Inpatient Facility Coding & Compliance Alert

Tip: Pay special attention to your E/M service coding for ER and clinics. Using electronic records can be an easier way to keep track of patient information, but it can also set hospitals up for being on the CMS watchdog radar. A recent letter from HHS secretary Kathleen Sebelius and attorney general Eric H. Holder, Jr., acknowledged that "electronic health records have the potential to save money and save lives." But the letter also stated that, "There are troubling indications that some providers are using this technology to game the system, possibly to obtain payments to which they are not entitled. False documentation of care is not just bad patient care; it’s illegal." The letter was sent to five major hospital trade associations: the American Hospital Association, the Federation of American Hospitals, the Association of Academic Health Centers, the Association of American Medical Colleges, and the National Association of Public [...]