Jackson-based Mississippi Baptist Health System teamed up with Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm the Advisory Board to focus on documentation improvement efforts.
Within six months of reforms, targeted physician documentation training yielded more than $3 million in additional reimbursement, reduced unspecified code usage and saved MBHS staff more than 300 hours annually in documentation queries and audit appeals, according to the Advisory Board.
MBHS incorporated the following three best practices to optimize reform efforts:
1. Leadership brought together experts in clinical documentation improvement, healthcare management initiatives, coding, compliance, physician advisors, directors of high-volume service lines and various support services to align cross-functional goals and cooperation.
2. MBHS used the Advisory Board's Revenue Optimization Compass program to identify and prioritize the most critical areas of documentation improvement for the hospital at large as well as individual physicians.
3. MBHS facilitated group and individual trainings to educate and support physicians in high-impact documentation areas.
4. MBHS coordinated a Defense Audit Team — consisting of documentation and compliance specialists — to meet monthly and review documentation reports and outcomes.
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