Monitor is Online - Winter 2011
Volume 16, Issue 4, Winter 2011 is now available online. Click The Monitor to download the complete issue.
Auditing: Veterans and Recruits
As I am sure you are all aware, the Medical Coding and Auditing industry is undergoing drastic change, primarily due to changing governmental regulation and increased federal spending on enforcement efforts. New regulation is more clearly defining prohibited activities and generating new opportunities for receipt of scrutiny from governmental auditing authorities. This upswing in enforcement concerns this auditor as I have personal experience with the tenor of the federal government and its approach with respect to auditing functions. My concern is twofold: the majority of the federal government workforce is either at retirement age, or, is nearing this age at the same time that these agencies are ramping up their auditing and enforcement programs. This means that they will be experiencing an ever increasing deficit of qualified employees to fill these positions and have to lower the standards by which they recruit and train new employees. We all know that auditing is not, by the very nature of the work, a career that you can fall into and instantly be fully proficient. The process of developing an auditing mindset requires considerable exposure, education and common sense. There simply is no replacement, in this field, for the time and experience necessary to develop the skills necessary to be an equitable, proficient and unbiased auditor.
President's Letter
If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.
— Yogi Berra
I am here to tell you, your AAMAS Board of Directors is very clear on where we are going. This last year alone we have made great strides in organizational realignment, cost savings and revenue generation initiatives.
AAMAS Welcomes CentraMed
CentraMed is pleased to announce that the AAMAS Board of Directors has selected CentraMed’s online education program for member education. CentraMed’s catalog includes courses within the following program areas.
20/80 Engagement
Did you know that for almost any association only 20% of the membership is fully utilizing the breadth of the organization’s programs and volunteer opportunities? The rest typically use only one or two of their member benefits – most often simply the membership publication. Are you one of the 20% or the 80%?
Is Documentation Important?
How many times have we heard the word “documentation”? Documentation must be objective, legible, accurate, clear, concise and complete. This being said, documentation has meaning today, tomorrow and in the future. We never know when what we document will be needed. If you are called to testify regarding a specific patient that was under your care, will you be able to recall by reading your documentation?
Other Articles of Interest
There are several other articles that may be of interest to you like: Congratulations to new CMAS; How to become more involved with AAMAS; CMAS Recertification reminder details; New AAMAS Bylaws. Don’t forget to read the various Board of Directors reports.
Newsletter
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