Article

RSS

By Aaron Vaught, Manager of Marketing, FormFast, Inc.

An overview of the features and benefits of FormFast's RAC Audit Tracking and Enterprise Workflow Software.

As expectations and regulations in healthcare grow, hospital staffs are faced with yet another challenge: RAC Audits. RAC audits are an initiative mandated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (or CMS) to recoup overpayments made to healthcare providers. These audits are carried out by four Recovery Audit Contractors (RAC). Since 2005 RAC audits have been conducted across the country and have already reclaimed millions of dollars in improper Medicare payments.

That means money your hospital has collected and is counting on investing may be in danger of being recouped by the RACs. In addition to the sting of revenue loss, RAC audits can be time-consuming, forcing staff to turn their focus away from patient care and instead devote time and energy to complying with the audit.

Even hospitals that have implemented EMR systems struggle to manage RAC audits because audit contractors have the ability to go as far back in your claims as October of 2007. Most EMR systems weren't typically implemented that far back. To make things worse, chart requests from RACs can exceed 400 every 45 day cycle. For staff trying to control the huge number of paper charts being transported between departments, the audit management process can very cumbersome.

While there are a number of RAC solutions on the market, many hospitals have found them to be less than adequate for their needs. The challenge for hospitals is finding a platform for sharing information with all the parties involved simultaneously and allowing them to collaborate quickly and efficiently. They also require tools to help them identify problem areas concerning level of care, length of stay, and medical necessity, so they can adapt their procedures to ensure the hospital receive the maximum reimbursement. An enterprise workflow system is perfectly designed to meet such needs. Access This Content To Read This Article In Its Entirety.