Hi Michael,
Thank you for post this week concerning coding errors in medical billing practices. In fact, Th Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has the authority to investigate and prosecute those who are found guilty of fraud and abuse. However, office managers are in position to detect and prevent coding errors in their medical practice through training and verification prior to claims submission.
Michael, how would you go about making sure that your office is properly staffed and your coders have all the necessary information in order to properly code and process claims? For starters, "the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) grants the Certified Coding (CCA), Certified Coding Specialist (CCS), and the
Committing medical coding fraud or abuse is extremely detrimental to the healthcare industry. They both lead to higher healthcare costs and an increase in the cost needed for medical coverage. In addition, the increasing discovers of these acts are putting a very negative light on healthcare workers, including those who are not committing either act. With the medical world being so complex we often instill and great amount of trust in the persons taking care of medical billing and coding, this trust also makes committing fraud and abuse easier for dishonest people to take advantage of.
I am very familiar with medical coding and understand how it is used because I worked in the medical field for many years, and I used those codes for much of that time. At my last job, I helped with the billing for some time, did the insurance referrals for several years and got the insurance pre-authorizations/pre-approvals
-Inpatient coders have certifications allowing them to work exclusively for hospitals or facilities. An expertise in medical record review is a must, along with an up to date status with coding rule changes, regulations and issues for medical coding, reimbursements and compliance under MS-DRG and Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems (IPPS). Coders should have experience as well as expert knowledge in abstracting information from medical records for ICD-9CM vol. 1-3, specialized payment in MS-DRG and IPPS.
The E/M code's is a big important part in this process. Being a health care professional, using the medical code's. like medicare, medicaid, other private insurance to be reimbursement. If not using the right code, the doctor office, hospital, and urgent care. Will lose a lot of money. So using the right cpt code's insurance companies, office, hospital, and urgent care can be reimbursement correct. Cause CPT code's are formed with 5 digits.
The careful documentation and subsequent billing process within the course of a patient’s care is an important piece within the healthcare system as a whole. Proper documentation in a patient’s chart relating to any service or procedure is not only important for this patient’s future medical care, but for the facility to receive an accurate reimbursement for the services provided. Reimbursement is affected by every department within the hospital. Healthcare is a business in the long run, and inaccuracies within the reimbursement process will affect the financial stability of the hospital. If a department is mismanaging reimbursement data it could result
When working as a medical office administrator you will need to know how to complete the different procedures dealing with physician billing and reimbursement. Reimbursements involves more than what you just get paid, it’s a long and often convoluted process that start when you patients first contacts your office. In order to get the correct reimbursement it is important that you know the basics about reimbursements which includes the correct coding. The way to understand the aspects of the business is to know the basic of Medicare. Physician reimbursement is a three step process. The first step of the process would be having the appropriate coding number of the service provided by utilizing the current procedural terminology which is commonly
The physician marks the E&M code on the encounter form and the medical assistant will ensure that the documentation in the medical record matches the codes that are checked off. Whenever a medical assistant is unsure about a coding or billing issue the best way to handle the situation is to speak with the physician or reach out to their supervisor or a certified coder. Incorrect coding could lead to denial or delay of insurance claims and it could also lead to fraud or abuse. If I were Lisa’s medical assistant in this situation I believe the best option is to speak with Dr. Parker about the issue. One of the reasons I would speak with him about the issue is because it is unusual for him to check off diabetes unspecified for most of his patients
Each year medical errors cause more than 400,000 American deaths and at least 10-20 times that number experience serious harm. Researchers say that is equivalent to “three 747 airplanes crashing each day.” Medical errors rank as the third-leading cause of death in America. Therefore, patient safety is a national concern.
Responsible coder collects post and manages account payments, submitting claims and keeping in touch with insurance companies. If patient information is coded incorrectly, or incomplete it could leave an impact that can be brought to a claim. Inaccuracy in patient information can lead to denials, none payment and investigation. It is important to get all the details right by verifying insurance coverage properly. Make sure that the patient’s name is spelled correctly, date of birth and sex of the patient are correct; and most important be sure that the policy number is valid.0verall before claims are sent, documentation should be in order and the claim should be checked for completeness and accuracy.
There are several different things the health information manager can do to help with reimbursement. Ensuring that the proper codes have been assigned and that there is adequate documentation. The health information management department staff may also analyze case mix, manage on going
A better solution is to outsource medical coding and billing. You get extra scrutiny on every claim. There is no one person dedicated to coding or billing one practice's claims. You get a team of highly trained, dedicated professionals that follow the highest ethics code. A team like BillMedix. Give them a call today at (855)
To a lot of people Medical Billing and Medical Coding can be considered to be the same thing. But as I’ve learned through research it is not the same thing. Medical Billers handle and submit patient records for services they have received to insurance companies and if needed also provide the information to the government. The Medical Billers use alphanumeric codes as well as numeric codes to process and submit claim forms for payments. Medical Billers obtain certificates and diplomas that are geared towards Medical Billing and Insurance.
Id. In order for providers to avoid costly claim denials, a risk management and compliance program should be in place and annual monitoring and auditing of internal controls needs to occur on a regular basis. This text will review the issues that medical providers face with coding and billing regulations, the consequences of improper billing and coding, and resolutions that will aid in the prevention of claims being denied.
Medicare fraud is illegal and remedies are sought at both a civil and criminal level. If a provider, practice, or institution is found guilty of Medicare fraud, the consequences may include a loss of license, monetary penalties, and the inability to participate in Federal healthcare programs. The Office of Inspector General (OIG), which is a part of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, has the ability to exclude individuals who participate in Medicare fraud. The guilty party will be listed on a searchable database on the OIG website. The list is officially referred to as the List of
Responsible coder collects post and manages account payments, submitting claims and keeping in touch with insurance companies. If patient information is coded incorrectly or incomplete it could leave an impact that can be brought to a claim. Inaccuracy in patient information can leads to denials, none payment and investigation. It is important to get all the details right by verifying insurance coverage properly. Make sure that the patient’s name is spelled correctly, date of birth and sex of patient are correct; and most important be sure that the policy number is valid.0verall before claims are sent, documentation should be in order and the claim should be checked for completeness and accuracy.