Blog
Through our blog we hope to provide information and insight to assist leadership in the overall strategic direction and execution of operations, particularly as it applies to community healthcare providers.
Will Pandemic Politics Lead to Recruitment Challenges in Rural Communities?
Posted on January 04, 2021
It seems healthcare organizations in rural communities just can’t catch a break. Even before the pandemic, rural hospitals were struggling, and the arrival of COVID-19 has exacerbated the situation in more ways than one. Lost revenue from the cancellation of many nonemergency surgeries notwithstanding, the pandemic is pitting communities against the very healthcare workers who are there to care for them.
Care Coordination Playing Key Role in E/M Coding Change Success
Posted on January 13, 2021
On the surface, it may have looked like the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services were delivering mixed messages to medical practices and other outpatient providers when it simultaneously changed coding and documentation requirements for evaluation and management (E/M) services while decreasing the reimbursement rate for most care coordination modalities
Committed to Diversity? 4 Things Hospital Leaders Should Stop Doing Now
Posted on December 16, 2020
The benefits of diversity in hospital executive leadership are well-established. A hospital with diverse leaders tend to enjoy higher profit margins, better employee retention and improved patient safety and outcomes.
Cultivating Trust: Why This Is the Most Important Job of Any New Hospital Leader
Posted on December 01, 2020
Whether a hospital leader’s exit is expected or not, uncertainty is sure to follow. While the new leader, either an interim or permanent executive, will likely have numerous issues to deal with right from the start, there’s one that rises above the rest in importance, and that’s cultivating trust.
Do’s and Don’ts for Managing a Regulatory Survey
Posted on November 17, 2020
On top of all the other challenges rural hospitals face is a surprise survey. On any given day, a regulator from CMS, OSHA, the Joint Commission, or the state can show up unannounced at a hospital or other healthcare facility to conduct a survey.
Getting Ready for E/M Coding Changes
Posted on November 11, 2020
The coding and documentation requirements for evaluation and management (E/M) of office and outpatient services are set for a big change. Starting Jan. 1, 2021, physicians can decide whether to code E/M visits by medical decision-making or by total time, including nonpatient-facing activities, such as looking at past medical records, talking to other physicians and even talking to the patient’s family.
Is Your Rural Hospital Ready for a Disaster?
Posted on November 02, 2020
Since 2017, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services requires healthcare facilities to comply with certain emergency preparedness requirements. These were revised in 2019, and the revisions were a net positive for hospitals and ambulatory treatment locationsthat now have fewer paperwork requirements related to their emergency preparedness plans and drills.
What Should Rural Hospital Boards Be Doing Now?
Posted on October 29, 2020
The challenge of the ongoing COVID-10 pandemic adds to many well-entrenched challenges that rural hospitals face, including a patient population that typically skews older and shows higher incidents of heart disease, cancer, and addiction to opioids.
Tips for Keeping Your Swing Bed Program Survey Ready
Posted on October 21, 2020
Despite the fact that swing beds were first authorized in 1980, there have been considerable changes to the program in just the past few years. The Conditions of Participation (CoPs) changed substantially in October 2018, a new reimbursement model for PPS hospitals with a distinct part swing bed unit was released in 2019, followed by more changes just this past February.
Why Rural Practices Need to Think Outside the Box for Care Coordination Staffing
Posted on October 13, 2020
Chronic care management is care coordination services done outside of a regular office visit for Medicare patients with more than one chronic condition. These services, which are typically not face-to-face, allow medical practices to bill for at least 20 minutes or more of care coordination services per month. There are two sets of billing codes for CCM