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 […]
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, […]
Today, data breaches, ransomware attacks, and identity theft are endangering privacy and well-being. This is true for medical data because if malicious hackers get access to it, human lives and health could be at stake. Scammers may also attempt to benefit from ongoing events to disrupt the data gathering process for healthcare corporations. Medical […]
A year since COVID-19 hit U.S. shores, the pandemic is still raging as deaths and cases strain hospital resources. Amid the scrambling, however, providers and payers are adjusting to a new normal likely to continue for months if not beyond. Though arrival of vaccines has prompted hope, the rollout has been slow and fragmented, left up to […]
CMS has announced that it will reprocess hospital outpatient claims from last year for clinic visit services provided at excepted off-campus provider-based departments. The agency will start reprocessing the claims in July 2021 in order to pay all hospitals the same rate as non-excepted off-campus provider-based departments for clinic visit services paid under the Physician Fee Schedule, […]
Healthcare providers face two new rules certain to complicate a busy year already dominated by the pandemic. The nation’s capital is facing a tremendous number of complex issues this week. Amid all this, legislative activity on two healthcare policy initiatives has advanced in the past few weeks – and those two initiatives will add […]
More than 80% of survey respondents stated that they have confidence in their organization’s ability to “rapidly adjust their plans and strategies.” Healthcare finance leaders are more optimistic about the ability to adjust to a changing business environment and utilize quality data in the decision-making process, according to the 2021 Healthcare Financial Trends Survey report released […]
Medicare beneficiaries now have immediate access to innovative medical technology approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), rather than having to wait for it to clear additional bureaucratic hurdles before coverage is approved. The Medicare Coverage of Innovative Technology (MCIT) final rule issued this week eliminates the time and cost innovators were formerly […]
Five tips for improving RCM in a post-pandemic world As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Hospital Association (AHA) estimates that hospitals and health systems have lost more than $202 billion from a drop in revenue, combined with COVID-19 expenses, during the four-month period from March to June 2020. Healthcare services expenditures also dropped 38% in […]
Some updates to the evaluation/management codes on the 2021 Physician Fee Schedule will provide greater reimbursement to physicians and allow them to spend more time with patients, CMS and medical societies said. According to CMS, the code sets that it is finalizing will increase the value of certain services. These include: cognitive impairment assessment and care […]