Tag: Medicare Claims

CMS-introduces-game-changing-appeal-rights-for-Patients

CMS Enhanced Patient Appeal Procedures

Doctors must consider the implications of altering a patient’s status. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is suggesting novel retrospective and prospective appeal procedures in compliance with a federal district court order from the District of Connecticut. On December 21, the agency unveiled a proposed rule aiming to institute an appeal mechanism for […]
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Latest Changes in the CPT® Emergency Department Subsection

Attendees at AAPC’s AUDITCON, Nov. 3-4, 2022, came loaded with questions about the coding and guideline changes for evaluation and management (E/M) services in CPT® 2023. The conference offered several sessions on the subject, including the ED session, “Changes in 2023: Emergency Department,” presented by AAPC Chief Product Officer. The officer provided a high-level overview […]
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Cyber Technology for Medicare Audits

This is what providers can expect in 2022 in the form of new technology audits. During 2022, healthcare providers will see more options to exploit cyber technologies designed to aid them in management of Medicare audits. Below we review the informational challenges of managing an audit, and then turn to the types of cyber solutions […]
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Medicare Advantage, consolidation drove healthcare insurer trends in 2021

COVID-19 continued to affect the industry, which has plowed forward with expanded offerings, digital transformation and other bold moves. It was difficult to predict trend lines for the payer and health insurance industry in 2021, largely because of persistent uncertainties due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Consumer behavior has become more unpredictable, care models and offerings […]
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The Steps You Can Take to Defend Against Exclusion of Zero-Paid Claims

Zero-paid claims are defined as any claims submitted by healthcare providers that are not paid. The problem is that when performing statistical extrapolations, auditors (ZPICs, or Zone Program Integrity Contractors, and others) routinely screen out zero-paid items when they extract the claims from a sample. This is a violation of at least 12 parts of […]
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Medicare Advantage COVID-19 Hospitalizations Were Lower Than FFS

Medicare Advantage coronavirus-related hospitalizations were lower than fee-for-service  Medicare’s rates from January through November 2020, a Better Medicare Alliance report found. ATI Advisory compiled the report on behalf of Better Medicare Alliance using data from the MCBS Fall 2020 Community Supplement Public Use Files and Medicare Claims Data. Overall, Medicare beneficiaries experienced hospitalization for coronavirus […]
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CMS Prior Authorization—operational And Financial Impact

CMS has expanded the prior authorization requirement to two new service categories within hospital outpatient department services. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has expanded the prior authorization requirement for two additional hospital outpatient department (OPD) services. Effective with date of service July 1, 2021, CMS has expanded the prior authorization requirement to […]
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CMS: Pay Attention to Telehealth Billing Rules

CMS recommends that organizations review the agency’s most recent guidance on telehealth billing. CMS is reminding providers to ensure that Medicare claims for telehealth are correctly billed. The agency issued broadly expanded telehealth services as part of its response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. However, a 2018 Office of Inspector General audit found that CMS paid […]
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