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Monthly Archives: July 2012

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Peer Review: What is a Physician Advisor Peer Review

Posted on July 30, 2012 by Danyell Jones

A peer review is a review of a medical case by a Physician Advisor to ensure that the care provided by a primary physician was appropriate and aligned with Medical Necessity Criteria. Medical Necessity Criteria are sets of criteria which physicians utilize to determine the best recommended course of action for their patients.

Free Presentation on Medical Necessity Criteria

Click on the Gift Box above to receive a 100% free presentation on Medical Necessity Criteria as a token of our appreciationappropriate and aligned with Medical Necessity Criteria.

When you visit your physician they may approve certain care for you.  This could include medications, operations, therapy, or other medical procedures.  In order for the physician to receive reimbursement for this care, your case may be sent to a Physician Advisor for peer review (or physician to physician case review).

The Physician Advisor will examine your case during the peer review process and make sure that the recommendations for care assigned to you via your physician are what will most adequately meet your needs as a patient.  The Physician Advisor will additionally assist in determining how likely your care is to be authorized.  Authorization is coverage, or approval, by your insurance company, Medicaid, or Medicare.

Authorization is important because it allows the Physician who is treating you to be reimbursed for the services that they provide to you.  Authorization also ensures that your medical insurance will cover the procedures and care that you have received.

Patients have rights: If your care was submitted for peer review, and was denied by either a Physician Advisor or your insurance company you should talk to your healthcare coverage provider to see what can be done to appeal the denial.


Posted in Learning Series | Tagged Health Care Peer Review, Healthcare Peer Review, Medical Peer Review, Peer Review, Peer Review Denial, Peer Review Denials, Physician Advisor, Physician Peer Review | 1 Comment

Standard Review: What is a Standard Review

Posted on July 27, 2012 by Danyell Jones

In the world of healthcare a standard review is a review of a physicians’ treatment conducted by a Physician Advisor according to state regulatory standards and time frames.

Free Presentation on Medical Necessity Criteria

Click on the Gift Box above to receive a 100% free presentation on Medical Necessity Criteria as a token of our appreciationstandard governmental and regulatory guidelines and timetables.

Standard reviews normally occur within 24 to 48 hours of treatment and are a means for providing a secondary check to ensure that patients have the ailments that their attending physician noted in their case file at the time that they presented for treatment.

A standard review is a solid means of verifying that patient care is adequate and appropriately aligned with symptoms.  Additionally, healthcare organizations who have reviews conducted as part of a regular utilization management process can pinpoint areas of their practice which lack cost effectiveness, or are loss drivers.

Analyzing the standard reviews and their results can assist healthcare organizations in optimizing practice efficiency.  It can also lead to a decrease in over-utilization of medically unnecessary treatment and procedures, and ensure that the organization is deploying its resources in a way which will optimize patient care.


Posted in Learning Series, Uncategorized | Tagged Health Care Standard Review, Healthcare Standard Review, Physician Advisor Review, Physician Advisor Standard Review, Standard Peer Review, Standard Review | 1 Comment

External Review: External Utilization Reviews

Posted on July 26, 2012 by Danyell Jones

What is an External Review

An External Review is a review of a medical case conducted by a Physician Advisor who is responsible for reviewing care provided by External Reviewthe primary physician, but is not a member of the physicians’ healthcare organization, and is unaffiliated with the primary care organization.

External Reviews, also called External Utilization Reviews serve as a final level of patient protection in coverage disputes, and have been mandated by the Patient Protection and Affordability Care Act.

If a patient has received care from a medical professional, and that care has been denied an appeal process will ensue.  If a patient has exhausted the appropriate appeal channels through their health insurance provider, they are guaranteed the right, by federal law, to request that an External Review of their case be conducted by an Independent Review Organization.  Determinations made during the course of the External Review process are final and legally binding.

When External Reviews Can Benefit You

  1. If you have been denied Medical Coverage for a specific type of treatment which your physician believes is medically necessary
    Free Presentation on Medical Necessity Criteria

    Click on the Gift Box above to receive a 100% free presentation on Medical Necessity Criteria as a token of our appreciation

    and appropriate

  2. If you have already pursued the appropriate channels of appeals through your health insurance provider
  3. If your health insurance provider has still denied coverage and you want to appeal to an outside independent organization for care approval

Posted in Learning Series | Tagged External Case Review, External Case Reviews, External Medical Case Review, External Medical Case Reviews, External Review, External Utilization Review | 3 Comments

Some of URAC’s FAQs Including Board Certified Requirements for Medical Peer Reviewers

Posted on July 26, 2012 by Linda Ringquist

Original source is the URAC website

I am sure that you like everyone else has certain questions regarding URAC accreditation and might not have known where to find the answers. We are providing some of the questions for you and you can review the frequently asked questions section of the URAC website for the full array. Following are a few of the questions to wet your appetite and your thirst for knowledge.

