Monitor Mondays

Evoking the age-old adage of having “skin in the game,” a Phoenix, Arizona couple last month entered a plea of guilty to one of the largest healthcare frauds in U.S. history.

The couple pleaded guilty to criminal charges involving the submission of $1.2 billion in fraudulent claims to Medicare, Medicaid, and other insurers for wound care procedures. The husband-and-wife team have agreed to pay more than $600 million in restitution and face over 20 years in prison, according to famed whistleblower attorney Mary Inman, who will return to Monitor Mondays for its next edition.

The venerable broadcast will also include these instantly recognizable features:

• Monday Rounds: Ronald Hirsch, MD, vice president of R1 RCM, will be making his Monday Rounds.

• The RAC Report: Healthcare attorney Knicole Emanuel, partner at the law firm of Nelson Mullins, will report the latest news about auditors.

• Risky Business: Healthcare attorney David Glaser, shareholder in the law offices of Fredrikson & Byron, will join the broadcast with his trademark segment.

• Legislative Update: Adam Brenman, senior government affairs liaison for Zelis, will report on the latest news concerning healthcare legislation.

Challenges in reimbursement, benchmarking, and quality reporting are being experienced in many American hospitals. Why is this problem arising?

Our special guest during the next live edition of Monitor Mondays will have answers. Penny Jefferson, a seasoned healthcare professional who serves as the Director of Clinical Documentation Integrity (CDI) Services at the University of California at Davis Medical Center, will report on why misinterpretation of the admission types appears to be the culprit, impacting compliance, payment, and patient safety indicators (PSIs).
The broadcast will also include these instantly recognizable features:

• Monday Rounds: Ronald Hirsch, MD, vice president of R1 RCM, will be making his Monday Rounds.

• The RAC Report: Healthcare attorney Knicole Emanuel, partner at the law firm of Nelson Mullins, will report the latest news about auditors.

• Risky Business: Healthcare attorney David Glaser, shareholder in the law offices of Fredrikson & Byron, will join the broadcast with his trademark segment.

• Legislative Update: Cate Brantley, senior government affairs liaison for Zelis, will report on the latest news concerning healthcare legislation.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming as commonplace in healthcare as billing audits.
It’s ubiquitous.
And that is why the producers of Monitor Mondays have invited senior healthcare analyst Frank Cohen to explore the intersection of AI and healthcare. So, during the next live edition of the venerable live weekly Internet broadcast, Cohen will address key concerns for compliance professionals, including Health Insurance Portability and Accountability (HIPAA) requirements, data governance, and responsibility in AI-driven decision-making.
The broadcast will also include these instantly recognizable features:

• Monday Rounds: Ronald Hirsch, MD, vice president of R1 RCM, will be making his Monday Rounds.

• The RAC Report: Healthcare attorney Knicole Emanuel, partner at the law firm of Nelson Mullins, will report the latest news about auditors.

• Risky Business: Healthcare attorney David Glaser, shareholder in the law offices of Fredrikson & Byron, will join the broadcast with his trademark segment.

• Legislative Update: Matthew Albright, chief legislative affairs analyst for Zelis, will report on the latest news concerning healthcare legislation.

Earlier this week, in the wake of the inauguration of President Donald Trump, a major announcement was made that some hope will lead to new advances in healthcare: “Stargate,” a private venture to build in the U.S. hyperscale data centers for artificial intelligence (AI). The strategic goal is to make the United States the world’s leader in AI.

Larry Ellison, founder of the relational database company Oracle, indicated that much work in this project will be focused on healthcare, including the promise of better medical diagnostics and imaging, personalized medicine, remote monitoring, and telehealth for patients, according to Edward M. Roche, RACmonitor investigative reporter, whose day job is director of scientific intelligence for Barraclough New York LLC.

Roche will be reporting this lead story for the next edition of the long-running Monitor Mondays weekly broadcast.

Broadcast segments will also include these instantly recognizable features:

• Monday Rounds: Ronald Hirsch, MD, vice president of R1 RCM, will be making his Monday Rounds.

• The RAC Report: Healthcare attorney Knicole Emanuel, partner at the law firm of Nelson Mullins, will report the latest news about auditors.

• Risky Business: Healthcare attorney David Glaser, shareholder in the law offices of Fredrikson & Byron, will join the broadcast with his trademark segment.

• Legislative Update: Adam Brenman, senior government affairs liaison for Zelis, will report on current healthcare legislation.

New York health insurer Independent Health and its former executive reached a settlement that will amount to up to $100 million with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and a whistleblower over False Claims Act allegations that they made Medicare members appear sicker than they really were to get more money from the government, a practice known as risk adjustment fraud.

Betsy Gaffney, former CEO of now-defunct vendor DxID, agreed to pay $2 million to resolve allegations she helped DxID mine patients’ medical records for diagnoses that risk-adjust, nudging doctors to approve them up to a year after the patient visits, all while pocketing up to 20 percent of the additional revenue generated for Independent Health by these unsupported diagnoses.

Reporting the lead story during the next live edition of Monitor Mondays will be famed whistleblower attorney Mary Inman, partner in the law firm Whistleblower Partners.

More than four weeks since its last news broadcast, Monitor Mondays will return this coming Monday with a cadre of the smartest minds in healthcare auditing. You’ll hear auditing news you won’t find anywhere else – except here and in RACmonitor.

Broadcast segments will also include these instantly recognizable features:

• Monday Rounds: Ronald Hirsch, MD, vice president of R1 RCM, will be making his Monday Rounds.

• The RAC Report: Healthcare attorney Knicole Emanuel, partner at the law firm of Nelson Mullins, will report the latest news about auditors.

