Report provides a sobering look at human hardships.
A new report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, NPR, and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health was released last week. The outcomes revealed have every industry stakeholder talking: populations, providers, practitioners, and their patients.
The report entitled, Life Experiences and Income Inequality in the United States, provides a detailed exploration of the hardships faced by Americans in affording basic human needs: food, clothing, housing, transportation, medications, and the items mandated for persons to achieve health and behavioral health wellness. I’ve long said that the traditional face of the social determinants has shifted, including higher-income populations not often associated with health equity challenges. The general study affirms this fact, covering 1995 adults ages 18 or older living in the United States. Surveyed adults were divided into four income categories:
Key survey results included the following:
The top social determinants in 2019 were housing, followed closely by food insecurity. The report provided concerning ongoing data on those areas:
Monitor Monday listeners were asked this about what the most frequently cited unaffordable items for their patient population are. Over 50 percent of Monitor Monday’s listeners this past Monday participated with the most interesting results.
Our listeners continue to have their finger on the pulse of patient need, especially those related to the social determinants of health (SdoH).
Programming Note: Listen to Ellen Fink-Samnick’s live reporting on the State of the Union of SDoH on Monitor Mondays, 10-10:30 a.m. EST.
Well, this is the last RACmonitor news edition of the year, so it’s time for my annual Hirsch’s Heroes. As a reminder, last year my
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published several new proposed rules regarding Medicare payments for 2025. In addition to updating payment rates,
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Prepare your organization for the 2025 OPPS updates with expert insights from Tiffani Bouchard, CCS, CRCR, a Revenue Integrity Professional with over 30 years of experience. This webcast will address critical challenges in charge capture and coding, providing clarity on APC policies, C-APC packaging, exclusions, and payer-specific requirements. Attendees will learn actionable strategies to ensure compliance, optimize reimbursement, and mitigate risks of claim denials. Gain the knowledge needed to implement updates effectively, educate your team, and maintain seamless revenue cycle operations in the face of evolving OPPS complexities.
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The 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule brings significant changes to payment rates, coverage, and coding for physician services, impacting practices nationwide. Join Stanley Nachimson, MS., as he provides a comprehensive guide to understanding these updates, offering actionable insights on new Medicare-covered services, revised coding rules, and payment policies effective January 1. Learn how to adapt your practices to maintain compliance, maximize reimbursement, and plan for revenue in 2025. Whether you’re a physician, coder, or financial staff member, this session equips you with the tools to navigate Medicare’s evolving requirements confidently and efficiently.
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.
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