Erica Remer, MD, CCDS, a Member Board of Directors of American College of Physician Advisors, have been talking about improving the electronic medical record and making it more end-user-friendly. Today, she grouses about documentation in general. Her husband, who is a radiologist, and she were commiserating at how awful and uninformative provider documentation has become […]
The proposed rule seeks to reduce administrative burdens and address delays in patient care. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a proposed rule on Dec. 6, 2022, aimed at improving the prior authorization process and interoperability between providers, payers, and patients. The Advancing Interoperability and Improving Prior Authorization Processes Proposed Rule (CMS-0057-P) […]
Quality metric reporting can be a significant challenge to health care administration due to a number of obstacles. First and foremost, you need buy-in from the physicians providing the care to the patients. Without this, it is difficult to make any meaningful changes to the pattern of care provided. Second, it requires having a very […]
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 […]
Using a single EHR vendor is best for patient care, a study by researchers at the University of Notre Dame and University of South Carolina found. A single EHR vendor environment is effective in fulfilling providers’ information needs for patient history and prior results. When hospitals purchase all their EHR components from a single supplier, […]
An 8.5% cut to Medicare payments could affect patient care in medical practices across the country. Reducing charity care, new Medicare patients, staff, and locations all are among the effects projected if Congress does not act on 2023 reimbursement levels, according to a new study by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA). The findings came […]
Five tips to ensure better documentation and, along with it, better patient care and improved reimbursement. Providers and coders need a cooperative relationship, working toward a common goal of complete coding and positive reimbursement results, as supported by medical documentation. Here are five tips to ensure better documentation and, along with it, better patient care […]
A long-awaited and controversial final rule on healthcare price transparency was released Thursday by the federal government. The rule, mandated under a June 2019 executive order by President Donald Trump, requires private group health plans and individual health insurance market plans to disclose pricing and cost-sharing information in a consumer-friendly format. The mandate, which takes effect on January […]
Undercoding, or reporting a lesser service than was performed and documented, is sometimes employed as a defensive strategy to stave off claims denials or audits. But, undercoding can make a provider an outlier, and may create consequential patient care, compliance, and financial liabilities. For example: Undercoding Leaves Money On The Table, Driving Down Provider Reimbursement […]
Understanding the correct use of chronic condition codes in the coding process. Unexpected and inaccurate medical bills can be alarming and shocking. Coders are often confused regarding when they should code co-morbid chronic conditions and when they should not. This leads to inaccurate coding of levels, or sometimes missing out on the opportunity of […]