Hospital News

Continued from page 10 and Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital as a Primary Stroke Center. The health system’s Comprehensive Stroke Centers include Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center, Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center, and Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital.

“Our network of accredited students communicate with teachers and classmates even when they can’t be there in person.

This extends to making and maintaining connections with classmates who can provide much-needed emotional support and a sense of normalcy and belonging during your cancer treatment. Celebrate: Small victories and big audit issues on its Approved RAC Topics and Proposed RAC Topics pages. The information on these pages is updated regularly.

What Can You Do to Prepare for a RAC Audit?

Assess your risk for coding and billing issues by performing an internal audit of your own practices. Check that all billing codes are supported with appropriate documentation in the medical record. Additionally, follow these strategies when performing your audit:

• Consider hiring a contractor or assigning a knowledgeable member of your staff to review your coding and billing processes and develop a compliance plan.

• Identify coding and billing issues, track denied claims, look for patterns, and determine what corrective actions are needed to avoid improper payments.

• Review for circumstances that can lead to common coding and billing errors, including:

∆ Inadequately trained staff.

∆ Lack of time.

∆ Not following recommendations in the Federal Register.

∆ Not consulting the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services bulletins.

∆ Misinterpreting rules.

∆ New staff/new billing

Primary and Comprehensive Stroke Centers work together to provide timely care for patients, reduce the burden of stroke and improve survival outcomes in the greater Houston community,” said Sandi Shaw, Memorial Hermann Neuroscience Service Line Stroke Program Director.

Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and a leading cause of serious long-term disability among Americans. There are more than 7 million stroke survivors living in the United States. milestones company.

You’re taking a journey that most of your teachers and classmates cannot imagine. Managing school and your health is not easy. Sometimes it is okay to celebrate even the smallest victory like finishing an assignment, making it to class two weeks in a row, or passing a test. Acknowledge each milestone as it can boost motivation and resilience.

• Include these areas in your assessment and monitoring plan:

∆ Review the categories of claims denied in earlier RAC audits.

∆ Keep abreast of notifications on the CMS website, including approved and proposed audit topics.

∆ Review the Office of Inspector General (OIG) annual Work Plan to identify audit areas.

∆ Monitor RAC progress on regional RAC web postings.

Potential Issues With EHRs

The OIG is studying the link between EHR systems and coding for billing. The concern is that some EHR systems may generate upcoded billing through automatically generated detailed patient histories, cloning (when examination findings are copied and pasted), and templates filled in to reflect a more thorough or complex examination/visit. Review these issues with your EHR vendor and determine if your EHR program has the potential to automatically upcode billing based on EHR documentation.

Fundamentals for Compliance

Establish compliance and practice standards and conduct internal monitoring and auditing to evaluate adherence. Medical coding and billing are complex, and

Menninger

Continued from page 10 for the trust that psychiatrists place in The Menninger Clinic in referring their clients to us.”

Over the past year, 47 percent of Menninger patients were Texans, with the remainder coming from coast to coast.

Colombo added, “We collaborate with each patient, addressing their priority mental health issues. Our clinicians stabilize symptoms and guide

Balancing schoolwork and cancer treatment can be a challenge, but the four C’s can help you manage both successfully. Know that you are not alone and your commitment to education while fighting cancer may very well inspire others on their own educational path.  staff must be knowledgeable about many areas pertaining to billing and reimbursement.

Be sure that your coding and billing staff understands local medical review policies and is knowledgeable about practice jurisdictions. Staff must stay current on coding requirements, keep up with industry changes, understand the denial and appeal processes, and be able to identify resources for support.

The RAC auditor can request a maximum of 10 medical records from a provider in a 45-day period. The time period that may be reviewed is three years. Responses are time sensitive, and significant penalties may result if they are not handled properly. RACs are paid on a contingency basis for overpayments and underpayments. If a recoupment demand is issued and you agree with it, you have the choice of paying by check within 30 days, allowing recoupment from future payments, or requesting an extended payment plan.

You can appeal if you do not agree with the audit findings. Do not confuse the RAC Discussion Period with the appeals process. If you disagree with the RAC determination, detail why you disagree in a discussion letter and file an appeal before the 120th day after the demand letter. Send correspondence to the RAC via certified mail. our patients in learning and applying new skills which allow them to handle real-life situations that have previously been problematic.”

In early 2024, Colombo noted, Menninger is introducing an Addictions Medicine and Recovery Center to offer expanded treatment options for individuals with difficulties resulting from substance use or behavioral addictions.

Menninger also offers adults and adolescents more treatment options than ever before and a spectrum of services that accept insurance. 