The Medicare Transitional Care Act of 2014 would require Medicare to provide payment for approved transition services designed to move patients safely to the next level of care.
The Center for Connected Health at Partners HealthCare System in Boston is putting technology to use to track patient health in the home setting. The center uses the latest technologies, from text messaging and social media to remote monitoring and patients downloading their medical records to help them take control of chronic conditions.
Numerous community groups are working to help people stay healthy. Programs that help individuals pay for expensive medications, free health clinics, and support services for chronic illnesses are just a few examples. However, the problem is that the people who need these services often don't know they're available.
The April 1 confirmation of the delay in implementing the ICD-10 code set certainly took the wind out of many healthcare organizations' sails. Those organizations spent countless hours and dollars preparing for the go-live date that was six months away.
In 2008, only 11% of respondents to an Association of Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialists (ACDIS) poll indicated their clinical documentation improvement (CDI) programs either reviewed outpatient records for documentation improvement opportunities or were looking to expand into outpatient areas (8% and 3% respectively).
Revenue cycle leaders, including HIM professionals, are aware that a patient billing or collection problem can destroy what had up to that point been an exceptionally positive clinical experience. With the ever-expanding reach of social media, a patient who is dissatisfied with a billing or collection problem may be more likely to share that problem with others rather than sharing private details about clinical problems.
