News
Article
CMS
Hospital Management
Dr. Ronald HirschFebruary 11, 2021
RACMonitor: Leaving Against Medical Advice
Against Medical Advice: Are A M A Scarlet Letters?
A recent discussion on Twitter caught my attention. A physician posted, “Left against medical advice” is not the same as ‘Left to attend sister’s funeral.’ Let’s choose our words better.” This doctor has a point. The choice of words we use to ...
Article
COVID-19
Hospital Management
Physician Advisory
Dr. Ronald HirschMay 28, 2020
RACMonitor: ASC Partnership as a Hospital Without Walls
Everyone is anxious for life to return to normal, but none more than those patients who had planned to have surgery in March or April, but had their surgery cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These patients have conditions that warrant surgery, but were deemed not to be urgent or emergent, and therefore ...
Article
CMS
Hospital Management
Medicare
Physician Advisory
Dr. Ronald HirschFebruary 20, 2020
RACMonitor: Price New Technology Right, or Else
There is nothing wrong with adjusting prices to fit your cost-to-charge ratio. New technologies have always posed a financial challenge to hospitals. While they want to provide cutting-edge care to patients, unless a positive margin can be maintained, the costs of those technologies can quickly lead to ...
Article
CMS
Hospital Management
Dr. Ronald HirschJanuary 16, 2020
RACMonitor: Discharge Planning Conditions of Participation
It was way back in 2015 when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed changes to the discharge planning conditions of participation. Their goal was noble; they understood that because discharge planning is a complex process, a successful discharge plan is crucial to reducing the risk of ...
Article
CMS
Hospital Management
Physician Advisory
R1 RCMJuly 19, 2019
Becker's Hospital Review: Outmigration of Cardiology & ASC Challenges
CMS' 2019 Outpatient Prospective Payment System rule cleared the way for some cardiac procedures to be performed in ASCs, creating financial uncertainty for hospitals, according to Ronald Hirsch, MD, vice president of regulations and education group for R1 RCM.
Article
Hospital Management
Medicare
Physician Advisory
Dr. Ronald HirschJune 20, 2019
Practice Audit Targets Become Compliance Risks for Hospitals
Twenty four percent of the federal budget was spent on Medicare and Medicaid in 2017.
The Medicare Trust Fund is forecast to be depleted in 2026. Over 8% of Medicare fee-for-service payments in 2017 were made in error. These factors have all led Congress to put more ...
Article
Hospital Management
Revenue Cycle
R1 RCMMay 16, 2019
Becker's Hospital Review: Challenges to Revenue Cycle Transformation
Hospitals and health systems are exploring ways to transform revenue cycle processes to offset financial pressures. However, shifting to a new business model for revenue cycle management can be challenging.
Article
CMS
Hospital Management
Physician Advisory
Dr. Ronald HirschMarch 20, 2019
RACMonitor: OIG Audits Part A SNF Stays
The federal watchdog did not, however, decide to demand recoupments.
It is said that great minds think alike. And that proved to be true when the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released its report (CMS improperly paid ...
Article
CMS
Hospital Management
Physician Advisory
Dr. Ronald HirschMarch 13, 2019
HFMA First Illinois Chapter Newsletter: Future of Hospital Cardiac Programs in Flux
Much of the talk in the last few months has been about the changes proposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to the physician evaluation and management code selection and payment regulations in the 2019 Proposed Physician Fee Schedule Rule. And there was a collective national sigh of ...
Article
Hospital Management
Physician Advisory
Revenue Cycle
Becker's Hospital ReviewJune 16, 2017
10 Ways Hospitals Can Improve Charge Capture
Charge capture is a crucial part of the revenue cycle process, as healthcare organizations that fail to accurately document information on the care provided at their facilities can potentially lose millions in revenue.
