Not billing the APP service can result in serious revenue cycle errors. Many providers are still struggling with the non-physician practitioner (NPP) billing rules from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Most facilities are now referring to NPPs as Advanced Practitioner Professionals or APPs. I get questions all…

The “right documentation” is the central pivot point to the revenue cycle   Physician clinical documentation plays a critical role in any overall healthcare delivery model, including the life of the revenue cycle, which drives reimbursement for quality medical care provided to patients. The revenue cycle is defined by the…

Each patient’s story should be told in the official record. The clinical documentation integrity (CDI) profession has only scratched the surface of instilling positive change in patterns of physician documentation and communication of patient care. There exists a myriad of opportunities for CDI specialists to capitalize upon and truly improve…

Hospital services must positively contribute to the revenue cycle and clinical documentation integrity initiatives. A recent outlook report released by Moody’s Investors Services spells continued ongoing financial challenges for non-profit hospitals next year. (Moody's Survey) The firm downgrade the sector from its current stable status to negative for 2018, attributable…

Health information management professionals are fulfilling roles in numerous healthcare settings. “Revenue integrity” is a relatively new buzz-phrase, but it certainly is a concept that should have been in practice since pay-for-service healthcare began. In essence, if it had been religiously practiced, the “fraud” would not be in the healthcare…

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following a part of a series on outpatient clinical documentation integrity (CDI). Part IV was published on May 16, 2017 in the ICD10monitor e-News.The medical record serves primarily as a physician’s communication tool for patients and all associated healthcare stakeholders. The effectiveness and completeness of the documentation…

ICD10monitor’s resident psychiatrist, H. Steven Moffic, MD, who is also a popular guest on Talk Ten Tuesdays, recently received the received the Administrative Psychiatry Award from the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the American Association of Psychiatrist Administrators (AAPA). The award was presented to Moffic on Oct. 6, during the fall…

Providers nationwide have been scratching their heads for some time now over how to combat the increasingly problematic issue of clinical downgrading of diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) by auditors.Mount Sinai Health System in New York City might not have the solution – but it sure does have a game plan.The System’s…

Providers nationwide have been scratching their heads for some time now over how to combat the increasingly problematic issue of clinical downgrading of diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) by auditors.Mount Sinai Health System in New York City might not have the solution – but it sure does have a game plan.The System’s…

In February, the Healthcare Billing and Management Association (HBMA) surveyed its members seeking information on current claims statuses as well as their experiences with ICD-10 implementation. Many responses were as predicted, some were consistent with other industry reporting, some confirmed what we already knew, and there were some surprises. This…