Proposed Rule CMS-2439-P: What are “CHIPS?”
The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) was created as part of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA 97) to provide health insurance to children
The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) was created as part of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA 97) to provide health insurance to children
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) just issued the above proposed rule—Managed Care Access, Finance and Quality. Before digging into the rule, I
Skyrocketing rates of improper payments have coincided with historically rapid enrollment in the MA program. It was a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
Federal and state lawmakers are scrambling to find solutions. It’s no surprise that the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to impact the healthcare industry generally, but
In a recent statement from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, she expressed support for the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s)
New rule allows Medicaid and CHIP programs to pay specialists directly when a primary-care provider requests their advice. New guidance issued Jan. 5 by the
Most providers understand the “No Surprises” requirements for insured patients. Effective as of Jan. 1, 2022, uninsured (or self-pay) consumers are also protected from unexpected high
The cost of medical care services is now up 6.5 percent from last September. The recently released Consumer Price Index, or CPI, did not exactly
AHIMA released its CDI Practice Brief Monday. At Yom Kippur services, I found myself thinking about the question Dr. Ronald Hirsch posed to me the
Proposed legislation hopes to add 400 Medicare-funded psychiatric residency positions. While President Biden may have declared an end to the Covid pandemic, the effects it
The Final Rule becomes effective Oct. 25, 2022. The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury (the Departments) have issued the highly
The U.S. ranks as the country with the highest chance of negative maternal outcomes amongst other similarly developed countries. EDITOR’S NOTE: Cate Brantley reported this

Federal auditors are intensifying their focus on inpatient psychiatric facilities, using advanced data analytics to spotlight outliers and pursue high‑dollar repayments. In this high‑impact webcast, Michael Calahan, PA, MBA, Compliance Officer and V.P., Hospital & Physician Compliance, breaks down what regulators are really targeting in IPF-PPS admissions, documentation, treatment and discharge planning. Attendees will learn practical steps to tighten processes, avoid common audit triggers and protect reimbursement and reduce the risk of multimillion-dollar repayment demands.

In this timely session, Stacey Shillito, CDIP, CPMA, CCS, CCS-P, CPEDC, COPC, breaks down the complexities of Medical Decision Making (MDM) documentation so providers can confidently capture the true complexity of their care. Attendees will learn practical, efficient strategies to ensure documentation aligns with current E/M guidelines, supports accurate coding, and reduces audit risk, all without adding to charting time.

Join Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHCQM for The PEPPER Returns – Risk and Opportunity at Your Fingertips, a practical webcast that demystifies the PEPPER and shows you how to turn complex claims data into actionable insights. Dr. Hirsch will explain how to interpret key measures, identify compliance risks, uncover missed revenue opportunities, and understand new updates in the PEPPER, all to help your organization stay ahead of audits and use this powerful data proactively.

Stay ahead of the 2026-2027 audit surge with “Top 10 Audit Targets for 2026-2027 for Hospitals & Physicians: Protect Your Revenue,” a high-impact webcast led by Michael Calahan, PA, MBA. This concise session gives hospitals and physicians clear insight into the most likely federal audit targets, such as E/M services, split/shared and critical care, observation and admissions, device credits, and Two-Midnight Rule changes, and shows how to tighten documentation, coding, and internal processes to reduce denials, recoupments, and penalties. Attendees walk away with practical best practices to protect revenue, strengthen compliance, and better prepare their teams for inevitable audits.

Sepsis sequencing continues to challenge even experienced coding and CDI professionals, with evolving guidelines, documentation gaps, and payer scrutiny driving denials and data inconsistencies. In this webcast, Payal Sinha, MBA, RHIA, CCDS, CDIP, CCS, CCS-P, CCDS-O, CRC, CRCR, provides clear guideline-based strategies to accurately code sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock, assign POA indicators, clarify the relationship between infection and organ dysfunction, and align documentation across teams. Attendees will gain practical tools to strengthen audit defensibility, improve first-pass accuracy, support appeal success, reduce denials, and ensure accurate quality reporting, empowering organizations to achieve consistent, compliant sepsis coding outcomes.

Expert presenters Kathy Pride, RHIT, CPC, CCS-P, CPMA, and Brandi Russell, RHIA, CCS, COC, CPMA, break down complex fracture care coding rules, walk through correct modifier application (-25, -57, 54, 55), and clarify sequencing for initial and subsequent encounters. Attendees will gain the practical knowledge needed to submit clean claims, ensure compliance, and stay one step ahead of payer audits in 2026.

Accurately determining the principal diagnosis is critical for compliant billing, appropriate reimbursement, and valid quality reporting — yet it remains one of the most subjective and error-prone areas in inpatient coding. In this expert-led session, Cheryl Ericson, RN, MS, CCDS, CDIP, demystifies the complexities of principal diagnosis assignment, bridging the gap between coding rules and clinical reality. Learn how to strengthen your organization’s coding accuracy, reduce denials, and ensure your documentation supports true medical necessity.

Denials continue to delay reimbursement, increase administrative burden, and threaten financial stability across healthcare organizations. This essential webcast tackles the root causes—rising payer scrutiny, fragmented workflows, inconsistent documentation, and underused analytics—and offers proven, data-driven strategies to prevent and overturn denials. Attendees will gain practical tools to strengthen documentation and coding accuracy, engage clinicians effectively, and leverage predictive analytics and AI to identify risks before they impact revenue. Through real-world case examples and actionable guidance, this session empowers coding, CDI, and revenue cycle professionals to shift from reactive appeals to proactive denial prevention and revenue protection.
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