Down Coding by Managed Care Payers

Overview: Managed care payers in the United States negotiate contracts with healthcare providers, such as pediatric practices, to set payment rates for services rendered to their members. These payment rates may be based on a fee schedule or a negotiated rate. One way that managed care payers may control costs is by “down coding” claims…

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Pediatric Telephone Triage

Overview: Pediatric phone triage protocols are structured interviews that help a nurse or other medical provider make a decision about whether a patient needs to be seen immediately. This decision is referred to as telephone triage, and it’s an important part of the patient phone call process. There are several approaches to pediatric phone triage…

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What is a Managed Medicaid Plan?

A managed Medicaid plan is a type of health insurance plan that is designed for individuals who are enrolled in the Medicaid program. These plans are managed by private insurance companies, known as Managed Care Organizations (MCOs), that have contracts with state Medicaid agencies to provide health coverage and other services to eligible individuals. Managed…

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Monitor and Measure Accounts Receivable Days to Identify Changes in Patient and Payor Payments

As discussed on a previous blog article a few years ago, Accounts Receivable Days is a key performance indicator to monitor.    Today, there was an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal that discusses the importance of monitoring the amount of Accounts Receivable in a business and that large businesses use a metric known…

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Pediatric Provider Coding Review: ADHD Coding Example

In previous articles, we have provided a summary related to the selection of appropriate Evaluation and Management (E&M) codes (99202-99215) for a sick visit, or as an additional service provided during a well visit. The selection of said E&M code is a key component of pediatric office visits. While previous articles have described how to…

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