Once again, the American Society of Anesthesiologists has released their annual ASA Commercial Payer Survey results for 2018. Overall, the 2018 national average conversion factor was $76.32, ranging between $73.26 and $81.32 across participating practices’ top five commercial plans. READ MORE
An 85 percent increase per member in emergency department spending between 2009 and 2015 was the result of hospitals coding and billing for a greater number of high severity cases, according to a 2017 Health Care Cost Institute study. But what does this upward shift in evaluation and management levels say about what’s happening in the ED? READ MORE
Earlier this month, a bipartisan group of Senators announced draft legislation that would address the issue of surprise bills for patients seen by out-of-network medical providers. READ MORE
Everyone involved in the revenue cycle, from providers to follow-up team members, needs to be aware of payer timely filing limits and what they can do to help meet them. READ MORE
Anesthesiologists who bill for anesthesia services during screening colonoscopies should be aware of required coding differences among various government and commercial payers. READ MORE
Patient balances after insurance grew 67 percent from 2012 to 2017, and the uninsured rate of working adults ages 19 to 64 also rose 3.3 percent in 2018, making patient collections more challenging than ever. READ MORE
The claim some payers make that the ED is being overused for “non-urgent” conditions is being challenged by reports from the CDC released earlier this year which show that only 5.5 percent of all ED visits are considered non-urgent. READ MORE
Beyond just tracking benchmarks, how can practices use key performance indicators or other financial benchmarks to move the needle toward more effective revenue cycle management? READ MORE
A new bill moving through the California State Assembly, the Health Care Price Relief Act, or Assembly Bill 3087, would form a state-appointed commission to set prices for most healthcare services paid by commercial healthcare. Provider groups worry this is the beginning of a new national trend. READ MORE
The healthcare industry sees anywhere from $11 billion to $54 billion in challenged revenue each year, with claims denial rates as high as 22 percent for traditional fee-for-service Medicaid and 10 percent for insurer-run Medicaid. Here’s what you can do about it. READ MORE
