provider. On Sept. 5, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a new final rule. There was not really a proposed rule to which comments and suggestions could be made; there were Federal Register entries […]
Hospitals assuming downside financial risk under value-based care models is the key to lowering healthcare costs and improving quality, CMS believes. CMS Administrator Seema Verma urged hospitals on Tuesday to accept new value-based care models and price transparency requirements or face greater administrative burden, less competition, and lower reimbursement rates under Medicare for All. “Our choices are […]
Providers are encouraged to file protective appeals. “In section XI of the preamble of the proposed rule, we discussed the growing number of Provider Reimbursement Review Board (PRRB) appeals made by providers and the action initiatives that are being implemented with the goal to decrease the number of appeals submitted; decrease the number of appeals […]
Revenue cycle management technology is at the heart of the administrative side of business at every hospital and health system. It is key to daily operations. As such, healthcare CIOs and other IT professionals must take great care when implementing RCM systems. Getting revenue cycle done right – and done right the first time – […]