This miniseminar is designed to make the attendees more knowledgeable regarding three areas that will have increasing importance in their practices. The Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs) are in the process of being expanded to the entire 50 states. They have been very successful in recovering significant amounts of money for CMS for ‘errors' in charges in hospitals in three trial states. This effort will be expand to all states and will include physician offices as well as hospitals and other institutions. An attempt will be made to identify areas of risk for otolaryngologists. The RACs have stringent reporting deadlines which, if not heeded, will lead to significant refunds from physicians practices. This presentation will discuss important aspects of what to do when a RAC request arrives at your office, how to proceed, and what your rights and responsibilities are. A second portion of the miniseminar will deal with updated PQRI issues. The participation in PQRI projects has been somewhat controversial. The pros and cons of participation will be discussed as well as a brief presentation of a successful endeavor utilizing hospital and physician cooperation and collaboration. The third part of the miniseminar will be a brief discussion of the benefits and disadvantages of e-prescribing. These three areas will play an increasing role in many otolaryngology practices. It is very important for the practicing physician to have updated knowledge of these topics. A question and answer period will occur at the end of the presentations.
Educational Objectives
1) The attendees will improve their knowledge of what RACs are, what to do if notified of a RAC audit, and what rights providers have in the process. 2) The attendees will have improved knowledge of the advantages and disadvantages of participating in PQRI. 3) The attendees will have updated knowledge of e-prescribing.
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