| |
American
Red Cross and Reimbursement
The safety and availability of the nation's blood supply is the
number one priority of the American Red Cross. We are committed
to providing the safest blood products possible to all patients
in need. We fully understand that hospitals' financial constraints
are very real. We are also dedicated to help ensure patients have
access to blood and plasma products and services that incorporate
the latest innovative technological advancements. Reimbursement
must keep pace with the changes in technology and safety enhancements.
We are diligently working in partnership with our hospital customers
to improve the reimbursement they receive for utilizing products
and services that give patients access to the best care possible.
Not only is
the American Red Cross commited to providing the safest blood products
possible for all patients in need, but we also are active in working
with payers to assign appropriate codes and to set appropriate blood
product payment rates. As you know, the first step in helping to
ensure appropriate reimbursement often is correct coding. In order
for hospitals to submit accurate claims, coding systems must evolve
and incorporate changes.
The American
Red Cross provides updates and information on a regular basis regarding
any changes in current coding and reimbursement issues. These updates
are sent in hard copy format but will also be posted on this section
of the website for your convenience.
Also, if you
have any questions or if you require more information on any reimbursement
matter, please do not hesitate to contact us. You can e-mail
us your questions and you will receive a written response to
your question, as well as supporting documentation when appropriate.
“Hospital
Billing, Coding, and Payment for Blood:
Understanding the Issues and Making a Difference”
To
our customers: In response to customer requests for additional
education on reimbursement as indicated in the Customer Satisfaction
Survey, we are pleased to provide you with our very first
Reimbursement Webcast! We are now able to offer a comprehensive
online audio/video presentation. This presentation, which
can be accessed via the internet link below, includes the
following:
·
Overview of Medicare hospital inpatient and outpatient reimbursement;
·
Review of hospital outpatient coding, including the new IVIG
Q-codes;
·
Discussion of advanced reimbursement topics, including CMS's
latest instructions on billing for autologous blood in the
hospital outpatient setting, common billing problems encountered
by hospitals, and frequently asked reimbursement questions
that John receives from customers; and
·
Overview of Red Cross resources and services available to
customers, as well as information on what hospitals can do
to make a difference in Medicare reimbursement.
http://arc-iceshow.clients.iceweb.com/
(if this link does not take you to the webcast,
try to copy and paste the address into your web browser)
The pre-recorded
Webcast—which can be accessed 24 hours a day—consists
of 3 parts, totaling approximately 55 minutes in length. The
presentation also includes downloadable documents providing
additional detail on the topics covered in the presentation,
including the new CMS blood billing guidelines and a recent
update summarizing the guidelines that you can provide to
customers. Click here
to view the basic system requirements along with some common
technical questions for viewing the Webcast.
|
|
|
