Behavioral health is a highly specialized area of coding that many coders and billers are unfamiliar with. There are hundreds of ICD-10-CM codes for mental disorders with unique characters to specify symptoms and complications.
Even if a hospital is not a teaching hospital, it may have services that require National Clinical Trial (NCT) reporting. It is logical for revenue integrity leadership to own this issue, but an explanation of the requirements for NCT reporting should be shared with all staff within the revenue cycle so there is a better appreciation of the fact that clinical trial billing rules apply more broadly than merely just to research or clinical trial studies.
CMS released the 2020 OPPS proposed rule July 29, proposing to refine previous policies related to price transparency and the 2-midnight rule, while also asking for comments on how to potentially undo its policy that reduced payments for drugs purchased under the 340B drug discount program by nearly 30%.
Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, Maryland, will pay $3,154,000 to settle allegations that it submitted false claims to Medicare for medically unnecessary evaluation and management services and separately billing bundled procedures
In 2013, “Guidelines for Achieving a Compliant Query Practice,” a collaboration between AHIMA and ACDIS, was published. It has served as the industry guideline for the establishment of best practices surrounding queries. The 2019 update reinforces the information set forth in the preceding practice briefs while also introducing some newer guidelines reflective of today’s healthcare environment.
