December 1, 2016
Briefings on APCs

CMS made certain concessions from its proposed site-neutral payment policies required by Section 603 of the Bipartisan Budget Act, but it is still moving forward with implementation January 1, 2017, according to the 2017 OPPS final rule. 

December 19, 2016
HIM Briefings

Most of us are familiar with ICD-10-CM through picking codes from a list in our EHRs or perusing a printed code book. Allow me to suggest that unless we understand the coding rules in the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, we may mistakenly pick the wrong code, leading to a potential false claim.

January 31, 2017
HIM Briefings

The 30-day all cause acute myocardial infarction (AMI) mortality outcome measure has been linked to hospital payments since the inception of the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program (HVBP) in fiscal year 2013. In February 2016, CMS announced that 70% of commercial payers have agreed to use this measure as one of the cardiology outcomes linked to payment.

December 28, 2016
HIM Briefings

As HIMB’s 30th year comes to a close, we look back on a year of exciting developments and new challenges. Both HIMB and the HIM profession have seen their share of changes over the past 30 years, and this year was no exception.

December 21, 2016
HIM Briefings

Today’s HIM professional needs to understand the various programs and the impact that coding and documentation may have on an organization’s performance. By 2018, 50% of Medicare payments will be tied to value-based alternative payment models.

December 1, 2016
HIM Briefings

Most healthcare systems already have a proven process in place to monitor revenue integrity and ensure correct reimbursement. Beyond the day-to-day revenue cycle staff involved in revenue integrity, more than 60% of hospital executives believe revenue integrity is essential to their organization’s financial stability and sustainability, according to a survey by Craneware, Inc.

December 26, 2016
Briefings on HIPAA

Q. Are we required to use encryption on all email, or only email that contains PHI?

December 12, 2016
Briefings on HIPAA

Information security officers often have their hands full with HIPAA. But as high-deductible health plans have patients paying more out of pocket, it’s time organizations took a closer look at another set of cybersecurity guidance: the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

December 1, 2016
HIM Briefings

Almost a year after the world of coding was transformed by the implementation of ICD-10-CM/PCS, CMS released the 2017 ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting along with more than 5,000 diagnosis and procedure code changes. The new codes and guidelines went into effect October 1, but not without some controversy. Many of the changes were praised for the increased clarity and level of detail they allow providers to capture. Other changes, though, raised questions and eyebrows and left some wondering what the Cooperating Parties may have intended.

December 1, 2016
Briefings on HIPAA

It’s been a challenging year for HIPAA compliance. OCR levied more than $20 million in breach settlement fines. Ransomware rocked the healthcare industry.

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