Action Needed: Why Medical Debt Should Concern Health Organizations
R1 Regulatory TeamJune 22, 2022
In the United States, an estimated 43 million Americans hold a total of $88 billion in medical debt on their credit reports. Patients often incur these expenses unexpectedly, leading to high rates of bankruptcy. Healthcare organizations are now facing increased scrutiny over patient billing and collection practices.
Read MoreRethink Patient-Facing RCM during Labor Shortage Part 3: Challenges of Small Hospitals
Philip MilsomApril 20, 2022
Imagine this predicament: You manage the registration and admissions functions at a small hospital in rural North Carolina. You’ve recently lost several staff members to retirement, family moves, and other routine causes of attrition. However, several of these staff vacancies occurred Read More
RACMonitor: To Practice or Not to Practice – The Physician Question
Dr. Ronald HirschNovember 30, 2021
To be a full-time physician advisor, an individual must give up their regular clinical medical practice.
Becker's Hospital Review: Finding the Right Revenue Integrity Partner
Jason DriskellJuly 14, 2021
Jason Driskell, Vice President of Revenue Cycle for Lakeland Regional Health - Florida, recently recorded a podcast with Becker's Hospital Review where he discusses the importance of revenue integrity, and how to achieve it by partnering with the right vendor. Jason also shares what performance improvement results he has seen from his ...
RACMonitor: Leaving Against Medical Advice
Dr. Ronald HirschFebruary 11, 2021
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 describe patients is not a minor ...
RACMonitor: ASC Partnership as a Hospital Without Walls
Dr. Ronald HirschMay 28, 2020
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 could safely be delayed.
RACMonitor: Price New Technology Right, or Else
Dr. Ronald HirschFebruary 20, 2020
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 significant financial losses.
RACMonitor: Discharge Planning Conditions of Participation
Dr. Ronald HirschJanuary 16, 2020
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 readmission, improving the quality ...
Becker's Hospital Review: Outmigration of Cardiology & ASC Challenges
R1 RCMJuly 19, 2019
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.
Practice Audit Targets Become Compliance Risks for Hospitals
Dr. Ronald HirschJune 20, 2019
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 pressure to reduce the improper payment ...
