While it may net higher reimbursements for healthcare organizations in the short run, the ramifications of getting caught overcoding far outweigh the revenue boost. Not only can overcoding result in significant fines along with repayment of the original claim, but the reputational damage can take years to fix.
As discussed by MDaudit CEO Ritesh Ramesh in a recent Health IT Answers article, whether it’s done intentionally or by accident, overcoding can have a negative impact on patient acquisition and experience, which deflates growth. Plus, having to repeatedly restate financial results to the public domain due to uncertain compliance risks is a nightmare for most health system leaders.
In the article, Ramesh shares with readers details on the inpatient and outpatient billing areas that are being heavily scrutinized by federal and commercial payers. He also provides recommendations for implementing a proactive, tech-enabled strategy to ensure coding compliance and reduce the risk of external audits.
Click here to read The Silent Revenue Killer: Tips for Eliminating Overcoding.
