Change! New and Refreshing? Change. The dictionary defines the word as “the act or instance of making or becoming something different” or “an alteration or modification.” Another definition defines change as being “a new or refreshingly different experience.” So if change is new and refreshing, a modification implying that the modification is for the better, […]
The Bad Apples Ruin the Whole Bunch 1 in 5! Just one week ago, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a nationwide report citing questionable Medicare billing practices by ambulance suppliers, nationwide. The OIG reports that 1 in 5 ambulance providers has engaged in “questionable billing” practices. […]
It’s Finally Here! It seems like forever ago… It seems like forever ago we began talking about this thing called ICD-10. Delay after delay, extension after extension and here we are. Thursday is the day the American healthcare industry has long been anticipating. ICD-10 is finally here! Boil it all down Boil it all down, […]
Introducing the “Z” Codes Fast Approaching! ICD-10 is fast approaching! Come October 1st the healthcare industry begins to use the new diagnosis coding regimen and with that transition the ambulance billing industry will face a new set of rules and billing guidelines to follow including the “Z” codes. Reasons for Encounters… The “Z” codes denote […]
Documenting Non-Emergency Scenarios Post October 1, 2015 Back Again We’re back again in the second part of our look at the guidance provided by Novitas Solutions as published in their future Local Coverage Determination (LCD) slated to begin on October 1, 2015. You’ll recall that we focused on emergency documentation in this space, last week. […]
Documenting Emergent Scenarios Post October 1 Focus If you’re a regular reader of this space you are aware that we focus A LOT on medical necessity, especially as the definitions contained in the rules pertain to Medicare. With anywhere from 40% to 60% or upward of the average ambulance reimbursements being derived from Medicare Fee-for-Service […]
Be Proud! Shrinking Pool There’s a shrinking pool of EMS providers. We don’t care where you are located, it’s obvious that fewer of us are doing this EMS thing. Quite frankly, it’s a bit scary. News story after news story, report after report chronicles that our numbers are down and the people willing to spend […]
Behind on PCRs? Focus! Frustration Frustration reigns in the billing office when there are an x-number of your EMS agency’s runs that have yet to be turned into Patient Care Reports (PCRs) for billing submission. As we think about our own field experiences and we watch our colleagues, we find the problem of unwritten Patient […]
ICD-10 Behind the Scenes The stuff you don’t see… In previous blog posts we talked a lot about the new ICD-10 diagnosis code conversation set to take place on October 1st, primarily focusing on the things we see- namely documentation and the interpretation of the Patient Care Report documentation in the billing office that turns […]
What’s Your “White Hot Why”? Howdy! It’s me… Hey everyone, it’s me. Chuck. We typically post this blog in the third person and refer to ourselves as “we” in the content because this space is a collaboration and representation of everyone that’s part of our wonderful Enhanced Management Services team. However, this week, with your […]
