This week's note discusses the National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI) Manual, an often overlooked source of guidance for coders and chargemaster professionals when determining correct coding and billing to Medicare.
Pneumonia discharges impact hospital payments under the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program as well as the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program. The selection of a principal diagnosis, secondary diagnosis, present on admission (POA) status, and discharge status on each claim determines whether a pneumonia discharge will be included in the measure.
This week’s Medicare updates include Medicare Outpatient Observation Notice (MOON) instructions, ICD-10 coding revisions to NCDs, a new “K” code for continuous positive airway pressure device bundle, and more!
Privacy and security are challenging enough within the walls of a hospital or business office. But as the number of remote staff increases, privacy and security officers must be prepared to pioneer a new environment of remote home offices and mobile devices.
The March 8 Medicare Outpatient Observation Notice implementation deadline is quickly approaching, which means organizations must act now to ensure that their staff members are ready accurately and completely to fill out and deliver the form. There were some changes from the proposed version of the form CMS first released to the final version it ultimately approved December 7, 2016.
The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released guidance on patient access fees with little fanfare last year but the guidance, intended to clarify existing OCR regulations, became a flashpoint for controversy. The guidance states that organizations may charge a patient either a flat fee of $6.50 or follow a specific methodology for calculating the cost of making a copy of requested patient records. Although some organizations found their fee schedules out of step with OCR’s guidance, the biggest problem came from an unexpected corner: attorneys.