  1. Do all clinical peer reviewers, who perform physician advisor standard reviews as well as expedited reviews, need to be board certified? Absolutely, they must be certified by either ABMS or ABOS. I know the next question you are going to ask is “Does board eligible meet the definition of board certified?” No, board eligible doesn’t cut the mustard.
  2. Did you know that URAC has another name that is sometimes used as “doing business as (DBA)”? The other name that is sometimes used on contracts and other legal documents is the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission, Inc.
  3. What is accreditation anyhow? Accreditation is the process of an independent organization reviewing an organization’s policies, procedures and operations to ensure the organization is compliant with the national standards.
  4. So, what types of organizations can become accredited? At this time, accreditation can be sought by hospitals, HMOs, PPOs, TPAs, and provider groups.
  5. How do I know if a company is accredited? The URAC website lists all organizations that are either accredited or seeking accreditation. Go to the website and you will see BHM Healthcare Solutions listed as accredited.
  6. BHM Healthcare Solutions
Patient Centered Health Care Home Auditor Certification Full Accreditation 08/01/2015
Independent Review Organization: Comprehensive Review (Internal & External Review) Full Accreditation 08/01/2015
  1. Is URAC national accreditation or within the states? It is national, but also may be used by some states to meet certain regulatory requirements.
  2. Who is in responsible for the standards and how they are updated? They are developed by a committee of experts in the healthcare community including: providers, health care organizations, insurers, and the public interest. Drafts of any new standards are circulated for public comment to give everyone the opportunity to review and comment.
  3. How long does the accreditation process take? Generally 4-6 months
  4. In whose hands is the decision whether or not to accredit my organization? Each organization is assigned to an accreditation reviewer. The reviewer completes both the desk audit and the onsite review, summarizes the findings and presents to the URAC Accreditation Committee (AC). The AC can make the decision or may recommend it go before the Executive Committee.

These are just a few of the questions located on the URAC website. One of URAC’s concerns as it relates to Independent Review Organizations is medical necessity. We would like to offer a free presentation on medical necessity criteria. Please click on the following:

Free Presentation on Medical Necessity Criteria

Click on the Gift Box above to receive a 100% free presentation on Medical Necessity Criteria as a token of our appreciation

 


Posted in Accreditation, Services | Tagged Board Certified, Expedited Review, Peer Review, Physician Advisor Standard Review | 2 Comments

Affordable Care Act – Increased Demand for External Physician Reviews

Posted on July 25, 2012 by Linda Ringquist

From the URAC website

The Affordable Care Act (the Act) a.k.a. Healthcare Reform Act was approved in its entirety in the month of June 2012. The different aspects of the Act trickle down to just about every segment of healthcare including external physician reviews offered through Independent Review Organizations.

The Act creates new consumer protections, opportunities for IRO participation and the requirement for accreditation. New standards are required which apply to both internal claims and reviews and external reviews. Plans with consumers enrolled on March 23, 2010 were grandfathered and exempt from these new rules. However, the number of grandfathered plans will continue to decrease through termination and attrition and new plans will be form which will increase the number of plans who need to comply with these external review regulations.

Under the Act, plans and issuers must arrange for external reviews that comply with either a state approved external clinical review process or the federal external medical review process. A state external review process will only apply if the state adopts and incorporates the minimum consumer protections under the NAIC Uniform Health Carrier External Review Model Act. Some of the major provisions of the Act include:

 

  1. Federal external reviews will meet the NAIC UER Act standards
  2. IROs will be accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting company such as URAC
  3. Promote the utilization of the most appropriate clinical expertise for each specific external review case
  4. Proper reviews can lead to healthcare savings by identifying instances in which the health care services may not be medically necessary
  5. External reviews are generally conducted after internal means have been exhausted
  6. The Act requires IROs to have specific policies and procedures for receiving and completing standard and expedited review and to continuously monitor the case review process to ensure timeframes are met
  7. Expedited reviews may be requested if the life or health of the claimant is in jeopardy
  8. Minimum qualifications of reviewers is established including, but not limited to, IRO is credentialed, board certified, and licensed and no conflict of interest exists

BHM Healthcare Solutions offers IRO expertise for external reviews. For more information, please visit our website http://www.bhmpc.com.

Free Presentation on Medical Necessity Criteria

Click on the Gift Box above to receive a 100% free presentation on Medical Necessity Criteria as a token of our appreciation


Posted in Accreditation, Health Care Reform, Services | Tagged Clinical Review, External Review, Medical Review, Physician Review | Leave a comment

What is IRO: Understanding Independent Review Organizations

Posted on July 24, 2012 by Danyell Jones

Independent Review Organization: BHM Healthcare Solutions

IRO: Answering the most common questions

IRO Definition:

IRO is an acronym which stands for Independent Review Organization.  Independent Review Organizations (IROs) are entities that conduct independent external reviews of adverse determinations involving appropriateness of care, medical necessity criteria, level of care, and effectiveness of a requested service

 

 

 

 

IRO FAQs:

Q: What kind of coverage must I have to use the IRO process?

