Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 37) RAC is Coming to US Hospitals: HOW to Survive RAC IS COMING What is RAC? The acronym stands for Recovery Audit Contractors, a group of companies selected by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to help identify and collect improper Medicare overpayments, as well as identify and reimburse underpayments. Overpayments have well exceeded underpayments thus far, and CMS has begun recouping large sums of money from hospitals. California, Florida and New York were selected as pilot states for a RAC demonstration period, which is now complete. Results from the RAC demonstration period were released on January 9, 2009. Total overpayments collected were $992.7 million. The RAC process has proven to be a profitable one for CMS, costing only about 20% of every dollar recouped. As noted on the CMS website, Section 302 of the “Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006” makes the RAC program permanent, and it will be expanded to all 50 states by 2010. So, make no mistake about it. RAC is here to stay; now is the time to prepare! HOW TO SURVIVE While RAC is a somewhat dreaded reality, it can also have a positive impact on your hospital. When properly implemented, your RAC policies and procedures can provide attention to areas within your facility that need process change, from patient care to billing and coding. RAC audits are separated into regions A-D, and regions are divided by state and by RAC audit companies. There are four RAC regions and four audit companies. Regions A and B will be audited by Diversified Collection Services, Inc. (DCS), and CGI Technologies and Solutions, Inc. Regions C and D will be audited by Connolly Consulting and Health Data Insights (HDI), who were involved with RAC audits during the demonstration period. RAC audit companies are paid based on a percentage of the amount of dollars they recoup. SPRING 2009 MUSE INTERNATIONAL 36 Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Muse Matters - Spring 2009 Muse Matters - Spring 2009 Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 1) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 2) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 3) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 4) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 5) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 6) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 7) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 8) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 9) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 10) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 11) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 12) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 13) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 14) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 15) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 16) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 17) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 18) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 19) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 20) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 21) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 22) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 23) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 24) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 25) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 26) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 27) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 28) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 29) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 30) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 31) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 32) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 33) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 34) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 35) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 36) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 37) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 38) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 39) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 40) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 41) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 42) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 43) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 44) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 45) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 46) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 47) Muse Matters - Spring 2009 - (Page 48) http://www.nxtbookMEDIA.com
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