A brief denial letter with limited explanation for a complicated case should not be the end of the road for a hospital claim. A recent three-day hospital stay for a patient with a history of breast cancer who underwent a left mastectomy and experienced severe postop complications was denied by the insurance company but then […]
A one-day inpatient stay for an elderly patient with a CHADS score of 4 and low EF percentage was overturned after the hospital level of care was discussed in detail during a Peer-to-Peer with the insurance company. The insurance company initially recommended an observation level of care without much explanation, but its physician overturned that
Peer-to-peer discussions between hospital physicians – or their physician advisors – and the insurance company’s medical director can often overturn inpatient denials. But without proper documentation they do not work to rescind denials. Proper documentation must include an assessment coinciding with a detailed treatment plan updated throughout hospitalization. AppriseMD recently recommended to appeal a case
Without Proper Documentation, Inpatient Denials are Often Upheld Read More »
In her recent article, “Ghosting the Medicare Provider Appeals Process,” Knicole C. Emanuel Esq. argues that the process by which denied Medicare claims are reviewed and appealed is counter to rest of the U.S. legal system. The lengthy process for addressing denied Medicare claims is multi-tiered and, until recently, hampered by a years-long backlog due
Both national evidence-based guidelines and insurance company guidelines factor into level of care determination. When it comes to determining a patient’s level of care for a short hospital stay, observation services are generally used for short-term monitoring, testing and evaluation to establish a treatment plan, and to give the treatment team time to see
Which Guidelines Should Hospitals Follow for an Observation Stay? Read More »
According to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics*, there are 130 million visits a year to Emergency Departments, 35 million of which are injury related. Many injury-related ER visits do not result in admission to the hospital, but for those that do, hospital utilization review managers need to provide insurance companies sufficient documentation showing
Case Study: Hospital Stay Due to Injury and Complex Medical History Read More »
Does leaving the hospital against medical advice (AMA) equal an outpatient short stay? Not necessarily. AppriseMD reviewed one inpatient denial case involving a patient who left the hospital AMA after a two-day stay due to severe alcohol withdrawal and seizures. The AppriseMD physician reviewer was able to overturn the denial after a discussion with the
Case Study: Alcohol Withdrawal and AMA Departure Can Still Qualify as Inpatient Stay Read More »
Alcohol withdrawal and a positive COVID infection resulted in an inpatient hospital stay for one patient; however, the insurance company denied the short stay. A detailed peer-to-peer discussion of this case with the insurance company overturned the denial based on the acute symptoms and the medical and supportive care required. CLINICAL SUMMARY: Alcohol Withdrawal A
Case Study: Alcohol Withdrawal Inpatient Denial Overturned Based on Care Required Read More »
The United States Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit earlier this year aiming to stop UnitedHealth Group from acquiring Change Healthcare.1 Hospital CFOs and utilization review managers have much to watch in this case related to how it could not only impact competition in the markets but how it could impact the guidelines used
The American Hospital Association (AHA) updated rural hospital leaders regarding its 2022 Rural Advocacy Agenda during the recent AHA Rural Health Care Leadership Conference in Phoenix, AZ, attended by AppriseMD CEO Franklin E Baumann, MD. “The 2022 Rural Advocacy Agenda focuses on broader, forward-looking legislative and regulatory priorities that are not necessarily connected to the
AHA’s Advocacy of Rural Hospital Issues is Needed Read More »