A:Patients with coverage provided through major medical health insurance plans, including HMOs and PPOs and public employee

Free Presentation on Medical Necessity Criteria

Click on the Gift Box above to receive a 100% free presentation on Medical Necessity Criteria as a token of our appreciation

benefit plans can utilize the IRO process.

Q: At what point should I request an external review?

A: When you have exhausted the internal appeal process through your healthcare coverage provider.

Q:Who is on the panel of the Independent Review Organization?

A: Physician Advisors who are experts in the field related to your medical condition will review the case.  These Advisors typically go through a rigorous screening and credentialing process before being selected as a Physician Peer Reviewer.

Q: How can I initiate an external review?

A: To initiate an external review, contact your healthcare coverage provider.

Q: Can I request an external review of any denied claim?

A: No. You may request an external review of a denied claim when:

  • The insurance company has determined the service you want is not medically necessary, is experimental or is investigational
  • Your provider documents that the service (and all care related to the service) will cost you more than $500 if not covered in the case of a medical necessity decision; and
  • You request external review within 180 days of being notified about the internal decision.

 Q: How long will it take for the external review to be preformed?

A: The IRO must make its decision within 30 days. Decisions must be expedited within seven days if the health condition requires it.

Q: Can I appeal the IROs decision if I am not happy with it?

A: Decisions made by the IRO are final and legally binding


Posted in Learning Series | Tagged Independent Review Organization, IRO, IROs, What are IROs, What is IRO | Leave a comment

Can You Benefit From an Automated Medical Peer Review Portal?

Posted on July 23, 2012 by Linda Ringquist

A medical peer review is a formal process in which care is reviewed to determine medical necessity. It can provide a means for an independent review organization (IRO) to review all of the documentation associated with the case to render an appeals decision of approved, denied, or partially denied in some circumstances. The physician advisor/peer reviewer reviews the case in detail, potentially looking at the clinical criteria used for the denial and best practice.

External ReviewBHM’s PRS Portal

Do you need an automated process to complete medical peer reviews? Do you need access to an independent review organization consisting of expert physicians in the healthcare field? BHM Healthcare Solutions is a full service healthcare consulting firm. One of our primary service lines is the Physician Peer Review facilitated by an automated PRS Portal.  The portal allows everything to be completed electronically, which provides standardization, time-saving data entry, the ability to track review status, and one place to maintain all of the data.

 

 

 

 


Posted in Accreditation, Compliance, Services | Tagged Clinical Review, Medical Peer Review, Peer to Peer, Physician Advisor Services, Standard Reviews | 3 Comments

Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act Passes

Posted on July 20, 2012 by Linda Ringquist

Original Source is US Department of Health and Human Services website

July 9, 2012, the President signed S. 3187 also known as the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act. The act is designed to help spped safe and effective medical products to patients and maintain our status as the leader in biomedical innovation.

S.3187 is a collaboration of work of Administration, Congress, patients, pharmaceutical and medical device industries, the clinical community, and other stakeholders. It provides the Food and Drug Administration with the tools needed to continue:

  1. to make drugs and devices accessible to the public safely and quickly
  2. promote innovation in the biomedical industry
  3. help secure the jobs supported by drug and device development
  4. drive timely review of new innovator drugs and medical devices
  5. implement the program proposed in the 2013 President’s Budget to accelerate approval of lower-cost generic drugs
  6. fund the new approval pathway for biosimilar biologics created by the Affordable Care Act
  7. enhances the tools available to the FDA to combat drug shortages by requiring manufacturers of certain drugs to notify the FDA when they experience circumstances that could lead to a potential drug shortage
  8. enhance the safety of the drug supply chain in an increasingly globalized market
  9. increase incentives for the development of new antibiotics
  10. renew mechanisms to ensure that children’s medicines are appropriately tested and labeled and
  11. expedite the development and review of certain drugs for the treatment of serious or life-threatening diseases and conditions

While enactment of S. 3187 marks an important moment for innovators across industry, research and clinical care settings, its most important beneficiaries are the patients and families that will be helped by the next generation of affordable medical products this bill will help to foster.

BHM Healthcare Solutions is a behavioral health consulting firm which specializes in areas such as healthcare accreditation, physician advisors, healthcare financial analysis, compliance, quality improvement, clinical operations, executive recruitment, human resources, and training. For more information or to schedule a free consultation, please call 1-888-831-1171.


