Healthcare facilities will need to make adjustments to ensure financial health.
The end of COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and national emergency on May 11 is likely to have significant effects on healthcare and healthcare providers in the United States. It could signal a major shift in the response to the pandemic, and may have far-reaching consequences.
One immediate effect could be a decrease in funding for COVID-19-related activities. The federal government has provided significant funding for COVID-19 testing, treatment, and vaccination efforts. With the end of the emergency status, however, this funding may be reduced, potentially impacting the ability of healthcare providers to provide such services to their patients. This could lead to increased costs for patients and providers, as well as potential delays in care.
On the other hand, throughout the pandemic, healthcare providers have had to deal with significant financial costs associated with treating COVID-19 patients. The costs of personal protective equipment (PPE), increased staffing needs, and a decrease in revenue due to canceled procedures and appointments have all put a strain on healthcare budgets.
The end of the emergency status will provide some relief to healthcare providers, but they will still need to find ways to recover from the financial losses of the pandemic.
Another challenge for healthcare will be addressing the backlog of non-COVID-related procedures and appointments that have been postponed or canceled due to the pandemic. Many patients have been forced to delay critical treatments and procedures, such as cancer screenings and surgeries, due to the strain on healthcare resources. As a result, healthcare providers will need to work quickly to ensure that patients receive the care they need as soon as possible.
During the pandemic, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) allowed hospitals to make wider use of nurse practitioners and physician assistants when caring for Medicare patients. With this also ending, hospitals could face challenges meeting patient needs.
The end of the emergency status could also have implications for healthcare providers’ liability protections. Currently, many healthcare providers are protected from liability for certain actions taken in response to the pandemic under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act. However, these liability protections may now be lifted, potentially exposing providers to legal action related to their COVID-19 response efforts.
Finally, the end of the emergency status will also bring changes to healthcare regulations and policies. Many of the emergency regulations put in place to address the pandemic will likely be lifted or modified, and healthcare providers will need to adjust to these changes. For example, regulations governing PPE use, COVID-19 testing, and vaccination requirements may change.
Programming note: Listen to Lidiya Ter-Markarova report this story live today during Talk Ten Tuesdays with Chuck Buck and Dr. Erica Remer, 10 Eastern.
UnitedHealthcare (UHC) updated their hospital guidelines for observation services. This seemingly small update made Sept. 22, 2024, has led to notable behavioral changes regarding peer-to-peer
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a report on the Acute Hospital Care at Home (AHCAH) initiative, a program allowing select
Please log in to your account to comment on this article.
Join Angela Comfort, DBA, MBA, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, CCS-P, as she presents effective strategies to strengthen collaboration between CDI, coding, and quality departments in acute care hospitals. Angela will also share guidance on implementing cross-departmental meetings, using shared KPIs, and engaging leadership to foster a culture of collaboration. Attendees will gain actionable tools to optimize documentation accuracy, elevate quality metrics, and drive a unified approach to healthcare goals, ultimately enhancing both patient outcomes and organizational performance.
Optimize your outpatient clinical documentation and gain comprehensive knowledge from foundational practices to advanced technologies, ensuring improved patient care and organizational and financial success. This webcast bundle provides a holistic approach to outpatient CDI, empowering you to implement best practices from the ground up and leverage advanced strategies for superior results. You will gain actionable insights to improve documentation quality, patient care, compliance, and financial outcomes.
Enhancing outpatient clinical documentation is crucial for maintaining accuracy, compliance, and proper reimbursement in today’s complex healthcare environment. This webcast, presented by industry expert Angela Comfort, DBA, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, CCS-P, will provide you with actionable strategies to tackle complex challenges in outpatient documentation. You’ll learn how to craft detailed clinical narratives, utilize advanced EHR features, and implement accurate risk adjustment and HCC coding. The session also covers essential regulatory updates to keep your documentation practices compliant. Join us to gain the tools you need to improve documentation quality, support better patient care, and ensure financial integrity.
This webcast, presented by Angela Comfort, DBA, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, CCS-P, a recognized expert with over 30 years of experience, offers essential strategies to improve outpatient clinical documentation integrity. You will learn how to enhance the accuracy and completeness of patient records by adopting best practices in coding and incorporating Social Determinants of Health (SDOH). The session also highlights the role of technology, such as EHRs and CDI software, in improving documentation quality. By attending, you will gain practical insights into ensuring precise and compliant documentation, supporting patient care, and optimizing reimbursement. This webcast is crucial for those looking to address documentation gaps and elevate their coding practices.
Dr. Ronald Hirsch provides critical details on the new Medicare Appeal Process for Status Changes for patients whose status changes during their hospital stay. He also delves into other scenarios of hospital patients receiving custodial care or medically unnecessary services where patient notifications may be needed along with the processes necessary to ensure compliance with state and federal guidance.
Healthcare organizations face complex regulatory requirements under the No Surprises Act and Price Transparency rules. These policies mandate extensive fee disclosures across settings, and confusion is widespread—many hospitals remain unaware they must post every contracted rate. Non-compliance could lead to costly penalties, financial loss, and legal risks. Join David M. Glaser Esq. as he shows you how to navigate these regulations effectively.
Protect your facility from unwanted audits! Join Becky Jacobsen, BSN, RN, MBS, CCS-P, CPC, CPEDC, CBCS, CEMC, and take a deep dive into both the CMS and AMA guidelines for reporting post operative pain blocks. You’ll learn how to determine if the nerve block is separately codable with real life examples for better understanding. Becky will also cover how to evaluate whether documentation supports medical necessity, offer recommendations for stronger documentation practices, and provide guidance on educating providers about documentation requirements. She’ll include a discussion of appropriate modifier and diagnosis coding assignment so that you can be confident that your billing of post operative pain blocks is fully supported and compliant.
During this RACmonitor webcast Dr. Ronald Hirsch spotlights the areas of the OIG’s Work Plan and the findings of their most recent audits that impact utilization review, case management, and audit staff. He also provides his common-sense interpretation of the prevailing regulations related to those target issues. You’ll walk away better equipped with strategies to put in place immediately to reduce your risk of paybacks, increased scrutiny, and criminal penalties.
Copyright © 2024 ICD10monitor. Powered by MedLearn Media.
Prepare for the 2025 CMS IPPS Final Rule with ICD10monitor’s IPPSPalooza! Click HERE to learn more
Get 15% OFF on all educational webcasts at ICD10monitor with code JULYFOURTH24 until July 4, 2024—start learning today!
👻Spooky Sale is Back!👻 Get 31% off all three Medlearn brands, using code SPOOKY24.
