Category: Blog

Nearly all healthcare decision makers recently surveyed by KLAS said their organization saw financial gains after implementing a clinical documentation improvement solution. Provider organizations are seeing financial improvements after implementing clinical documentation improvement (CDI) solutions, a recent KLAS survey shows. Revenue improved for about 53 percent of healthcare executives, medical records directors and managers, and […]

Hurricane Florence, described as an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 hurricane, was headed for the southern North Carolina coast. In a written statement to RACmonitor, Atrium Health, formerly Carolinas Healthcare System, said that its teams “remain focused on the safety of our employees, the coordination of resources across affected healthcare facilities, and most importantly, our commitment […]

From reducing time in the operating room to eliminating hours physicians spend on paperwork , artificial intelligence innovations have allowed hospitals to boost productivity. Modern hospital executives face a number of financial challenges, as an increasing portion of Americans are going without insurance or enrolling in high deductible health plans. Under these circumstances, patients are […]

The big question for many who are new to running and operating an urgent care clinic is how to continue being profitable during a slow flu season in a very competitive market. There are eight key tips urgent care clinics can follow to optimize revenue and remain profitable. 1. Improve RCM: Effective revenue cycle management […]

Medicare claims that do not meet date format requirements will be rejected. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released date formatting guidelines for the CMS-1500 claim form, which are effective for claims received on or after July 30. When date formatting requirements are not met, Medicare Administrative Contractors will return claims as […]

The CMS’ proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for 2019 includes changes to the quality payment program and a slight increase in the anesthesia conversion factor. Here’s what you need to know: The national conversion factor for anesthesia services will see an increase from $22.1887 to $22.2986. The increase includes the 0.25 percent positive and budget […]

Understanding the terms and provisions in a payer contract is key to maximizing reimbursement, preventing denials, and operating a smooth revenue cycle. Providers are in the business of keeping their patients healthy. But confusing payer contracts riddled with “legalese” and other complicated provisions can get in the way of improving patient outcomes. Payer contracts define […]

A decade ago, CMS enacted Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS), a policy that penalizes hospitals for hospital-associated conditions (HAC) not present during admission. Recent research published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology has shown the program has had minimal impact on hospital reimbursement. The researchers also found associated billing codes were “rarely used” by […]