The American Hospital Association has released the results of its quarterly RacTrac survey for the fourth quarter of 2013.
The survey measures Medicare recovery auditor, or RAC, activity. AHA created the web-based survey because of the lack of data from CMS concerning the impact RACs have on providers, according to the RACTrac website.
Here are five key statistics from the most recent survey, based on responses from 1,241 hospitals.
1. Of the medical records reviewed by RACs, 58 percent didn't contain an overpayment.
2. Sixty-five percent of hospitals reported short-stay medical necessity denials were the most costly common denials.
3. Hospitals appealed 49 percent of all RAC denials, with a 64 percent success rate.
4. Fifty-five percent of hospitals appealing RAC denials during the fourth quarter reported appealing short-stay medically unnecessary denials, a significant decrease from 70 percent in the third quarter.
5. The survey found 68 percent of hospitals spent more than $10,000 managing the RAC process during the fourth quarter, while 12 percent spent more than $100,000.
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