Imminent Cyber Threat to Hospitals
A recent Becker’s healthcare article highlighted current cyber activity aimed at hospitals. COVID-19’s third wave of infections across the country has placed hospitals in the target zone of various cyber criminals. The ransomware requests with this outbreak far exceeds prior...
Successful Physician Practices Invest in their Business and Clinical Support Staff
Our team has noticed with over 60-years’ experience that a medical practice’s business and clinical staff are key to a successful practice. We have consistently told business owners and their management teams that you cannot “save” your way to prosperity....HHS announces Phase 3 CARES Act Provider Relief Funding
A recent HFMA article talked about a new phase of funding for providers. The third phase of the CARES Act is now available to providers. This is good news for providers who are having financial difficulty due to COVID-19. On...
CMS Releases Guidance on COVID-19 Data
In a recent article by RevCycleIntelligence.com, CMS has finalized a proposal that makes reporting COVID-19 data a condition of participation (CoP). This highlights the importance CMS relates to receiving this data to better understand the progress of the virus. New guidance from...
Can Your Employer Require You to Get a Covid-19 Vaccine?
A recent Wall Street Journal article reviewed from a legal perspective what your employer may do regarding a COVID-19 vaccine. What are the pros and cons for an employer to insist that you get a COVID-19 vaccine once it becomes...
The Future of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs)
A recent article in MedPage commented about the future prospect of accountable care organizations (ACOs). These advanced payment models (APMs) have allowed physicians and hospitals to take on risk and share in any cost savings that may result from meeting...
Physicians and Hospitals Are Better Prepared to Treat Covid-19
We have been warned about the combination of the seasonal flu virus and COVID-19 becoming a health issue this fall. However, the experience of treating COVID-19 patients to-date has enabled hospitals to better prepare for this potential outbreak. A recent...
Physician Practice Performance Reviews
A recent healthcare industry article revisited some opportunities for physician organizations to improve their operational and financial performance. These performance reviews typically highlight opportunities for improvement and what differentiates your practice from your competition. In an integrated health system, many...
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposes an 11% cut to the 2021 conversion factor
As part of the evaluation and management coding (E/M) changes in 2021, CMS is redistributing payment amounts depending on the codes utilized. This is due to some codes being paid higher in 2021, while the overall payments to physicians are...