Management Consulting Team Provided Solutions and Best Practices; Attendees expressed confusion about Implementation of Upcoming Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Rule
LENEXA, Kan. (January 21, 2013) – B. E. Smith, the only full-service leadership solutions firm dedicated exclusively to healthcare providers, hosted a complimentary webinar for healthcare organizations titled, “Two-Midnight Rule: Addressing the Confusion” in December. More than 70 healthcare professionals attended this customized, one-hour webinar. Leading industry experts discussed the current state of the Two-Midnight rule and answered attendee’s questions regarding frontline implementation to help prepare provider organizations. The most popular discussion topics were concerns related to the processes around compliance, timing and documentation for implementation.
The Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) final rule, (the ‘Two-Midnight’ rule), will be going into effect on April 1, 2014. Under the new rule, admission as an inpatient is appropriate if the patient requires hospitalization for at least ‘two midnights’ and meets medical necessity. “Medical Necessity” has also been redefined, as patients do not need to meet strict Interqual™ criteria, but rather “reasonable” need for inpatient care as declared and documented by the admitting physician. Healthcare providers must now have Case Managers and Physician Advisors in place as well as processes to assess for medical necessity to prevent Medicare retrospective denials (RACs). B. E. Smith’s Management Consulting team has the knowledge to help organizations adapt to these changes.
“The Management Consulting team was excited to assist healthcare organizations in preparing for proper implementation of the Two-Midnight rule,” said Kathleen Meredith, senior vice president, management consulting, B. E. Smith. “We have seen confusion continue to grow among our clients as interpretation of the rule changes. This webinar allowed us to provide a clear understanding of specific questions related to physician and case management processes and level of care guidelines as well as explain where organizations can go to seek additional information they may need for a smooth transition.”
In the webinar, B. E. Smith’s Management Consulting group reviewed the details of the new rule and focused the discussion on four categories: physician and case management implications, admission and level of care implications, certification requirements and financial and billing related questions. Attendee inquires drove this conversation and they were able to take away actionable ideas to better set their organizations for success in implementation of the rule. “With this rule soon coming into effect, I have attended several webinars on this topic, and this was by far the best,” said, an attendee who works in case management. “The experts took the time to address our concerns and confusion so we can better serve our patient populations.”
B. E. Smith is committed to providing pressure proven healthcare leaders during a time of significant and rapid change. For more than 35 years, the firm has continued to align its leaders and evolve its service lines to meet the changing dynamics of the industry and its clients. Management consulting provides clients with an experienced team of senior healthcare professionals who can adapt to any market condition and build sustainable, long-term results.
About Management Consulting:
B. E. Smith’s Management Consulting practice provides large scale strategic transformations through a team of experienced healthcare professionals with years of clinical and consulting experience. These teams partner with each client to create customized solutions with a focus on collaboration, standardization, and integration of clinical processes to enhance and streamline patient care delivery. B. E. Smith’s Management Consulting methodology enables organizations to overcome challenges threatening their financial stability and long-term success by implementing sustainable practice and process improvements.
About B. E. Smith:
Founded in 1978, B. E. Smith is a full-service healthcare leadership solutions firm and a top ranked provider of leadership services including Interim Leadership, Executive Search andManagement Consulting. Veteran healthcare experts partner with each client to create customized solutions. B. E. Smith’s proven methodology has resulted in the recent placement of more than 900 leaders into healthcare organizations worldwide. For more information, visit BESmith.com or call 855-254-8261.
