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Posts Tagged ‘Reimbursement’

RCS-1 Model Worksheet Gives a Glimpse of a World Without RUG

Monday, March 12th, 2018

RCS-1 Sample Worksheet

Time Is Running Out on RUG System for Skilled Nursing Facility Reimbursement

It is currently anticipated that the RUG system, which is currently used to calculate reimbursement for Medicare Part A skilled nursing services, will be changed over the next year.  CMS is currently considering a new Resident Classification System that will completely change the way SNFs are reimbursed for their services.

Providers are getting glimpses of what may be included in the new calculation system.  CMS issued a draft sample worksheet using the RCS-1 system.  The stated purpose is to give providers a description of how the new system would work.  The worksheet gives a description of how a manual calculation would take place using the RCS-I methodology.

The sample draft worksheet that was issued by CMS is available here.  RCS_I_Logic-508_Final

Physician Orders : Why Are They So Important?

Wednesday, January 24th, 2018

The Importance of Physician Orders in Health Care

importance of physician ordersIn my last article on physician orders, I more or less ranted about the lack of a clear regulatory definition of physician orders. Yet, physician orders serve a variety of important purposes including communicating the physician’s direction for ancillary services and required diagnostic tests and securing the ability to receive reimbursement for services that flow from the physician’s encounter with the patient. The systematic use of physician orders also serves as proof that the physician is directing services to the patient and that conditions of participation of the facility, which require a physician driven process, are being complied with on a systematic basis.

Physician Orders as Conditions of Participation

Medicare law draws a distinction between conditions of participation and conditions of payment. Conditions of participation are compliance items, failure of which can result in corrective action and citations on survey. Failure of physician orders can result in survey deficiencies. The good news here is that a facility will normally be able to take action to correct a cited deficiency. If the failure of physician orders is systematic, other sanctions can attach; even including exclusion from governmental health program. But the garden variety, relatively isolated failure of a physician to timely sign an order can normally be corrected without devastating consequences.

Physician Orders As Condition of Payment

Physician orders can also be conditions of payment for specific services flowing from the physician’s encounter with the patient. This is where the real, serious regulatory exposure for failure to document physician orders occurs. Where an order is a condition of payment, claiming and accepting reimbursement results in an overpayment that should be repaid to Medicare. Failing to repay within 60 days of identification of the overpayment results in significant False Claims Act penalties that can far outweigh the original overpayment amount. Identification occurs when a provider “should know” that an overpayment exists which is why health care providers need to proactively look for missing physician orders as an identified risk as part of their compliance programs.

Physician Order Documentation Requirements

Health care providers will be familiar with the adage that “if it is not documented, it didn’t happen.” The same is true with respect to physician orders. A physician order that is not properly documented will be treated by payors as if the order does not exist. Even failure of seemingly technical failures to sign orders on a timely basis can result in payment denial or overpayment claims. In these cases, the provider is not entitled to reimbursement. If reimbursement is received, an overpayment will exist and I describe above the consequences of not repaying overpayments.

So it is important for physicians and other providers to understand the requirements for physician orders as they pertain to the services that they provide. Not getting it right can have very serious consequences. False Claims Act penalties are triple the original overpayment, plus up to $22,000 per claim. A systematic failure to properly use physician’s orders can result in draconian levels of damages under the False Claims Act.

Physician Orders Legal and Regulatory Article Series

Physician Order Reimbursement Issues

Physician Orders – Why Are They So Important?

The Verbal Order Minefield

Authenticating Verbal Orders : Compliance Requirements

Third Party Authentication of Verbal Orders

Physician Order – CMS Guidelines on Texting Physician Orders

Physician Orders – Definition and Reimbursement Implications

Wednesday, January 24th, 2018

Physician Orders – Big Implications but Few Definitions

Physician Ordering Services Physician OrdersI wanted to talk a bit about physician orders. Physician orders hold a great deal of significance in health care. The root purpose of a physician order is to direct other providers to furnish certain services. Services ordered by a physician might include things like therapy services, skilled nursing services, home health, diagnostic testing, and a variety of other therapeutic and/or diagnostic services that might flow from the physician’s examination of the patient.

