ABQAURP News
May / June 2009
Recovery Audit Contractors (RAC) —
What They Mean for You
According
to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the next
steps have been taken in the agency’s comprehensive efforts to identify
improper Medicare payments and fight fraud, waste, and abuse in the
Medicare program by awarding contracts to four permanent Recovery Audit
Contractors (RACs) designed to guard the Medicare Trust Fund.
In
the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006, Congress required a
permanent and national RAC program to be in place by January 1, 2010.
The national RAC program is the outgrowth of a successful demonstration
program that used RACs to identify Medicare overpayments and
underpayments to health care providers and suppliers in California,
Florida, New York, Massachusetts, South Carolina, and Arizona. The
demonstration resulted in over $900 million in overpayments being
returned to the Medicare Trust Fund between 2005 and 2008 and nearly
$38 million in underpayments returned to health care providers.
The
goal of the recovery audit program is to identify improper payments
made on claims of health care services provided to Medicare
beneficiaries. Improper payments may be overpayments or underpayments.
Learn more in ABQAURP’s upcoming Webinar to be hosted in Spring 2009.
Watch the website for details!
Is Your Medical Education Accredited?
ABQAURP welcomes applications for joint sponsorship of educational
activities for continuing education credit. ABQAURP accredits a variety
of activities, including:
| • Live Activity | • Internet Activity Live |
| • Enduring Material | • Internet Activity Enduring Material |
| • Journal-based CME | • Performance Improvement |
ABQAURP
is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical
Education (ACCME) to sponsor continuing medical education for
physicians and is also accredited by the Florida Board of Nursing to
sponsor nursing contact hours. As an accredited provider, ABQAURP is
here to work with each joint sponsor organization to ensure the
accreditation process runs as smoothly as possible. Benefits of working
with ABQAURP include: one-on-one assistance, on-site assistance,
contact for speakers and commercial supporters, evaluation compilation,
website placement, and advertising in the Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare magazine.
ABQAURP
believes that ongoing continuing education in new research, identified
problem areas in clinical practice, and areas of interest in the
quality assurance, utilization review, risk management, and managed
care fields is a worthy endeavor to pursue. Participants improve the
efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of health care delivered to the
patients to improve the overall clinical outcome. Plus, each activity
encourages participants to put into practice knowledge learned and
assess the impact. Innovative courses provide important updates and
practical tools for all health care professionals. These activities
ensure that participating health care professionals receive up-to-date
information on the ever-changing health care environment.
For more information, please call
Greg Zeaman at (800) 998-6030, ext. 118.
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2009 “Recruit a Member” Drive
A
strong membership foundation ensures a strong association! As a
Diplomate or AIHQ Member, you are ABQAURP’s strongest and most valuable
resource. Your involvement in this year’s membership development
campaign plays an essential role in ensuring the vitality of our
organization.
ABQAURP will be rewarding the
member who recruits the largest number of new members with a $500 VISA
gift card plus a Member Spotlight on the home page of ABQAURP’s
website. In addition, Diplomates and AIHQ Members continue to earn a
$25 credit for each referred individual who converts to an AIHQ or
Corporate Member or sits for the HCQM Certification Exam by December
31, 2009. This credit may then be used toward membership fees,
publication purchases, or conference registrations. The top recruiter
will be awarded the prize in January 2010. Visit www.abqaurp.org and go to the “Member’s Only” page for eligibility rules and full details.
Want to be featured in Patient Safety and Quality Healthcare?
ABQAURP wants to recognize members for their achievements in advancing
the field of health care quality management and patient safety. Please
send your news to ABQAURP by email to feature@abqaurp.org for consideration.
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