Medicaid expansion improved financial performance for healthcare providers and was associated with lower uncompensated care costs and higher revenues. Medicaid expansion has positively impacted healthcare providers by boosting financial performance and resulting in payer mix improvements, data from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) found. All but 11 states have expanded Medicaid eligibility as of January […]
Medical billing outsourcing services are services in which a healthcare provider hires a medical billing service provider outside their practice to do all the billing. The main types of services in medical billing outsourcing are the front end and back end. The front-end is in charge of the patient experience, while the back-end is in […]
The difference between a financially and clinically successful practice and one that is struggling often comes down to whether they have the code right and document thoroughly. Changes in 2021 to major coding categories, such as evaluation and management (E/M) coding for office visits means major change that can hamper your operations if not done […]
The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) has launched more than 50 alternative payment and care delivery model tests, with 33 models now or still operational, according to CMMI’s sixth report to Congress on its progress. These model tests have impacted the lives of millions of patients. In the two-year period covering the report, […]
Ultimately, a CDI program is only as good as how you use the data. Data can be a powerful tool. It is important to remember not to just capture data but to use it. Over the past week you can see articles on clinical documentation integrity (CDI) impacting patient care. The question is how do […]
Time is running out for Congress to take action on pending legislation dealing with issues that would help primary care across the United States. Six physician groups representing 590,000 doctors across the country sent a joint letter again urging congressional leaders to vote – soon – for bills relating to Medicare reimbursements, prior authorizations, children’s […]
Waiving the PAYGO sequester requirements and updating the 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule would help limit Medicare payment cuts to hospitals, FAH wrote. As the 117th Congress nears the end of its session, the Federation of American Hospitals (FAH) has called upon congressional leaders to pass legislation that will reduce financial challenges for hospitals, including […]
Medicare overpayments totaled $39.3 million between September 2016 and December 2021, but most of those improper payments occurred before CMS corrected its system edits error in May 2019. CMS system edits helped reduce Medicare overpayments to acute care hospitals for outpatient services provided to beneficiaries who were inpatients of other facilities, a report from the […]
The proposed outpatient payment updates for 2023, including the 2.7 percent reimbursement increase, do not reflect the inflationary environment in which hospitals are operating. When commenting on the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System proposed rule for calendar year (CY) 2023, the American Hospital Association (AHA) supported […]
Although the Biden Administration claims this is the final regulation, there is evidence more is yet to come. The Biden administration released the final No Surprises Act regulation recently but advised healthcare professionals that this final version is not the final one and promised more to come. The latest final rule was narrowly focused on […]