ATLANTA, Sept. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- (AHIMA Booth
# 231) – According to the latest RACTrac survey by the American
Hospital Association, 88 percent of the 2,266 hospitals
participating in the survey reported experiencing increased
Recovery Audit-related activity (formerly known as
RAC). Meanwhile, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services (CMS) indicated that as of June
2012, the Recovery Audit Program reported a total of
$657.2 million in overpayments
collected and $44.1 million in
underpayments returned for $701.3
million in total corrections. This escalating rate of
audited payments demonstrates the urgent need for best practices
and tools for compliance, audit management and appeal. To support
this demand, Craneware, Inc., the leader in automated revenue
integrity solutions, today announced that its senior vice president
of consulting, Karen Bowden, will
offer proven, practical advice for minimizing audit exposure and
succeeding in the appeals process when she presents at the 2012
AHIMA Convention & Exhibit.
Bowden's presentation, "How to Attack Recovery Auditors at Every
Level of Appeal," will take place on Saturday, September 29, 2012 from 4:15 - 5:15 PM on Level 3, in the Lakeside
Ballroom. The presentation will introduce the key elements of the
Recovery Audit Program, detail the appeals process and provide
strategic tips for writing a successful appeal letter. Having
worked with healthcare organizations to manage and appeal RAC
audits since the demonstration project (in 2010), and with an
unprecedented 89% audit appeal success rate, Bowden is uniquely
positioned to advise hospital executives on the best practices for
appealing denials, and for embedding the processes and tools that
will ensure compliance to minimize audit exposure in the first
place.
"Many healthcare organizations are so busy trying to keep up
with the dynamic landscape of the healthcare industry today – from
healthcare reform to ever-changing regulations and legislation –
that they feel they do not have the resources available to work on
audit prevention and appeals," said Bowden. "However, by
implementing a few best practices and supporting staff with
automated tools and up-to-date content, organizations can
dramatically improve their results relatively easily. With
more than 77% of audit denials overturned on appeal, it is critical
that healthcare organizations arm themselves appropriately to
retain all of the revenue that they rightly
earned."
Craneware's InSight Audit™ is a fully hosted, Web-based solution
that provides healthcare organizations with one central location
for managing all medical claims audits. The solution offers a full
set of features for submitting, tracking and appealing claims in
response to a range of audits, including Medicare Recovery Audits,
MAC audits and commercial payor audits. Craneware's InSight Audit
Knowledgebase contains the latest information on best practices and
payment rules, providing valuable audit-specific content that
includes templates, checklists and request forms.
To learn more about Craneware Revenue Integrity
Solutions®, visit the company's booth, #231, at the
84th AHIMA Convention and Exhibit at the McCormick Place
Convention Center in Chicago from
September 29 – October 4.
About AHIMA
Representing more than 64,000 specially educated Health
Information Management professionals in the United States and around the world, the
American Health Information Management Association is committed to
promoting and advocating for high quality research, best practices
and effective standards in health information and to actively
contributing to the development and advancement of health
information professionals worldwide. AHIMA's enduring goal is
quality healthcare through quality information. www.ahima.org.
About Craneware
Craneware (AIM: CRW.L) is the leader in automated revenue
integrity solutions that improve financial performance for
healthcare organizations. Craneware's market-driven, SaaS solutions
help hospitals and other healthcare providers more effectively
price, charge, code and retain earned revenue for patient care
services and supplies. This optimizes reimbursement, increases
operational efficiency and minimizes compliance risk. By partnering
with Craneware, clients achieve the visibility required to
identify, address and prevent revenue leakage. To learn more, visit
craneware.com and
stoptheleakage.com.
SOURCE Craneware