For continued success and compliance: link your practice to the best resources.

Publication: Getting Paid in Behavioral Healthcare

Publication Date: 01-APR-05

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COPYRIGHT 2005 Manisses Communications Group, Inc.

Reportedly, one of General Eisenhower's aides was heard to have said shortly before D-Day, "We may not know anything, but we sure know where to find it." It is very similar in the consulting business.

There are certain Web sites and Listservs that billing, coding, and documentation consultants monitor daily to be "current" in their knowledge base. While certainly not recommending that your practice avoid consultants, I offer you the links and Listserv I consistently use.

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) http//www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/index.html

This site contains all the United States health laws and rules, including the Conditions of Participation that describe what states, institutions, provider groups, and individual providers must do to participate in the Medicaid and/ or Medicare systems. When provider organizations are audited by CMS or the 01G, and fault is found, the investigating agency will quote violations from 42CFR (The Public Health Law) in the appropriate subsections. This is a search engine.

Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General, Main Page http://oig.hhs.gov

The OIG Web site contains much valuable information, ranging from the OIG's workplan for each year (this is the document that describes, often in advance, new or ongoing investigative initiatives) to compliance guidance and individual investigations Scrolling the right side of this page will lead the viewer to many general categories that are searchable.

Since investigations flow downhill, it is often an accurate predictor of what individual states will...

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