The recent scams have hit the Ambulance service sector hard in the US. This has set the red beacon going and has led to changes in the way the CMS now views Ambulance billing. The vigilance and tightening of billing services has impacted the reimbursements of the Ambulance services, now wary of the focus on how their services are being billed.
However, if one follows all procedures and guidelines laid down by the Medicare center, and follows the norms of the medical coding and billing methods with a fair knowledge of the workings, then one can be assured that the Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) process will not be impacted. But this is all dependent on the meticulous documentation, or rather the First Patient Care Report (PCR) that forms the foundation upon which the billers and coders in the Ambulance Service sector rely on. You may well ask why is the Patient Care Report (PCR) that documents the process right from when the emergency call via 911 comes in to the time the patient is handed over into the care of the physician so important.
Remember that every PCR brings in reimbursements to pay for a host of administrative and operational overheads. The billers can succeed to bring in the dollars only if the PCR is detailed to help apply both a procedure and diagnosis code and thereby implement an effective Revenue Cycle Management.
Prepare a checklist of what needs to be noted right from when the call has come through requesting for an "emergency service" .Keep certain terms handy specifically what constitutes "medical necessity" so as to reiterate information when one is writing up the final PCR. Use recording devices if necessary to note down any minor observations, which could always bring the billers some support for the cause and reason. This will help when documenting the PCR covering all the vital points required by the medical billers and coders.
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