Q: Could you discuss or explain evaluating encounter billing vs. monthly billing for recurring outpatient services such as chemotherapy infusions or radiation oncology?
The 2-midnight rule was designed to simplify decisions on whether to order inpatient or outpatient observation services for patients and to reduce the volume of observation cases. However, some hospitals and healthcare systems have reported that the rule has actually increased confusion around level of care, without lowering observation volumes.
Q: We’re looking into have our coding outsourced to a company based in India. I’m assuming that HIPAA does not apply to a foreign company. What are the potential HIPAA risks for us? If we discover that the outsourced company experienced a breach, would we still be liable? What do we need to be aware of in terms of HIPAA compliance?
CMS announced January 9 the launch of Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced from the agency’s Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. This is the first Advanced Alternative Payment Model introduced by the Trump administration.