July 31, 2020
New guidelines have been applied to federal programs established due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, many non-federal entities — including many health systems and hospitals — will, for the first time, be subject to single audit or other audit requirements established in the Uniform Guidance.
July 29, 2020
Kraft Healthcare Consulting LLC president Scott Mertie has been appointed to the board of directors for the Nashville Health Care Council for 2020-2021. Scott is one of 15 new members chosen for the board.
February 27, 2020
The Nashville Business Journal’s annual list recognizes the area’s most influential professionals in the healthcare industry.
September 21, 2019
There are a variety of cyber vulnerabilities that can impact medical devices, especially as these devices within a hospital or health system become more and more connected.
September 19, 2019
Members of Kraft Healthcare Consulting in Nashville traveled to Boston to learn about innovation at Leadership Health Care’s delegation.
September 5, 2019
Scott’s debut on the NBJ’s annual Most Admired CEOs list follows his recent recognition in the publication’s Power Leaders in Accounting, as well as their Health Care Awards.
July 25, 2019
Are you ready to schedule a security audit so that you can ensure your practice is protected before back-to-school season? Now is the time to make that audit happen.
July 9, 2019
New patient check-in codes can have a significant impact on healthcare practices, especially those that offer specialized services.
June 3, 2019
Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources offers innovative tools that ultimately allow patients to control their health data, free up office staff, and help create an opportunity for overall independence.
April 1, 2019
Find the right blockchain applications for your healthcare business workflows or operations to boost competitiveness and profitability.
March 7, 2019
KHC’s Scott Mertie and Katie Reid teamed up with the AIHC to create a specialized training program and credential for cost reporting professionals. The pair will lead the training, which kicks off with a session in Nashville on March 12 and 13.
January 26, 2019
Healthcare professionals have made it clear that they’re concerned about cybersecurity, but a few key steps can helps put those minds at ease.
January 15, 2019
Home healthcare providers will face changes because of new Section 199A guidelines, but those changes are based on a variety of factors, including exactly how the entity relates to “the field of health.”
November 18, 2018
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) includes a broad range of tax changes impacting both individuals and business entities, including changes that directly impact healthcare companies and physician practices.
September 17, 2018
Reimbursement practices don’t have to be a chore for healthcare providers. Just follow a few simple tips to keep accounts healthy.
August 5, 2018
Office 365 has been a big boost for healthcare providers, who utilize the platform’s productivity and efficiency to provide better service for their patients and clients.
June 27, 2018
What goes into medical office accounting? For starters, you can’t manage what you can’t measure, so create statements that are meaningful for the practice. That’s just one of several helpful takeaways from the monthly chat with the Nashville Medical Group Management Association.
May 11, 2018
Less than two months into President Donald Trump’s White House tenure, the Nashville Health Care Council’s Leadership Health Care (LHC) initiative led a group of more than 100 healthcare leaders on its annual two-day delegation to Washington, D.C.
March 9, 2018
In 2018, clinicians must provide a full year of reporting on the Medicare Access and Chip Reauthorization Act (MACRA) measures. To add another layer of complexity, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released new changes and updates for this year. An action plan put in place sooner, rather than later, can help ensure proper reporting.
January 26, 2018
With the continual arrival of new regulations and standards governing the healthcare industry, it is imperative for healthcare providers and hospitals to have an effective compliance plan in place.
November 17, 2017
CMS recently published the 2018 final rule for the Quality Payment Program (QPP) under the Medicare Access and Chip Reauthorization Act (MACRA). The 2018 Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) performance year contains several significant changes.
October 11, 2017
Scott R. Mertie and Katie Reid of Kraft Healthcare Consulting, LLC (KHC) were selected by the German American Chamber of Commerce® of the Midwest, Inc. (GACC Midwest) to participate in an exclusive international health and technology delegation in Germany.
August 28, 2017
MACRA (Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act) requires all clinicians who 1) bill Medicare more than $30,000 in Part B-allowed charges, or 2) provide care for more than 100 Medicare Part B beneficiaries to report specific data under the Quality Payment Program via either MIPS (Merit-based Incentive Payment System) or an Advanced Alternative Payment Model (APM).
July 7, 2017
Superheroes are often thought of as fictional, costumed crusaders who battle villains, but you need not open a comic book to marvel at the employees in various industries (including healthcare and government) who are fighting crime every day. Their weapon of choice? The Death Master File (DMF).
June 12, 2017
Lucy Carter, CPA, member and practice leader of the KraftCPAs healthcare industry team, led the Healthcare Industry Panel at The Rainmaker Companies SuperConference in June.
June 8, 2017
Any entity that handles health information or other sensitive data should be intimately familiar with HIPAA, HITECH and HITRUST.