• Risky Business: Healthcare attorney David Glaser, shareholder in the law offices of Fredrikson & Byron, will join the broadcast with his trademark segment.

• Legislative Update: Cate Brantley, senior government affairs liaison for Zelis, will report on current healthcare legislation.

Register now to listen to this exclusive news edition of Monitor Mondays; all this and more will be coming up at 10 a.m. EST on Jan. 13, 2024.

“He’s making a list, checking it twice…”

With a nod to the legendary Tin Pan Alley composer Haven Gillespie, who penned the lyrics to the iconic holiday song, senior healthcare consultant Ronald Hirsch, MD has been making his own list of healthcare professionals all year, paying close attention to their deeds in the field of healthcare.

Calling them “Hirsch’s Heroes,” an annual tradition that began in 2015, Hirsch will reveal those to whom he has bestowed the esteemed honor during the next live edition of Monitor Mondays.

Other broadcast segments will include these instantly recognizable features:

• The RAC Report: Healthcare attorney Knicole Emanuel will report the latest news about auditors.

• Risky Business: Healthcare attorney David Glaser, shareholder in the law offices of Fredrikson & Byron, will join the broadcast with his trademark segment.

• Field Report: Phyisican and attorney Dr. John K. Hall is expected to file a field report on the recent Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield proposal relative to its anethesia policy which the giant payer has since abandoned.

• Legislative Update: Matthew Albright, chief leglistative affairs analyst for Zelis, will report on the latest legislative actions impacting the healthcare regulatory setting.

Have you ever had your insurance company deny payment for your claim?

Have you ever had your insurance company stall or deny a pre-authorization?

How long did it take to get the authorization for the medication you’ve been using to keep yourself alive for the past few years? Was it maddening?

During the next edition of Monitor Mondays, physician and attorney Dr. John K. Hall will examine the frustration that modern health insurance has become – especially in the context of the recent fatal shooting of a prominent health insurance chief executive officer (CEO).

Broadcast segments will also include these instantly recognizable features:

• Monday Rounds: Ronald Hirsch, MD, vice president of R1 RCM, will be making his Monday Rounds.

• The RAC Report: Healthcare attorney Knicole Emanuel, partner at the law firm of Nelson Mullins, will report the latest news about auditors.

• Legislative Update: Adam Brenman, senior healthcare legislative affairs analyst for Zelis, will report on current healthcare legislation.

• Risky Business: Healthcare attorney David Glaser, shareholder in the law offices of Fredrikson & Byron, will join the broadcast with his trademark segment.

It’s raining recovery auditors.

More denials. More grief. More lost revenue and more palpable anxiety.

The seemingly unending war between payers – private and public – and providers continues unabated. The ubiquitous Two-Midnight Rule and the contentious subject of observation versus inpatient status have become an indelible part of America’s healthcare system.

And that is why the producers of RACmonitor have dedicated the next live edition of the venerable Monitor Mondays Internet broadcast to be the go-to source for the latest audit and regulatory news: a veritable feast of valuable information for you and your team to use.

Broadcast segments will also include these instantly recognizable features:

• Monday Rounds: Substituting for Dr. Ronald Hirsch will be Dr. Tripti Katari, who will be making her Monday Rounds. Dr. Katari is expected to report on updates on the American Medical Association (AMA), which she serves as Legislative Counsel.

• The RAC Report: Healthcare attorney Knicole Emanuel, partner at the law firm of Nelson Mullins, will report the latest news about auditors.

• Legislative Update: Adam Brenman, senior healthcare legislative affairs analyst for Zelis, will report on current healthcare legislation.

• Risky Business: Healthcare attorney David Glaser, shareholder in the law offices of Fredrikson & Byron, will join the broadcast with his trademark segment.

$23 million: that’s the amount that the University of Colorado Health, also known as UCHealth, has agreed to pay to resolve False Claims Act allegations related to its seeking and receiving payment from federal healthcare programs for visits to its emergency departments.

The university, headquartered in Aurora, was accused of falsely coding certain Evaluation & Management (E&M) claims submitted to the Medicare and TRICARE programs.

Reporting the lede story during the next live edition of Monitor Mondays will be famed whistleblower attorney Mary Inman, partner in the law firm of Whistleblower Partners.

Broadcast segments will also include these instantly recognizable features:

• Monday Rounds: Dr. Ronald Hirsch, vice president of R1-RCM, will be making his Monday Rounds.

• The RAC Report: Healthcare attorney Knicole Emanuel, partner at the law firm of Nelson Mullins, will report the latest news about auditors.

• Legislative Update: Matthew Albright, chief legislative analyst for Zelis, will report on current healthcare legislation.

• Risky Business: Healthcare attorney David Glaser, shareholder in the law offices of Fredrikson & Byron, will join the broadcast with his trademark segment.

As we continue to monitor and review the latest healthcare news, we are always pleased when word of a new study comes to our attention – especially when the study is within the purview of MDaudit.

During the next live edition of Monitor Mondays, the CEO for MDaudit, Ritesh Ramesh, will report the latest results of a new national study – and how the salient takeaway points could help you and your team as you grapple with the dynamic environment of America’s healthcare system.

Broadcast segments will also include these instantly recognizable features:

• Monday Rounds: Dr. Ronald Hirsch, vice president of R1-RCM, will be making his Monday Rounds.

• The RAC Report: Healthcare attorney Knicole Emanuel, partner at the law firm of Nelson Mullins, will report the latest news about auditors.

• Legislative Update: Cate Brantley, a senior government affairs liaison for Zelis, will report on current healthcare legislation.

• Risky Business: Healthcare attorney David Glaser, shareholder in the law offices of Fredrikson & Byron, will join the broadcast with his trademark segment.