What is the first step in maintaining a successful neurosurgery practice? Staying abreast of changing chart auditing regulations that are integrally tied to your neurosurgery medical coding, billing and collections.

The quality of care provided by any neurosurgery practice is based on the accurate and complete clinical documentation of medical records. However, changes to the auditing standard have occurred to ensure that accuracy. Has your practice fully transitioned to SSAE 16? Developed in 2011 by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), this new auditing standard replaces SAS 70 to keep pace with the growing acceptance of international accounting standards.

Has your neurosurgery revenue cycle management process fully transitioned to SSAE 16? Developed in 2011 by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), this new auditing standard replaces SAS 70 to keep pace with the growing acceptance of international accounting standards.

It’s critical to ensure all aspects of your neurosurgery revenue cycle management, including current auditing and compliance regulations, is in order in the event of an audit. But keeping track of records for errors and omissions may be a burdensome task and sometimes even impossible. And they’re costing your neurosurgery practice more than you realize.

What can you do? Auditing medical charts is the first step and a critical part of any successful neurosurgery revenue cycle management operation. Although chart auditing may seem intimidating, conducting your neurosurgery medical coding, billing and collections process – with specialization in neurosurgery auditing regulations – is more important now more than ever.

According to the AAPC, benefits to chart audits include:

  • Determine outliers before large payers find them in their claims software and request an internal audit be done.
  • Protect against fraudulent claims and billing activity
  • Reveal whether there is variation from national averages due to inappropriate coding, insufficient documentation, or lost revenue.
  • Help identify and correct problem areas before insurance or government payers challenge inappropriate coding
  • Help prevent governmental investigational auditors like recovery audit contractors (RACs) or zone program integrity contractors (ZPICs) from knocking at your door
  • Remedy undercoding, bad unbundling habits, and code overuse and to bill appropriately for documented procedures
  • Identify reimbursement deficiencies and opportunities for appropriate reimbursement.
  • Stop the use of outdated or incorrect codes for procedures
  • Verify ICD-10-CM and electronic health record (EHR) meaningful use readiness

Certified third party independent medical coding and billing services, such as the specialized neurosurgery medical coding, billing and collections services provided by revMD, are essential these days because of all the changes in compliance and audits. revMD has successfully completed an extensive examination, a SSAE 16 (Service Organization Control (SOC)) 1 Type II audit, conducted by an independent accounting firm. The audit examines the effectiveness of internal controls supporting CDS Legal’s e-discovery services.

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