Blogs in Community Care

RACs roll with OIG

 March 09, 2010 Cheryl Servais
We all suspected it, but now it's official: RACs will be providing information to CMS for follow-up on cases of possible fraud. MORE
 (0)

Hospital executives tell patients - “Get a second opinion”

 March 09, 2010 Kester Freeman
There seems to be a misconception on the part of some patients out there. These patients think if they ask for a second medical opinion, it will offend the doctor they are currently seeing who is managing a particular health condition for them. MORE
 (0)

Focus on comprehensive documentation to prove medical necessity

 March 04, 2010 Barbara Vandegrift
Clinical and administrative staff at many organizations are struggling with the issue of what "medically necessary" really means. MORE
 (0)

Disgraceful patient care is never acceptable

 February 24, 2010 Mike Daly
My wife is a cancer patient and what happened to her recently should be a lesson to all caregivers. MORE
 (1)

Physicians and rehab facilities are now RAC targets

 February 19, 2010 Ernie De Los Santos
Analysis of the newly posted issues from Connolly Healthcare and Health Data Insights reveals that for first time Rehabilitation Facilities and Physician Practices are now more heavily targeted than before. MORE
 (0)

A hospital executive's advice to Obama

 February 17, 2010 Ed Howe
From the vantage point of having run a large U.S. healthcare system, I can see that certain strategic changes are needed in order to make President Obama’s healthcare reform goals a reality. MORE
 (0)

Connolly posts 19 new DRG validation issues

 February 11, 2010 Ernie De Los Santos
Connolly Healthcare, the RAC for Region C, has posted 19 new approved issues for Complex Review on their RAC Issues page. MORE
 (0)

How the legit get hit

 February 10, 2010 Nancy Beckley
Providers in Florida have gotten used to all the jokes about our fine state, and in particular the one about the city of Miami being the epicenter, or ground zero, of Medicare fraud. MORE
 (0)

A hole in the healthcare safety net

 February 09, 2010 Candace Littell
There’s a growing hole in the nation's healthcare safety net as free medical clinics struggle to survive the current economic recession. MORE
 (0)

Healthcare CEO: Three things to consider when finding a new doctor

 February 08, 2010 Ed Howe
People who know my healthcare experience often ask me about finding a new primary care physician. Here are my rules of thumb. MORE
 (1)

Why the iPad is not ready for prime time in healthcare

 February 04, 2010 Peggy Polaneczky, MD
Is the iPad, as some are suggesting, the next big thing in medicine? The answer, sadly, is not just yet. MORE
 (0)

CMS expands RAC records request limits

 February 02, 2010 RACMonitor
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services modified its FY2010 Additional Documentation Request (ADR) Limits, expanding the scope of the rule to include all institutional providers. MORE
 (0)

Nurses must be included in healthcare decision-making

 February 01, 2010 Diana Mason
I’ve grown weary of the public continuing to rate nurses as the most trusted profession only to have leaders in health care agree but ignore us. MORE
 (0)

Balancing access to experts and better pay for primary care

 January 26, 2010 Stephanie Mensh
CMS has announced that Medicare will no longer pay specialists a higher rate for consultations. Instead, all physician visit services, whether defined as “evaluation and management” (E&M) services or consultations, will be reimbursed at the same E&M rates. MORE
 (0)

A suggestion for ObamaCare

 January 14, 2010 Kester Freeman
Why are we pouring resources into major healthcare centers when so many people don’t have even basic health services? We need to redirect money and resources from world-class healthcare centers and put those resources toward preventative care and chronic care initiatives. MORE
 (0)

Hospitals say “sorry” after medical errors

 January 12, 2010 Action for Better Healthcare
For years, some physicians and hospitals wouldn’t dare admit blame for medical errors, due to fear of being sued. But some now say it is good business to apologize when things go wrong. MORE
 (0)

Three attitude adjustments for a new decade

 January 06, 2010 Ed Howe
The “oughts” are finally behind us. I don’t think we will miss them that much. But now is the time for a fresh attitude when it comes to healthcare. MORE
 (0)

Inside the minds of pharmacists in 2009

 January 05, 2010 Richard Pizzi
The American Pharmacists’ Association, or APhA, is the largest association of pharmacists in the United States. What did they think were the top news stories of 2009? MORE
 (1)

Why Community Health Centers matter

 January 01, 2010 Malvise A. Scott
Health is an important part of economic security. No one knows that better than those who, for over 40 years, have worked within Community Health Centers providing primary and preventive care to the medically underserved. MORE
 (0)

Is a medical salesperson operating on you or your doctor?

December 28, 2009 Action for Better Healthcare
Have you ever been hospitalized for major surgery and wondered about the team in the room operating on you? If you are not a healthcare worker, you may not realize that often that team in the operating room includes a medical sales rep that helps guide the doctor through the procedure. MORE
 (0)