Thought Leadership
When it comes to thought leadership and staying informed, we’ve got you covered. See below for recent articles, webinars, and downloadable resources available.
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April 12, 2018
The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) held its annual Advocacy Summit in Washington, DC on March 19-20, 2018. Members from all over the country came together to inspire leadership and influence change. Historically, this event has been an opportunity to advocate for HIM professional interests, build name recognition for AHIMA and the profession, and […]
March 06, 2018
Don’t wait until the last minute to submit your data for the 2017 Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) performance period. Now is the time to act. The key dates are: Passed: March 1, 2018, for your 2017 data for your performance category via claims March 16, 2018, (by 8PM EST), for group reporting via the […]
February 23, 2018
The newly proposed Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) budget was recently announced for skilled and post-acute nursing providers. According to major trade groups, the changes for skilled nursing providers are not seen as positive. Payments for post-acute care providers would be changed, establishing a unified payment system based on the needs of patients, […]
February 13, 2018
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services posted a new version of the Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Data Specifications on January 25, 2018. The DRAFT version proposes significant changes to the MDS Sections: GG – Functional Abilities and Goals; I – Active Diagnosis; J – Health Conditions; and M – Skin Conditions Blue & […]
December 12, 2017
Telehealth and its emergence as a critical healthcare component is becoming painfully evident. Patient demand is rising and according to Zion Market Research, an estimated $38 billion will have been invested by the year 2022 by companies such as Google, IBM, Samsung, and many more. Right now, the only billable facility charge is the originating […]
November 07, 2017
Most physicians/practitioners bill patient visits to payers using a set of codes known as evaluation and management (E/M) codes. Billing physicians/practitioners must maintain certain information in the medical record that documents the appropriate E/M codes have been reported. The 2018 Final Rule for Revisions to Payment Policies under the Physician Fee Schedule has been published. […]
October 10, 2017
Even though there have been several attempts this year to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the “ACA”), the efforts have not been successful. Additionally, the attempted repeal and replace approaches this year have left most of the ACA intact; meaning even if the bills were passed, those requirements initially enacted in Section […]
September 13, 2016
Lynette Thom, BS, RHIT, CCS, CDIP AHIMA Approved ICD-10-CM/PCS Trainer U.S. hospital revenue cycles have been undergoing radical changes since the advent of the prospective payment system (PPS). In response to this radical change to the way they earned revenue, hospitals fought for changes to the PPS to prove to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid […]
September 12, 2016
On May 17, 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) determined that the evidence was sufficient to cover supervised exercise therapy (SET) for beneficiaries with intermittent claudication (IC) for the treatment of symptomatic peripheral artery disease (PAD). Up to 36 sessions over a 12-week period are covered if all of the following components of […]
Webinars
May 05, 2021
There is a new audit trend coming down the pipeline that could impact your charity reimbursement for Medicare bad debt. In the past there was no enforcement of statements being sent to a charity patient before they were deemed indigent. Until a patient has been approved for charity, they are still deemed non-indigent. Auditors are […]
May 03, 2021
Anyone who works in the healthcare industry knows that their organization takes steps to protect patient health information under a series of guidelines known as HIPAA. There are several provisions to HIPAA that require organizations to use Federal guidelines to ensure digital health information is secure. Those provisions include: Privacy Rule Security Rule Enforcement Rule […]
April 28, 2021
On December 27, 2020 the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 introduced changes to the existing Rural Health Clinic payment structure. Changes to the Rural Health Clinic Payment Structure This legislation introduced the following reforms: Phase-in steady increases in the RHC statutory cap over an eight year period Subjects all new RHCs to the new Medicare […]
April 06, 2021
Blue & Co. reviewed publicly available information on a 120 bed, non-profit, acute-care hospital. The data suggested there was revenue improvement opportunity in their outpatient physical and occupational therapy departments. The department had approximately 27,000 patient visits the previous year. During an assessment, we co-validated a significant set of revenue improvement opportunities: charge capture improvement, […]
April 02, 2021
The concept of consumerism in healthcare delivery is rooted and shaped in the world of retail services. To keep it simple, patient experience competencies should drive your consumerism strategy. However, it is primarily driven by high deductible health plans, changing technology, shifting patient demographics and value-based care payer contracts, healthcare care consumerism and the experience […]
April 01, 2021
Beginning 2011, Medicare began covering the Annual Wellness Visit (AWV) as a yearly appointment with a primary care provider (PCP) to create or update a personalized prevention plan at no cost to the beneficiary. This plan may help prevent illness based on current health and risk factors. It is not a routine physical, and an […]
