Railroad Medicare Cites Error Rate-Blog-05-05-2017

Railroad Medicare Cites 32.6% Error Rate for Second Quarter of FY 2017

Railroad Medicare Cites 32.6% Error Rate for Second Quarter of FY 2017 Review Complete Yesterday, Palmetto GBA, the Medicare Administrative Contractor for the Railroad Medicare program, announced that they have completed their widespread review of BLS Non-Emergency ambulance service claims from January through March of 2017. This comprises their announced review for the Second Quarter […]

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Flu-Like-Symptoms-How-to-Document-Blog-03-31-2017

Flu-Like Symptoms- How to Document?

Flu-Like Symptoms- How to Document? Spring? Spring has sprung…or has it? Given that we just experienced a major east coast winter snow storm just two weeks ago with New England about to get hammered again, it appears that Mother Nature is a bit confused. The Flu! Because Mother Nature is confused we see a lingering […]

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Clear-Clinical-Documentation-Blog-02-17-2017.png

Clear. Clinical. Documentation.

Clear. Clinical. Documentation. CMS Three words with impactful meaning anchor our discussion today. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) sets the definition of medical necessity of an ambulance patient that all of us in the ambulance billing industry strictly adhere to. The definition centers on the clinical requirement “where the use of other methods […]

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Always-Done-it-That-Way-Blog-01-20-2017

“But we’ve always done it that way!”

“But we’ve always done it that way!” Don’t walk…run! Probably the most dangerous phrase for an EMS system and especially an ambulance billing program is the phrase… “But we’ve always done it that way!” In today’s world, if your EMS agency is going to be successful and remain insulated from big trouble make a point […]

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To-Bill-or-Not-to-Bill-Blog-01-13-2017

To Bill or Not to Bill?

To Bill or Not to Bill? Shakespearian EMS? We can only wonder what the documentation would look like if the great bard Shakespeare would have been a member of the EMS community. “Dispatheth via troubadour to yonder hamlet for a person swooning with the vapors.” Okay…enough of that. But we borrow a take on the […]

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New-Stuff-From-Medicare-Blog-11-18-2016

New Stuff From Medicare

New Stuff From Medicare Two Updates Two recent Medicare updates carrying a potential impact on your EMS agency’s cash flow, complete with compliance implications popped up on our radar screen recently. Today’s blog will focus on those two updates. MUEs The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently updated the list of what they call […]

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Landing-the-Series-Blog-11-04-2016

Setting the “Stage”

Setting the “Stage” Landing the Series Today we’re landing the “Documentation Review as a Habit” series. Our seventh and final installment of this series focuses on documenting the “stage” of the patient’s illness or injury in the Patient Care Report (PCR) and the importance of doing so. For Emergencies and Beyond When documenting the 9-1-1 […]

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Its-All-in-the-Timing-Blog-10-28-2016

It’s All in the Timing

It’s All in the Timing Part VI Our “Documentation Review as a Habit” series rolls into Part VI with a discussion about capturing timing in the Patient Care Report’s (PCR’s) documentation. Not only is there an importance placed on documenting the correct date and time of the incident, chronologically, but there is even more importance […]

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