Practice Management
New guidelines from The Joint Commission clarify what clinicians are allowed to convey via text messages. Urgent care providers should especially be aware that clinicians are allowed to text each other using a HIPAA-compliant platform as long as they don’t do so to send patient care orders. The new guidance, drawn up in consultation with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, also stipulates that all healthcare organizations should have policies prohibiting the use of …
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Acting Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator Andy Slavitt has acknowledged that Healthcare.gov, the platform through which previously uninsured Americans have accessed coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or “Obamacare”), has “failed millions” since its launch more than 2 years ago. While he claims inherent problems in the system have been fixed, he says he recognizes the consequences of clunky EHR systems, low reimbursements, burnout, and various compliance requirements for primary care providers—consequences …
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) calls it a brand-new platform, while skeptics are saying it’s just the same-old structure with a fresh coat of paint. Either way, CMS is rolling out the Quality Payment Program, which it says will ease documentation requirements for physicians while also providing new opportunities to earn bonuses by providing quality care. Under the program, physicians can receive Medicare reimbursement by participating in either the Merit-Based Incentive Payment …
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The United States Senate is the latest—and certainly the most prestigious—body to recommend pulling the plug on the Affordable Care Act (ACA, also known as Obamacare). The Senate followed the lead of the House of Representatives by passing a new bill on December 3 that essentially repeals ACA. Passage of the new bill may be a moot point, as President Obama is likely to veto it. Once heralded by proponents as the salvation of uninsured …
Read MoreQ.Why is the (E/M) code important in urgent care? A.Because the majority of urgent care revenue is derived from E/M codes (mostly codes 99210-99215), accurate E/M coding is the most important coding variable in urgent care revenue. Inaccurate E/M coding is, also, the number-one reason that urgent care centers run into compliance issues with payors and regulatory agencies. Q.I see that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) lists two sets of guidelines, 1995 …
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