Though recovery audit contractors have been focusing on hospitals as the big fish, they have been auditing practices, too, and have even been scrutinizing E/M codes, according to Frank Cohen, a process improvement analyst for practices, based in Clearwater, Fla.
"Recently I received a call from one of my physician clients advising me that they were undergoing a RAC audit of — now get this — E/M codes, " he wrote in the RAC Monitor. "This is one of the first RAC audits I have encountered in which E/M codes were the focus of a review."
In this case, the RAC auditors requested 120 charts for CPT codes 99214, 99233 and 99223, which are at the top of the list of improperly paid procedure codes.
In his article, Mr. Cohen helps practices assess the risk of a RAC audit or review.
Read the RAC Monitor article on auditing practices.
Read more coverage of RACs:
- 10 Tips on Improving RAC Readiness From Kaiser's RAC Expert
- 18 Findings from the Latest AHA Survey on RAC Activity
- 6 RAC Issues For Hospitals in 2011
"Recently I received a call from one of my physician clients advising me that they were undergoing a RAC audit of — now get this — E/M codes, " he wrote in the RAC Monitor. "This is one of the first RAC audits I have encountered in which E/M codes were the focus of a review."
In this case, the RAC auditors requested 120 charts for CPT codes 99214, 99233 and 99223, which are at the top of the list of improperly paid procedure codes.
In his article, Mr. Cohen helps practices assess the risk of a RAC audit or review.
Read the RAC Monitor article on auditing practices.
Read more coverage of RACs:
- 10 Tips on Improving RAC Readiness From Kaiser's RAC Expert
- 18 Findings from the Latest AHA Survey on RAC Activity
- 6 RAC Issues For Hospitals in 2011