ASC Coding, Billing & Collections

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality will be examining the relationship between healthcare information technology and physician practice workflow, according to Government Health IT.

A recent healthcare survey of vendors confirmed that 80 vendors plan to release ICD-10-compliant products in 2014, but 35 percent are due for release in the fourth quarter, after the Oct. 1 implementation deadline, according to ICD-10 Watch.

South Dakota has introduced legislation that would give patients a greater choice in selecting providers outside their insurance network, according to a press release from Surgical Management Professionals.

The Green Mountain Care Board in Vermont is continuing to work toward a publicly financed single payor healthcare system by 2017, according to Healthcare Finance News.

While computer-assisted medical coding can boost a practice's productivity, it will not replace thoroughly knowing and training with ICD-10, according to PhysBizTech.

Some insurers have begun to challenge out-of-network bills from outpatient surgery centers, while physicians and surgery centers say the criticism is unjustified, according to a Los Angeles Times report.

Procedural coding errors can lead to lost revenue or unintentional upcoding at ambulatory surgery centers.

Gainesville-based Northeast Georgia Health System had named Marti Strand as its vice president of revenue cycle, according to Access North.

StenTel has partnered with M-Scribe Technologies to improve revenue cycle management, including medical billing, coding and clinical documentation.

Healthcare providers and executives should closely monitor their Medicare compliance to avoid recovery payments from the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which has collected $4.8 billion in false payments since 2007, according to Health Leaders Media.