The healthcare industry is complex and highly regulated, forcing providers to navigate numerous challenges while delivering quality care and maintaining financial stability. Among the most critical aspects of healthcare financial management is revenue cycle management (RCM), which involves tracking and managing patient revenue from start to finish.
While RCM is essential for providers, a rush to collect can lead to inaccurate practices. A high instance of errors can flag the attention of industry watchdogs and result in consequences — including suspicions of Medicare fraud.
RCM mistakes are common
Revenue cycle management errors can creep into even a well-managed practice. Often, human error is to blame.
Data-entry errors arise for any number of reasons — from inattentiveness to a bad keystroke — and produce incorrect billing and payment. Coding errors happen when medical procedures aren’t properly clarified or classified before they’re billed, causing payment delays or denials. Even something as simple as failure to verify patient insurance coverage can lead to RCM problems.
Despite being common, these simple mistakes can snowball quickly and have considerable financial consequences. More often than not, they result in revenue loss and negatively impact a provider's financial stability. In a worst-case scenario, an abundance of errors may even throw up a red flag to auditors looking for fraudulent behavior.
The impact of RCM mistakes on Medicare fraud suspicions
Innocent RCM mistakes can be misinterpreted as fraudulent behavior when there’s a pattern of errors or inconsistencies suggesting intentional manipulation of the billing and coding system. For example, say you’ve had a higher-than-usual number of claims rejected as overbilled in the past year. If you consistently bill for more expensive services than what was actually performed or documented, it can indicate intentional overbilling and cause further scrutiny from an auditor.
The sad reality is, Medicare fraud is real. As a result, even accusations or suspicions can have severe consequences for your practice’s reputation. Investigations can be lengthy and costly, leading to significant disruptions in operations and patient care.
To avoid suspicion of Medicare fraud, providers must maintain accurate and compliant RCM practices. Implementing simple quality-control strategies can minimize RCM errors — and any scrutiny following them.
Preventing RCM mistakes and Medicare fraud
The most obvious solution to preventing RCM mistakes and potential fraud concerns is to have a system of checks and balances. For instance, this type of system could include verifying patient insurance at the point of scheduling or validating billing codes throughout the claim submission process.
Providers can benefit from conducting regular audits of their RCM processes to identify and correct error-prone situations before they become costly mistakes. It’s also helpful to invest in user-friendly billing software to create checks and balances while ensuring high education and training standards for anyone involved in the RCM process.
Finally, by working with experienced and knowledgeable RCM partners, providers can take advantage of their industry expertise and support. Outsourcing can also reduce the administrative burden on providers, allowing them to focus on delivering high-quality patient care.
Absolve your practice of scrutiny and suspicion
Unintentional RCM mistakes can have serious consequences for healthcare organizations — including casting suspicions of Medicare fraud. To avoid raising red flags, healthcare providers must implement effective training and monitoring practices, use technology to automate billing and claims processes, and regularly review and update policies and procedures.
By prioritizing RCM compliance and accuracy, providers can protect themselves from accusations of Medicare fraud — and maintain the trust of patients and regulators. Learn more about accuracy in claims filing at trubridge.com.