In addition to the practical application of directing care, health care payors look to physician orders to make payment determinations. The Medicare program places a great deal of importance on physician orders to support claims for ancillary and diagnostic services. Certain services require a physician’s order as a prerequisite to payment on a claim for service. In other cases there may be no direct, fee-for-service payment implication to a physician’s order, but they are still critical to patient safety and to communicate matters that may impact care and treatment of patients.

A few weeks back, my trials and tribulations as a health care compliance lawyer resulted in my need to locate a definition of what constitutes a physician’s order. I looked in the Medicare regulations and was surprised to find that there is no statutory or regulatory definition of what constitutes the order of a physician. This seemed odd given the importance of physician orders as conditions for payment of many Medicare claims. There are references throughout the regulations that require physician orders. I was finally able to locate a definition in a CMS Policy Manual. But if push comes to shove in the context of a case, these policy manuals are not binding on the interpretation of regulatory terms. CMS may define physician orders internally, but that does not necessarilly mean that a court will uphold that definition.

Some states do a better job than Medicare at defining what constitutes a physician’s order. Medicare policy sometimes defers to state law, particularly regarding some of the technical aspects of physician orders such as what constitutes a valid electronic signature. State law should always be referenced when determining issues relating to physician orders, attestation, signatures, and other issues. This does not always provide clarification and, in fact, sometimes it causes confusion. But it is necessary for a full analysis and identification of where there may be uncertainty.

So no I am inspired to do some further exploration on physician orders. When are they necessary? When are they required? What technical requirements apply? Stay tuned to this blog for additional articles and hopefully some fairly comprehensive coverage of physician orders.

Physician Orders Legal and Regulatory Article Series

Physician Order Reimbursement Issues

Physician Orders – Why Are They So Important?

The Verbal Order Minefield

Authenticating Verbal Orders : Compliance Requirements

Third Party Authentication of Verbal Orders

Physician Order – CMS Guidelines on Texting Physician Orders

Excluded Parties – OIG Bulletin On Reimbursement

Wednesday, May 15th, 2013

OIG Bulletin On Reimbursement For Services of Excluded Parties

excluded party reimbursementThe Office of Inspector General has issued an updated Special Advisory Bulletin that describes the scope and effect of the legal prohibition on payment for services that are provided by excluded parties. The Advisory Bulletin was issued on May 9, 2013.

The updated Bulletin provides guidance to the health care industry on the scope and frequency of screening employees and contractors to determine whether they are excluded persons.

In the Bulletin, the OIG clarifies that services that are furnished by an excluded person or under the medical direction or prescription of an excluded person do not qualify for reimbursement under Federal health care programs.

Payment by a Federal health care program can include amounts based on a cost report, fee schedule, prospective payment system, capitated rate, or other payment methodology.

The OIG Bulletin describes how the exclusion prohibition can be violated and the administrative sanctions OIG can seek.

See: Updated Special Advisory Bulletin on the Effect of Exclusion from Participation in Federal Health Care Programs; Special Advisory Bulletin dated May 9, 2013

Primary Care Rate Increases in Proposed CMS Rule

Tuesday, May 15th, 2012

Primary Care Would Benefit From Proposed Rate Increases

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published a proposed rule that will have the net affect of increasing Medicaid payments for some services provided in a primary care setting. The propsed rule, which was published on May 11, 2012 would implement provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that requires that Medicaid reimbursement for certain primary care services be increased to Medicare levels instead lower Medicaid rates that have been established by the states.  The rate increases apply to primary care services provided by family medicine, general internal medicine, or pediatric medicine physicians.  The increased payment for these services will be funded by the Federal government.

John H. Fisher

Health Care Counsel
Ruder Ware, L.L.S.C.
500 First Street, Suite 8000
P.O. Box 8050
Wausau, WI 54402-8050

Tel 715.845.4336
Fax 715.845.2718

Ruder Ware is a member of Meritas Law Firms Worldwide

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