Ambulatory
Payment
Classifications

P-Prepare

Ambulatory Payment Classifications (APCs), which are still targeted for July 2000 implementation, have ramifications that reach far beyond the reduction in outpatient Medicare revenue most associate with the new payment mechanism. More importantly, Outpatient Prospective Payment Systems will have significant impacts on: coding, establishing outpatient treatment protocols, physician ordering practices and documentation, outpatient program planning and development, outpatient program marketing strategies, patient registration and billing processes, charge master design and maintenance, compliance program emphasis, and information systems support for outpatient billing. APC preparation involves a proactive assessment of the many systems and processes critical to the outpatient reimbursement cycle. These include:

• Charge Master Review
• Encounter Form and Charge Tool(s) Review
• Registration and Data Capture Assessment
• Clinical Documentation and Coding Review
• Ancillary Services Assessment
• Information Systems Assessment
• Financial Impact Analysis
• Resource Utilization Review
• Provider-Based Entity Evaluation
• Training and Education
• PECOS tm web-based training and education
• APC Grouper Software

Click on any of these important areas to discover the key steps to success in APC preparation