The Magic Word in Medical Dictation — “Specificity”
Early this summer we looked at the serious costs of poor dictation, so let’s now take a closer look at the shortcomings often seen in the dictation itself. The truth is, incomplete and untimely dictation has long plagued healthcare facilities—it’s nothing new—but now it’s more important than ever to keep physicians accountable for dictation habits. […]
ICD-10 Grace Period: It’s a Safety Line, Not a Crutch
Earlier this month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), alongside the American Medical Association (AMA), announced a “grace period” that would ease transitional struggles following the switch to ICD-10. At the same time, they told us about an ICD-10 command center that would be working to resolve coding and claims issues as quickly as they […]
Yes, You Still Have Time to Get in Gear for ICD-10
We’ve been talking about ICD-10 since last spring. And now, the industry is less than three months from its October 1 deadline, when coding and documentation requirements will officially transition. That means healthcare business offices across the nation will have to start rolling with the new system—or face the consequences of noncompliance. But the consequences […]
Don’t Let Delayed Dictation Drown Your Medical Billing Revenue
Physicians are perpetually busy. It’s a fact I completely understand. Actually, in most cases that’s a gross understatement—on any given day, physicians are being pulled in a dozen different directions and they probably get dizzy trying to remember all the rules that apply to their work. This is the norm. When all most physicians want […]
13 Documentation Requirements to Note in ICD-10
It’s been almost a year since our last ICD-10 discussion—back when you were breathing a sigh of relief at ICD-10’s latest delay. Well, now it’s here. And surprisingly enough, CDI specialists, who act as go-betweens connecting medical staff and coders, will need to be educated about new specificity and documentation requirements, as the burden of […]
How To Be a Rockstar: Charge Entry Specialist
in2itive’s “How To Be a Rockstar” series takes a look at the individual roles that make up an amazing business office and revenue cycle management team. Learn from our own rockstar leaders what makes each role essential, how we measure each role’s success and what tasks and obstacles come with the territory. Meet Angela Schumacher: […]
Keeping the Healthcare Business Office in Line Part 2
Keep It All In Check Now you have all your ducks in a row—what are your checks and balances? How do you keep the troops in line and maintain the necessary order? Audit! You’ll hear in2itive talk about this often, because we know the true value of auditing your own work. It’s amazing what errors […]
Keeping the Healthcare Business Office in Line
Stay up to date on industry-related changes. If there’s one piece of advice I can offer to healthcare business offices that will forever be relevant, it’s that—know what standards, rules and expectations are current for your line of work. But of course there’s more than that to consider when managing a billing department. You and […]
Employee Competency: The Beginning of Billing Success
“I wish I knew then what I know now.” It’s a common, honest thought. But the healthcare billing and revenue management industry is not where you want to hear this. This is an industry in which success demands employee competence, and regular evaluation of specific competencies can help you identify the overall health of your […]
Another Stay of Execution! Are You ICD-10 Ready?
Change happens quickly and constantly in healthcare, and it’s especially true if you’re a coder. Coders are almost always prepared for something else to change in their systematic way of doing things and they know that if they don’t a dapt quickly and adapt well, they can bring the whole system to a screeching halt. […]
