With new regulatory pressures and a changing political landscape, the world of case management is changing. One trend you may notice is an increase in the number of outside organizations, such as physician's offices, insurance companies, and postacute facilities that are hiring their own case managers to help manage patients. These individuals are often referred to as liaisons.
Hospital outpatient therapeutic services, such as ED or clinic visits, that are paid under the OPPS or to critical access hospitals (CAH) on a cost basis must be furnished "incident to" a physician's service to be covered.
CMS made relatively few changes in the April quarterly I/OCE update, introducing four new APCs, deleting one, and reclassifying several skin substitute codes.
With the use of EHRs on the rise, so too is inappropriate use of EHR functionality. Many of these unintended consequences of EHR use are popping up on the radar of healthcare organizations and the federal government alike.
