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Gain an MU hardship exception because of CMS’ delayed final rule

02/15/2016

Providers gained an easy path to avoiding meaningful use penalties for the 2015 reporting period, according to recently issued CMS guidance. Specifically, you can cite the meaningful use program’s late-arriving final rule in 2015 as a reason to file a hardship exception, and you won’t need to provide supporting documentation.

How to handle immediate firing of employee: Act quickly, even-handedly

02/15/2016

by: Roy Edroso

Protect yourself and your practice by taking action if an employee steals or harms colleagues or patients or otherwise provides “cause for immediate termination.”

CMS plans for RAC reviews of MA programs threatens practices’ bottom lines

02/15/2016

by: Joshua Poltilove

Medicare Advantage plans soon may come under the scrutiny of recovery auditors (RACs), and if the auditors begin recouping money from the plans, the rates you receive may get even worse.

FDA suggests vendors work with providers to boost medical cybersecurity

02/15/2016

by: Roy Edroso

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) signals with a new guidance document that it will give manufacturers of medical devices more leeway to solve their own medical cybersecurity problems — and experts believe that will get providers more involved in the troubleshooting process.

Inpatient denial rates climb for both initial, subsequent hospital care

02/15/2016

by: Richard Scott

Providers saw a subtle increase in denial rates for most inpatient codes covering initial and subsequent hospital care from 2011 to 2014, according to an analysis of the most recent Medicare claims data available.

Eliminate no-shows: 4 budget-friendly ways to keep patient appointments

02/08/2016

by: Richard Scott

Brush up your financial policy statement and automate multiple points of patient contact to cut down on your missed appointments and keep your revenue at projected targets.

Proposed shared savings rule makes benchmarks more local to draw participants

02/08/2016

by: Roy Edroso

It may be easier for your practice to succeed with a Shared Savings accountable care organization (ACO) soon thanks to a new proposed rule.

MACs wield heavy influence when it comes to scoring E/M services

02/08/2016

by: Scott Kraft

Make sure your E/M claims get paid by keeping track of Medicare administrative contractors (MACs) that are increasingly setting their own policies for what does and doesn’t count when calculating history and exam components of services.

Check coverage determinations for when you need JW modifier with drug wastage

02/08/2016

by: Roy Edroso

Botox comes in multiple-use vials. Are we supposed to list our drug wastage with modifier JW (Drug amount discarded/not administered to any patient)?

NPP students at your practice? Check laws, contracts; verify competency

02/08/2016

by: Roy Edroso

We have been approached by a local college to provide training for its nurse practitioner (NP) and medical assistant students. What services can these students provide since they do not fit under the incident-to guidelines as they are not paid employees?

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