Correct, complete documentation is the foundation of a sound medical record and compliant reimbursement, but getting that foundation in place can be challenging. Clinicians are juggling critical tasks in a high-stress situation, and administrative burden of electronic documentation and the disconnect that results from spending more time looking at a screen than a patient are often cited as the primary factors in physician burnout. Enter the medical scribe.
According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), it is estimated that more than half a million people in the U.S. have Crohn’s disease. For unknown reasons, the disease has become more widespread in both the U.S. and other parts of the world.
One of the most memorable sessions at the AMA CPT Symposium in November 2017 involved an impromptu open mic feedback session facilitated by CMS’ Marge Watchorn, deputy director of the Division of Practitioner Services. The focus of this session was the applicability of the current CMS documentation guidelines for E/M services.
This week’s Medicare updates include two compliance reviews from the Office of Inspector General, an enforcement instruction on supervision requirements for outpatient therapy, clarification of instructions for medical reviews of inpatient rehabilitation facility claims, and more!
CMS, the Veterans Health Administration, and some states measure our care quality based on risk-adjusted readmission rates after inpatient admissions. In fact, up to 3% of our hospital’s Medicare inpatient revenue (used to pay physician subsidies) is at risk if we don’t manage our patients’ readmissions in concert with Medicare’s algorithms.
Organizations and CDI specialists must have a thorough understanding of how regulations and guidelines impact risk adjustment in the outpatient setting. A misinterpretation can easily lead to inadvertent upcoding—and that can lead to costly audits, settlements, and accusations of fraud.
