Outpatient coders achieved higher average accuracy scores for the second consecutive year in Central Learning's nationwide ICD-10 coding contest. Contest participants coded a total of 4,471 medical record cases using…
Whether you are dealing with a commercial payer, Medicare, or Medicaid, there are certain types of improper claims that should be avoided if you want to reduce your risk of…
When Donella J. Lubelczyk, RN, BSN, ACM-RN, CRC, CRCR, entered her job as director of revenue cycle at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, New Hampshire, she got a surprise when…
Providers are calling on CMS to not finalize a proposal to collapse Medicare reimbursement for evaluation and management (E/M) visits into a single, blended payment rate for E/M Levels 2…
The American Medical Association (AMA) updated the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code set in 2019 to include new codes for connected health services in an effort to encourage CMS to…
If you ever wondered why you might receive a blockbuster medical bill even if you have health insurance, the reporting of Kaiser Health News (KHN) can help. KHN, a nonprofit…
The proposed new version of the global manual for diagnosing medical conditions gets many things right about autism — but some items diverge from the manual’s American counterpart and are…
Life expectancy is declining in high-income counties across the world because of the opioid epidemic and a worsening flu season, according to studies published in BMJ, MDLinx reports. Here's what…
In a boost for cardiovascular care in the U.S., new research shows those suffering heart attacks and strokes were less likely to be uninsured for their hospital stays after states…
On August 9, 2018, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule that would redesign the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP). The proposed changes would accelerate…
The Latin root for "hospital" is from Old French “hoste," which means "host" or “guest." Synonyms for host are multitude, abundance and wealth. That’s not what we think of when…
Government and private insurers’ audits have revealed unfortunate cases of fraudulent or abusive medical billing practices. You deserve to be paid for the medical care you provide, but it is…
Aiming to cut down on regulatory burdens and give more power to states, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is making notable changes to the Medicaid program, the biggest…
CMS issued final rules July 31 that increase payments to inpatient rehabilitation facilities and skilled-nursing facilities by $925 million. Here are six things to know about the rules: Inpatient rehabilitation…
The Open Payments database needs to improve the accuracy, precision and consistency of some of its data to ensure doctor financial transparency and help consumers better use the information. That’s…
CMS recently finalized a rule that will shift the Medicare payment system for skilled nursing facilities (SNF) away from fee-for-service and toward value starting in 2019. The federal agency will…