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MMP’s depth of expertise greatly benefits our clients, and we would like to share with you some of that industry knowledge in the white papers listed below. |
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| Are You Ready? The "RAC Attack" Expands To Two Programs |
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Hit with improper provider payments that totaled nearly $11 billion in 2007, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) fought back with an aggressive new program designed to root out fraud, waste and abuse at virtually every level of the Medicare program.
The Medicare Recovery Audit Contractors Program initiative, now commonly known as RACs, marked a major shift in the way CMS pursued improper provider payments.
 Complete White Paper PDF |
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| Staking Today's Claims With A Clearinghouse: Why Filing Directly Proves Obsolete For Optimum Claims Management |
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Due to dreary economic conditions that include dwindling payor rates, Medicare cuts and increasing internal operating costs, how practices are managing their revenue plays a crucial role in their profit. In today's complex reimbursement environment, practices are faced with more risks and burdens in accounts receivable (A/R), and while the demand for physician services continues, achieving an increase in profit is challenging for many.
Complete White Paper PDF |
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| Billing Transparency: “See-Through” Processes Improve Every Step of the Billing Cycle |
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There are many buzz words floating around the medical billing community – “transparency” being no exception. But while it may seem that the term is self-explanatory, its meaning suggests that every participant in the billing cycle is allowed to see what is going on – from large-scale strategies to tiny details. On a large scale, a practice might consider total cash flow in a given time period, the status of claims, and quality measures. From a smaller standpoint, a practice might wonder about individual claims: their creation, history, validity, corrections, submissions, and reconciliation until payment, in order to understand the big picture.
Complete White Paper PDF
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| Effective Radiology Charge Reconciliation Ensures Lowest Risk of Lost Revenue |
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Most radiology practices readily admit that charge reconciliation is an important process to perform in order to prevent lost charges for services provided. Many practices may not be aware that even small miss rate percentages of charges can result in large amounts of revenue loss. If implemented and maintained, charge reconciliation allows radiology practices to improve weaknesses in the process of routing charges from the hospital system to the practice’s billing system and in turn reduce risks in lost revenue.
Complete White Paper PDF
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Radiology Assistants Provide Important Skills, But Misconceptions Can
Put Practices at Risk |
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A growing number of radiology groups are hiring radiology assistants (RAs) to provide key support to physicians and to enhance patient care. These "super-techs" possess advanced training that allows them to perform not only technical imaging services, but also other functions across the practice.
Yet because the RA profession is relatively new, much confusion surrounds what radiology assistants are and are not qualified to do. In addition, widespread uncertainty exists about whether, and to what extent, practices can be reimbursed for the work performed by RAs.
Complete White Paper PDF
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End-To-End Approach To Denial Management
Accelerates Cash Flow, Boost Collections |
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In the past, many radiology groups didn’t give much thought to their revenue cycle. They assumed that low A/R days and a
high net collection percentage accurately reflected a healthy billing process. And if a denied claim fell below a specific
dollar threshold, they simply
wrote it off.
But as reimbursements continue to decrease and payor regulations multiply, radiology groups are finding themselves
scrambling to adapt to an increasingly harsh economic environment. In today’s market, only those groups that take every
available step to ensure that they’re being paid fully and promptly for services rendered can hope to prosper in the long run.
Complete White Paper PDF |
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Imaging Center Shakeout Likely to Worsen
Reimbursements Fall as Payors Adopt DRA Rates |
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Free-standing imaging centers scrambling to adjust to deep Medicare cuts triggered by the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) now face a new and even more ominous threat: Commercial carriers are beginning to follow the federal government’s lead and tie imaging payments to the reduced Medicare rates. Although private sector adoption of the lower Medicare rates is not entirely unexpected, given Medicare’s influence in establishing reimbursement levels nationwide, some observers are alarmed by the speed at which carriers are moving to the Medicare pricing.
Complete White Paper PDF |
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Teleradiology Services
Is Nighthawk Right for You? |
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Teleradiology has emerged as a potent force in the U.S. health system over the past decade. The ability to transmit digital radiographic images for remote interpretation has helped reduce the on-call workload of hospital-based radiologists, eased the radiologist shortage and delivered powerful new expertise and capacity to rural and understaffed practices around the country.
Complete White Paper PDF |
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| The Road Ahead |
| Strategic Planning Sessions Vital for Physician Group Success |
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Physician groups often find it difficult to carve out time for long-term strategic planning amid the relentless demands and frequent turbulence of day-to-day operations. Yet stepping back to develop solid business objectives has never been more important for medical groups.
Complete White Paper PDF |
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Driving Down Liability Premiums |
| Integrated Approach to Risk Management Yields Major Returns |
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The cost of professional liability insurance for most radiologists is finally coming down after years of spiraling increases. The decline reflects a combination of factors, including the implementation of much-needed tort reforms, third-party vetting of malpractice claims and the growing use of risk mitigation strategies by physician groups.
Complete White Paper PDF |
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| Practice Management: Diversity Helps Embrace the Changing Healthcare Environment |
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Physician groups face formidable challenges in the current healthcare environment. Growing regulatory complexity, continued reimbursement cuts and intensifying competition can undermine and destabilize even the strongest practice.
Given the prospect of healthcare reform and the likelihood that additional, as-yet-unforeseen obstacles will emerge, it is essential that the practice manager -- the lynchpin of any group -- be equipped with the full range of knowledge and skills required to negotiate the often-treacherous and fast-changing healthcare landscape.
Complete White Paper PDF |
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