Improper Medicare Payments


Book Description




Health Care Fraud and Abuse


Book Description

Stepped-up efforts to ferret out health care fraud have put every provider on the alert. The HHS, DOJ, state Medicaid Fraud Control Units, even the FBI is on the case -- and providers are in the hot seat! in this timely volume, you'll learn about the types of provider activities that fall under federal fraud and abuse prohibitions as defined in the Medicaid statute and Stark legislation. And you'll discover what goes into an effective corporate compliance program. With a growing number of restrictions, it's critical to know how you can and cannot conduct business and structure your relationships -- and what the consequences will be if you don't comply.




Medicare Laboratory Payment Policy


Book Description

Clinical laboratory tests play an integral role in helping physicians diagnose and treat patients. New developments in laboratory technology offer the prospect of improvements in diagnosis and care, but will place an increased burden on the payment system. Medicare, the federal program providing coverage of health-care services for the elderly and disabled, is the largest payer of clinical laboratory services. Originally designed in the early 1980s, Medicare's payment policy methodology for outpatient laboratory services has not evolved to take into account technology, market, and regulatory changes, and is now outdated. This report examines the current Medicare payment methodology for outpatient clinical laboratory services in the context of environmental and technological trends, evaluates payment policy alternatives, and makes recommendations to improve the system.










How to Win Medicare Appeals


Book Description

"This book is about how to successfully fight for the payment of medically reasonable and necessary services when Medicare erroneously denies payment, or when Medicare erroneously demands a repayment of overpayment"--




Medicare Meltdown


Book Description

Medicare affects everyone. If you are a boomer, you are counting on Medicare to protect you from the cost of health care when you retire. If you have turned 65, you already depend on Medicare. If you are a Gen-X or Gen-Y, you are contributing to Medicare from your paycheck. Will Medicare continue to exist as we have known it? Will it be there when you need it? How much will it cost? As the future of Medicare is debated in Washington, Rosemary Gibson and Janardan Prasad Singh shine a light on a rarely-seen side of this storied program: the business of Medicare. Medicare is known as an entitlement for the nation’s seniors. It is also the largest entitlement-based program for any business sector in the US economy. Its beneficiaries include hospitals, doctors, drug companies, device manufacturers, Wall Street investment banks, private equity firms, hedge funds, and others that rely on the $600 billion that Medicare spends a year. The ties that bind Wall Street and Washington in the healthcare industry are strong, and they will play an outsized role in determining Medicare’s future. Gibson and Singh reveal how the industry’s interests are often at odds with those of seniors and boomers. While some politicians point to the culture of dependence of the public on Medicare, the authors suggest that policymakers turn their attention to the culture of dependence of the healthcare industry on Medicare, which is the predominant force pushing the program toward a fiscal cliff. The amount of waste in the Medicare program is equivalent to the entire economy of New Zealand. For Medicare to be sustained, this culture of dependence -- and the habits it breeds, namely waste, excessive pricing, and overuse of unnecessary services -- should be the first priority for the chopping block. By parings back the excess, the authors argue, Medicare can be sustained for future generations. This is essential reading for anyone interested in how Medicare works, how it could work better, and where it will go if reforms are not made.




Model Rules of Professional Conduct


Book Description

The Model Rules of Professional Conduct provides an up-to-date resource for information on legal ethics. Federal, state and local courts in all jurisdictions look to the Rules for guidance in solving lawyer malpractice cases, disciplinary actions, disqualification issues, sanctions questions and much more. In this volume, black-letter Rules of Professional Conduct are followed by numbered Comments that explain each Rule's purpose and provide suggestions for its practical application. The Rules will help you identify proper conduct in a variety of given situations, review those instances where discretionary action is possible, and define the nature of the relationship between you and your clients, colleagues and the courts.




The Healthcare Imperative


Book Description

The United States has the highest per capita spending on health care of any industrialized nation but continually lags behind other nations in health care outcomes including life expectancy and infant mortality. National health expenditures are projected to exceed $2.5 trillion in 2009. Given healthcare's direct impact on the economy, there is a critical need to control health care spending. According to The Health Imperative: Lowering Costs and Improving Outcomes, the costs of health care have strained the federal budget, and negatively affected state governments, the private sector and individuals. Healthcare expenditures have restricted the ability of state and local governments to fund other priorities and have contributed to slowing growth in wages and jobs in the private sector. Moreover, the number of uninsured has risen from 45.7 million in 2007 to 46.3 million in 2008. The Health Imperative: Lowering Costs and Improving Outcomes identifies a number of factors driving expenditure growth including scientific uncertainty, perverse economic and practice incentives, system fragmentation, lack of patient involvement, and under-investment in population health. Experts discussed key levers for catalyzing transformation of the delivery system. A few included streamlined health insurance regulation, administrative simplification and clarification and quality and consistency in treatment. The book is an excellent guide for policymakers at all levels of government, as well as private sector healthcare workers.




Principles of CPT Coding


Book Description

The newest edition of this best-selling educational resource contains the essential information needed to understand all sections of the CPT codebook but now boasts inclusion of multiple new chapters and a significant redesign. The ninth edition of Principles of CPT(R) Coding is now arranged into two parts: - CPT and HCPCS coding - An overview of documentation, insurance, and reimbursement principles Part 1 provides a comprehensive and in-depth guide for proper application of service and procedure codes and modifiers for which this book is known and trusted. A staple of each edition of this book, these revised chapters detail the latest updates and nuances particular to individual code sections and proper code selection. Part 2 consists of new chapters that explain the connection between and application of accurate coding, NCCI edits, and HIPAA regulations to documentation, payment, insurance, and fraud and abuse avoidance. The new full-color design offers readers of the illustrated ninth edition a more engaging and far better educational experience. Features and Benefits - New content! New chapters covering documentation, NCCI edits, HIPAA, payment, insurance, and fraud and abuse principles build the reader's awareness of these inter-related and interconnected concepts with coding. - New learning and design features -- Vocabulary terms highlighted within the text and defined within the margins that conveniently aid readers in strengthening their understanding of medical terminology -- "Advice/Alert Notes" that highlight important information, exceptions, salient advice, cautionary advice regarding CMS, NCCI edits, and/or payer practices -- Call outs to "Clinical Examples" that are reminiscent of what is found in the AMA publications CPT(R) Assistant, CPT(R) Changes, and CPT(R) Case Studies -- "Case Examples" peppered throughout the chapters that can lead to valuable class discussions and help build understanding of critical concepts -- Code call outs within the margins that detail a code description -- Full-color photos and illustrations that orient readers to the concepts being discussed -- Single-column layout for ease of reading and note-taking within the margins -- Exercises that are Internet-based or linked to use of the AMA CPT(R) QuickRef app that encourage active participation and develop coding skills -- Hands-on coding exercises that are based on real-life case studies