June 6, 2017
The Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN), Form CMS-R-131, is issued by providers (including independent laboratories, home health agencies, and hospices), physicians, practitioners, and suppliers to Original Medicare (fee for service) beneficiaries in situations where Medicare payment is expected to be denied.
May 24, 2017
Healthcare systems are seeing global transformation, with governments and providers trying to reconcile increased costs with rising demand for greater accessibility and higher-quality care. In March, Scott Mertie, president of Kraft Healthcare Consulting, LLC, participated in the Nashville Health Care Council’s 2017 International Health Care Study Mission to the United Kingdom.
May 15, 2017
KraftCPAs has earned the designation of HITRUST CSF Assessor through the Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST).
April 21, 2017
Is your practice experiencing a decline in net income? Do daily operations feel chaotic with complaints from patients about wait times, billing, etc.? Perhaps your practice is running smoothly enough, but you feel that things could be better.
December 16, 2016
Leadership Health Care (LHC), an initiative of the Nashville Health Care Council to nurture the talent of Nashville’s emerging health care leaders, has announced its 2016 award winners in the categories of Health Care Emerging Leader of the Year, Ambassador of the Year and Supporting Organization of the Year.
April 6, 2015
Consolidation among healthcare providers has increased over the past few years, in part because physician practices experience lower reimbursement rates from Medicare and Medicaid, and they lack the bargaining power to drive up reimbursement rates from their commercial payers.
November 3, 2014
Throughout the years, Scott Mertie, president of Kraft Healthcare Consulting, LLC (KHC), has attended healthcare delegations to China and multiple European countries that have government-run healthcare systems. While Scott was visiting the Republic of Cuba on a personal excursion earlier this year, he envisioned a trip where the activities would allow him to explore the country’s national healthcare system.
September 22, 2014
Modifier -59, Distinct Procedural Service – “the go-to,” “catch-all,” “covers everything” modifier, has finally received a much needed update.
October 4, 2013
Professional services provided on or after Sept. 10, 2013, will be allowed by CMS to use the 1997 Documentation Guidelines (DG) concerning the extended History of Present Illness (HPI) in conjunction with the 1995 guideline for extended HPI.
June 17, 2013
As national health reform begins arriving at our door step, more and more physicians are taking down their shingles and joining hospitals or emerging national healthcare practice companies as employees.
April 30, 2013
Scott Mertie was part of a delegation of approximately 30 healthcare leaders to visit Paris in April — a trip spearheaded by the Nashville Health Care Council (NHCC).
February 1, 2013
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released Medicare Fee-For-Service Recovery Audit Program Myths.
January 4, 2013
2nd Generation Capital, LLC, the merchant and investment banking firm affiliated with KraftCPAs PLLC, announced on Wednesday the successful acquisition of its Chattanooga-based client, Anesthesiologists Associated, P.C. (AA) by MEDNAX , Inc. (NYSE – MD).
December 21, 2012
Leadership Health Care (LHC), an initiative of the Nashville Health Care Council to nurture the talents of future health care leaders, has announced its 2012 award winners in the categories of Health Care Emerging Leader, Volunteer of the Year and Supporting Organization of the Year.
December 12, 2012
Healthcare providers are justifiably worried about cuts in reimbursement, but some are finding other services they already perform that can add legitimate revenue to the business if they are coded properly. As the healthcare industry coding system evolves, it is critical to understand code changes along with the relative reimbursement value of each change.
September 27, 2012
Despite opposition from the American Medical Association, the Medical Group Managers Association and numerous state specialty societies, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has approved RAC review of E/M services.
September 19, 2012
Superbills aren’t necessarily supposed include every code a physician might report. The superbill is typically a one-page reference of the most common codes used in a particular practice.
August 1, 2012
The Electronic Health Record Initiative program established by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), for eligible healthcare professional and facilities, is being implemented, and CMS is preparing to begin compliance audits related to the “meaningful use” reporting rules.
March 16, 2012
CMS issued a proposed rule for comments on “Reporting and Returning of Overpayments”. This rule, if finalized, would require persons (providers and suppliers) to “report and return overpayments by the later of the date which is 60 days after the date on which the overpayment was identified; or any corresponding cost report is due, if applicable.”
March 9, 2012
What happens after a patient leaves a facility can have a huge impact on reimbursement.
February 10, 2012
CMS has announced that their contracted Recovery Audit Contractors will focus their attention on Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities (IRFs) in 2012 to determine if IRFs are submitting data compliantly.
February 6, 2012
Catholic Health Initiatives – Iowa (CHI) received a summary judgment in their favor from the District Court for Washington D.C. related to their FYE: June 30, 1997 cost report.
June 14, 2010
Scott Mertie traveled to London, England and Edinburgh, Scotland on a Health Care Study Mission.
November 11, 2009
Scott Mertie and Kevin Crumbo accompanied Governor Bredesen and Economic Community Development Commissioner Matt Kisber on individual trade missions to China and Japan.