The teleconference addresses the interface between the hospital’s chargemaster and the Medicare cost report. Setting charges and the way in which the chargemaster is organized can affect the proper development of the Medicare cost report. Recent instances have arisen in which the cost-to-charge ratios (CCRs) have negatively impacted hospital reimbursement under Medicare programs such as APCs and DRGs.The Medicare program has been making changes to the cost reporting process in areas such as implantable devices.Chargemaster personnel need to work closely with cost reporting personnel to make certain that there is full compliance in a highly technical financial area.
7.Chargemaster Coordinator Action Steps
Duane C. Abbey, Ph.D., is a management consultant and president of Abbey & Abbey, Consultants, Inc. that specializes in health care consulting and related areas. His firm is based in Ames, Iowa. Dr. Abbey earned his graduate degrees at the University of Notre Dame and IowaStateUniversity specializing in mathematics and computer science. Dr. Abbey has published many articles in a variety of professional publications. Also, he has published more than a dozen books on healthcare topics for publishers such as McGraw-Hill, HCPro and Francis & Taylor. Dr. Abbey works extensively in all areas relating to coding, billing and reimbursement. This includes various payment systems, provider-based clinics, HIPAA privacy and security, and revenue enhancement for hospitals and clinics. He has worked extensively with physicians and hospitals. And, yes, his favorite reading material is the Federal Register!
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