Posted in Compliance, Health Care Reform, Healthcare Prevention | Tagged Food and Drug Administration | Leave a comment

URAC’s Health Website Accreditation Helps Ensure Consumer Safety

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Linda Ringquist

Original source is the URAC website  – website has a list of URAC accredited websites and those in process

The URAC Website Accreditation program is a mechanism to provide feedback to health website owners on how to improve their online operations. This provides additional credibility in trust in a company’s online market. There is an abundance of information available on the internet, especially in regard to healthcare. It is difficult to discern which sites provide factual information and which do not. Which information can you depend upon? URAC developed this program to address the concerns of the consumers and provide a tool to help identify websites that meet the high standards of quality and accountability.

Accreditation by URAC ensures the health information presented is peer-reviewed, research-validated and minimizes risky decision-making by consumers. These standards focus upon:

  1. Privacy and security
  2. Health content editorial processes
  3. Disclosure of financial relationships
  4. Linking policies
  5. Consumer complaints
  6. Emerging best practices
  7. Evidence-based health information

URAC accredited websites are required to disclose information to consumers including:

  1. Site’s sponsors and financial backers
  2. Site’s privacy policies
  3. How the site develops health information
  4. Site’s advertising policy

The standards apply to a large variety of health-related websites, including health care financing organizations. Health delivery organizations, health management organizations, organizations offering health resources primarily through the Internet or other electronic media, application service providers, content providers or different combination of the organizations listed above. URAC conducts periodic reviews of the accredited site on an on-going basis and a full review. The standards provide strong protections regarding the use and protection of personal information consumers may provide to a health website.

URAC is an independent, nonprofit organization, promotes health care quality through its accreditation, education and measurement programs. It offers a wide range of quality benchmarking programs and services that keep pace with the rapid changes in the health care system and provides a symbol of excellence for organizations to validate their commitment to quality and accountability.

BHM Healthcare Solutions is a behavioral health consulting firm with one of our many areas of expertise being URAC accreditation. Our URAC Accreditation Consulting can assist with URAC accreditation, URAC PCHCH Auditors Certification, and URAC Medical Home Accreditation. For more information or to schedule a free consultation, please call 1-888-831-1171.


Posted in Accreditation, Quality Improvement Programs, Services | Tagged Behavioral Health Consulting, URAC Accreditation, URAC Accreditation Consulting, URAC Medical Home Accreditation, URAC PCHCH Auditors Certification | 2 Comments

Healthcare Compliance – The Joint Commission’s Influenza Vaccination for Licenses Independent Practitioners and Staff

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Linda Ringquist

The standard is effective July 1, 2012 for all accreditation programs (except ambulatory health, behavioral health, home care, laboratory services and office-based surgery programs, and for the Medicare/Medicaid certification –based long term care program option). The exceptions have an effective date of July 1, 2013. Prior to December 2011, this standard only applied to critical access hospitals, hospital, and long term care accreditation programs only. The standard pertaining to the flu vaccination is IC.02.04.01 and can be found on The Joint Commission website. This standard is for on-site services only.

The elements of performance for this standard are as follows:

  1. The organization establishes an annual influenza vaccination program that is offered to licensed independent practitioners and staff.
  2. The organization educates licensed independent practitioners and staff about, at a minimum, the influenza vaccine; nonvaccine control and prevention measures; and the diagnosis, transmission and impact of influenza.
  3. The organization provides influenza vaccination at sites and times accessible to licensed independent practitioners and staff.
  4. The organization includes in its infection control plan the goal of improving influenza vaccination rates.
  5. The organization sets incremental influenza vaccination goals: consistent with achieving  the 90% rate established in the national influenza initiatives for 2020.
  6. The organization has a written description of the methodology used to determine influenza vaccination rates.
  7. The organization evaluates the reasons given by staff and licensed independent practitioners for declining the influenza vaccination.
  8. The organization improves its vaccination rates according to its established goals at least annually.
  9. The organization provides influenza rate data to key stakeholders which may include leaders, licensed independent practitioners, nursing staff, and other staff at least annually.

The standards were written due to the effect on safety in patient care. Patient safety is increased with the decreased exposure to the influenza virus while receiving health care.

For more information, please review the “R3” report on the Joint Commission website. BHM Healthcare Solutions is one of the top healthcare consulting firms in the country. Our TJC consultants are experts in their field.  To find out more information on our TJC accreditation consulting, please contact one of our experts and setup a free consultation, please call 1-888-831-1171.


Posted in Accreditation, Compliance, Healthcare Prevention, Quality Improvement Programs, Services | Tagged BHM Healthcare Solutions, CARF Accreditation, COA Accreditation, Healthcare Compliance, HIPAA Compliance, NCQA Accreditation, URAC Accreditation | 15 Comments

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