Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement

If you're not up to date on codes, you could be losing cash. Facing hard times in your practice? You're not alone. Many practices are coping with tight reimbursement and declining revenues. Reasons include high-deductible health plans, the quick growth of Medicare Advantage and a cut to most work RVUs, says Randall Karpf, an independent coding consultant in East Hartford, Conn. Practices tell us they've seen a sharp drop this year. "Reimbursement is down all over," says one coder with a cardiology practice in New York state. Her practice hired an outside consultant, but that person couldn't figure out the plummeting income either. It gets worse. The coder says one local group couldn't make its payroll "and had to take out a loan to keep the office going." And the group may have to take out another loan the next time payroll comes around, the coder adds. In this tough [...]