Click Here to view a replay of the "Surviving and Thriving in the Age of Healthcare Audit Accountability" Webinar!

If you missed the webinar on Thursday, Oct 28, 2010, click View Recording to see a replay of the Time Based CPT Services and New RAC Issues for Physicians Services webinar.

By listening to this webinar you will have a better understanding of time based CPT codes and RAC issues for physician services, including:

The AHA reports that CMS' New Issue Review Board approved the first "medical necessity review" audits last week.  The  audits include eighteen types of inpatient hospital claims and one type of DME claim. Remember that the RAC's must post the issues on their websites before issuing Additional Documentation Requests.  CMS expects the RACs to post the new audits and begin issuing ADR's within the next two weeks.  So, watch the RAC websites.  For your convenience, the issue pages on the RAC websites are:

CMS is hosting a Special Open Door Forum teleconference for Part A provider Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs) on April 8, 2009, from 2:00 to 3:30 EST. The purpose of the forum is to introduce providers to the new RACs and provide more information about the RAC program.

CMS notes that capacity is limited; participants may may begin dialing into this forum as early as 1:45 PM EST. Dial: 1-800-837-1935 and reference Conference ID 92490299.

CMS announced on Feb. 4, 2009, that all parties involved in the protest of the award of the Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) contracts settled their protests. The settlement means that the stop work order has been lifted and CMS will now continue with the implementation of the RAC program.

CMS and Congress will be focusing more on regulatory compliance matters in 2009 than they have in years, according to Brian Flood, managing director at KPMG. "You have a lot of activity going on in the next six months," he said during a recent American Bar Association teleconference.

Healthcare providers involved in CMS's three-year recovery audit contractor (RAC) demonstration program successfully appealed 7.6 percent of overpayment determinations. The demonstration program ended in March 2008. From the inception of the RAC demonstration through August 31, 2008, providers chose to appeal 22.5 percent (118,051) of the RAC determinations.