Year: 2021

Get a Peek at Future ICD-10 Codes

Get a Peek at Future ICD-10 Codes

  An ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee virtual meeting is scheduled for March 9–10, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics (CDC NCHS) have posted tentative agendas on their websites. Stakeholders will present on a […]
CMS Moves to Streamline Coverage and Reimbursement for COVID Testing and Vaccination

CMS Moves to Streamline Coverage and Reimbursement for COVID Testing and Vaccination

Federal officials are ordering plans and insurers to cover testing without cost-sharing – for virtually any purpose. Federal officials have issued new guidance intended to streamline the process through which Americans can get easy, free access to COVID-19 diagnostic testing and/or vaccinations. “This guidance makes clear that private group health plans and issuers generally cannot […]
Advancements in Automation Are Cutting Into the Rising Costs of Manual Healthcare Transactions

Best Practices to Ensure Telehealth Security and Protect Patient Data

  To support the sudden increase in test results and medical records being transmitted during the pandemic, hospitals, laboratories, and pharmacies implemented additional devices and remote connections into their networks. After the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) lifted penalties around telehealth to expand care options amid the crisis, new platforms were adopted that were not previously allowed […]
Denials Management Versus Denials Avoidance_ CDI Can Capitalize

Denials Management Versus Denials Avoidance: CDI Can Capitalize

  Typical CDI programs are intended to drive reimbursement through diagnosis securement, contributing to improved case mix index. The COVID-19 pandemic is placing monumental financial stressors upon hospitals, with added costs to treat patients with high acuity and long length of stays, coupled with significant revenue loss associated with postponement of more profitable elective surgeries, […]
Industry Voices – How To Tackle Telehealth Cybersecurity Threats

Industry Voices – How To Tackle Telehealth Cybersecurity Threats

  Many healthcare organizations quickly adopted telehealth programs out of necessity at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, expanding their attack surface with the integration of new technology such as mobile telehealth apps and wearable heart rate and blood glucose level monitors. What’s more, nearly half of security researchers (48%) believe the healthcare industry is […]
CMS Clarifies Coding and Billing for NCTAP

CMS Clarifies Coding and Billing for NCTAP

The NCTAP was finalized as part of CMS’ fourth COVID-19 interim final rule. CMS on January 27 updated coding and billing instructions to hospitals for new COVID-19 treatments add-on payment (NCTAP). The NCTAP was finalized as part of CMS’ fourth COVID-19 interim final rule with comment period (IFC-4) and is effective November 2, 2020 through the end of the public health […]