This course covers the fundamentals of medical billing, coding, and
reimbursement by explaining how all of these components work together.
Emphasis will be placed on the practical application of the latest
industry knowledge and standards, with the goal of helping those who
work with medical claims and claims data stay ahead of the game.
Participants will learn about the following:
- The claim flow process from registration through adjudication and payment
- How physicians and hospitals set and manage charges
- Critical data elements on the two major claim forms and what they mean
- How and why the major coding systems are utilized
- How various reimbursement methods are used by payors
AAPC Continuing Education Units Available.
This program meets AAPC guidelines for 6.0 Core A continuing education units.
Why you should attend
This course is organized into three sections: The life cycle of a claim, coding systems, and reimbursement.
Life cycle of a claim
Many
people understand a portion of the claim adjudication process, but they
may not have a complete understanding of all steps necessary to
generate and adjudicate claims. We walk through the entire life cycle of
a medical claim, from patient registration through provision of
services, from claim generation to adjudication, from payment to
posting. This is useful for anyone new to the healthcare industry or for
persons who want a more complete understanding of the entire claim life
cycle.
Coding systems
Medical coding is the foundation of the
US healthcare system. Medical codes are essential for billing and
claims, reimbursement, healthcare analytics, risk scoring, physician
compensation, among many other uses. Every claim includes multiple codes
from various coding systems. In this course, we explain the use of five
of the most common schemes in use today: CPT and HCPCS codes, ICD-10
codes, DRGs, and APCs.
For each system, we discuss how codes
are assigned; where they appear on the claim; how they are used for
billing and reimbursement; which types of claims are subject to each
coding scheme; and other features of each system. We also provide tips
for analyzing data containing these codes.
Reimbursement explained
Healthcare
reimbursement systems can be complex and difficult to understand. Each
payor may use a different method to reimburse providers, or they may use
a variation of a commonly used method. In the third portion of this
course, we discuss the common reimbursement systems in use today. We
start with Medicare's reimbursement systems of RBRVS, DRGs, and APCs
because many other payors use modified versions of these systems. We
then discuss other payor types such as HMOs, PPOs, and ACOs and how
these organizations use other reimbursement methods such as capitation,
per diems, and carve outs. Finally, we discuss the key data elements
needed to adjudicate claims according to each scheme, and we discuss the
financial incentives (and disincentives) associated with each method.
Who Will Benefit
- Health Information Managers
- CFOs
- Medical Billers
- Analysts
- Physicians and other Medical professionals
- Provider Contract Managers
- Medical Coders
- Claim Examiners
- Reimbursement Directors
- Payment Integrity Managers
- Quality Managers and Revenue Managers
Rich Henriksen is the Chief Executive Officer and founder of Nokomis Health. Rich has 30 years of experience in healthcare systems, coding, billing, and reimbursement. He has led managed care departments and provider contracting units at a variety of organizations, including hospitals, clinics, and health plans.
Rich has worked with over 70 different organizations, ranging from hospitals and clinics to third-party administrators, law firms, and internet-based companies. As a respected industry expert, he is well known for his unparalleled depth of knowledge in all aspects of healthcare coding, billing and reimbursement.
Rich received his Bachelor of Arts in biology from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, and his Master of Arts in Healthcare Administration from The University of Iowa. He resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota where he leads the Nokomis Health team on their mission to set a new standard for medical claim review.
Section 1: Life Cycle of a Claim- Setting charges - the hospital chargemaster and clinic fee schedule
- Process
by which a claim is generated, from registration through discharge, and
the role that each department plays in that process
- Important data elements on the UB04 and CMS-1500 and what they mean
- Role of the claims clearinghouse
- How payors adjudicate and pay claims
- How providers receive and post payments
- The back end: appeals, denials, adjustments, subrogation, etc.
Section 2: Coding- How each coding system works
- When and why they're used
- How they affect charges and reimbursement
- CPT, HCPCS codes
- Diagnosis Related Groups (DRGs) and Major Diagnostic Categories (MDCs)
- Ambulatory Patient Classifications (APCs)
- ICD-10 diagnosis and procedure codes
Section 3: Reimbursement Explained- Prospective Payment Systems: DRG and APC based reimbursement
- Typical hospital contracting structures: per diem, per stay, carve outs, case rates, minimum/maximums, etc.
- Physician fee schedules and fee maximums, RBRVS, RVUs and capitation
- Major payor types (Medicare, Medicaid, HMO, PPO, ACO, etc.) and how they reimburse providers