Patient matching—associating the right patient with the right medical record—isn’t a new problem, but as the practice of medicine and reimbursement models become more data-driven, the stakes will continue to rise.
Establishing an outpatient CDI program can have substantial benefits. Recently, an outpatient CDI review project demonstrated there were many documentation improvement opportunities at a large family practice/internal medicine physician clinic.
Implementing a denial avoidance initiative can help facilities and health systems realize lost revenue, achieve cost savings, and improve an organization’s financial performance.
Hospitals continue to acquire or affiliate more closely with physician practices at a breakneck speed to operate more effectively under value-based purchasing or accountable care organization reimbursement models. But many organizations struggle with how to integrate their different EHR systems, forms, and templates long after the physicians become hospital employees.
Integrating facility and professional fee coding into one centralized department model can help organizations make the most of advances in technology and manage costs.
New tools, products, and training can help optimize the HIM department, but gaining approval the expense can be a challenge. Apply these lessons to make your next budget request a success.
Payers rely heavily on the use of data and data analytics to manage their risk. Follow these tips for using payer guidelines to understand what they’re looking for and how to improve documentation.
