http://www.wsj.com/article_email/growth-in-u-s-health-care-spending-picks-up-1449090000-lMyQjAxMTA1MjAyNDMwMjQyWj By Stephanie Armour | December 2, 2015 WASHINGTON—Growth in U.S. health-care spending is accelerating after reaching historic lows, a pickup largely attributed to the millions of Americans who have gotten health coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Spending on all health care increased 5.3% in 2014, according to a report Wednesday from actuaries at… Continue Reading
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Medicare Rules Reshape Hospital Admissions
http://www.wsj.com/article_email/medicare-rules-reshape-hospital-admissions-1449024342-lMyQjAxMTA1MTA5MjIwMjI1Wj By CHRISTOPHER WEAVER, ANNA WILDE MATHEWS and TOM MCGINTY | December 1, 2015 At Banner Health’s general hospitals, the rate of heart-failure patients who wind up admitted to the hospital again soon after leaving has been dropping significantly, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of Medicare billing data. So has the readmission rate… Continue Reading
Five Charged in $600 Million California Health Care Fraud Scheme
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/855031 By Dan Whitcomb | November 30, 2015 LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The former chief financial officer of a California hospital and four other people have been charged in a series of health care kickback schemes that generated nearly $600 million in fraudulent billings for spinal surgeries, prosecutors said on Tuesday. All five defendants have… Continue Reading
Hospitals Form Patient Advisory Councils to Learn How They Can Improve Care
http://www.wsj.com/article_email/hospitals-form-patient-advisory-councils-to-learn-how-they-can-improve-care-1448852618-lMyQjAxMTA1MjM5MDMzMDAxWj By Laura Landro | November 29, 2015 After a hospital stay, patients may just want to put the experience behind them. The last thing they want to do is come back. Increasingly, though, they are doing just that—but at the request of the hospital, and in an effort to improve care. They are being… Continue Reading
Texas docs plead for relief from ‘meaningless abuse’
http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20151102/BLOG/151109993/blog-texas-d By Joseph Conn | November 2, 2015 The Texas Medical Association wants Congress to intervene and make changes to the federal electronic health-record incentive payment program it’s calling “meaningless abuse.” The group says Stage 3 of the program meant to get physicians using EHRs could jeopardize Medicare doc payment rules. The TMA, the largest state… Continue Reading
Medical Billing and Medical Coding Services Now Offered by Health Systems Management Network
Health Systems Management is pleased to announce that it is taking on clients to perform medical billing and medical coding. Wellington, FL — (SBWIRE) — 11/19/2012 — After its many years of comprehensive audit activity on medical billing, coding, clinical documentation and denial management in Hospitals, free standing ambulatory care centers and physician practices; Health… Continue Reading
Medicare to Reduce Hospital Payments
http://online.wsj.com/ U.S. News Medicare to Reduce Hospital Payments Cuts Affect Record 2,610 Hospitals Due to Readmissions Within 30 Days By Melinda Beck connect Oct. 3, 2014 7:03 p.m. ET Medicare will cut payments to a record 2,610 hospitals—three-quarters of those eligible—because too many patients were readmitted within 30 days, according to an analysis… Continue Reading
HSMN Recognized
Health Systems Management Network, Inc. (HSMN) HSMN was founded in 1987 by two seasoned Clinical, Operational and Financial professionals. While our staff has grown, our focus has always been on the entire Revenue Cycle with special emphasis on Medical/Practice Staff on Clinical Documentation Improvement over every iteration of the various Coding Scenarios. Our “Start Ten… Continue Reading
Societies Urge SGR Repeal in Lame-Duck Congress
Robert Lowes http://www.medscape.com/ October 02, 2014 Politics killed a bipartisan bill to repeal Medicare’s notorious sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula for setting physician pay in March, but 3 medical societies are urging its revival in this year’s lame-duck session of Congress, when politics is expected to take a back seat. The bill is the SGR Repeal… Continue Reading
New coding requirements related to Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) modifier -59 could impact your reimbursement.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services News Flash = REVISED products from the MLN “Medicare Learning Network® (MLN) Suite of Products & Resources for Compliance Officers”, Educational Tool, ICN 908525, Downloadable only MLN Matters® Number: MM8863 Related Change Request (CR) #: CR 8863 Related CR Release… Continue Reading