“Big, Beautiful (Reconciliation) Bill” Passes – With Major Medicaid Implications
By now you have likely heard about Congress moving the “One Big Beautiful Bill” over the past few weeks to fulfill President Trump’s desire to
By now you have likely heard about Congress moving the “One Big Beautiful Bill” over the past few weeks to fulfill President Trump’s desire to
Since its creation in 1965, Medicaid has served as a lifeline for low-income individuals, families, and the disabled, offering health coverage in partnership with state
Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its 2026 Budget Request and Justification to Congress, asking for $2.288 billion. I will
Perhaps inspired by the song “Month of May” on The Suburbs album by Arcade Fire, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is coming
A new wave of Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs) and Unified Program Integrity Contractors (UPICs) have swept across the nation, empowered to root out fraud in
Let’s start today with a report that five Florida hospitals are suing Leapfrog Group over their receiving poor ratings. The hospitals, all part of Tenet,
Although specifics remain under negotiation, early outlines and House resolutions suggest that Medicaid will face significant reductions, likely through a combination of structural funding changes
The Trump Administration has put a hold on a federal program designed to increase oversight of hospice care, which receives over $25 billion annually from
The murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson highlights deep frustrations with America’s health insurance industry – an issue dramatized long earlier in the 2002 film
On March 26, the following four entities agreed to pay roughly $62 million to settle a whistleblower’s allegations under the False Claims Act: The allegations
The recent convergence of fiscal austerity and political realignment in Washington, D.C. has placed essential healthcare programs under heightened scrutiny. Chief among them are the
I suspect some readers will consider this article political, but I would assert that it is highly principled in one root thesis: authoritarianism is bad.

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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