Nearly 1,000 people attended our "Ambulance Billing, Coding and Compliance Clinics" - ABC3 - across the country in 2007. If you missed these events, which were called "the best billing conference in the industry" by many, you can now order the complete audio recording of our ABC3 conference held in Orlando, Florida in April 2007. 

This Audio CD includes over 10 hours of recordings from the Billing Boot Camp pre-conference and the ABC3 main conference.  The Audio CD also comes complete with all original program handout materials.  This seminar provides valuable information on Medicare reimbursement, ambulance billing, compliance and more.           

BILLING BOOT CAMP:  Pre-Conference Workshop

Sessions Include:

The Fundamentals of Ambulance Billing and Reimbursement  

This session will review fundamentally important issues in ambulance reimbursement, including a review of key terminology, a survey of the major types of payers that pay for ambulance services, a review of fee-for-service and managed care payment systems as they apply to ambulance services, the major rules and regulations that are applicable to the various payers including Medicaid and commercial insurers, and critical issues such as “assignment,” “balance billing,” “contractual allowances,” and copayment waiver and collections.   Also learn about filing appeals and pursuing denied claims.

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Origins, Destinations, Mileage & More

We will review the specific coverage rules regarding origins and destinations for ambulance transports.  We will review the “closest appropriate facility” rule, and take a close look at when certain exceptions may apply.  We will address the problem of how to bill and be paid for “excess mileage,” and will review the “locality rule” and discuss its impact on this issue.   You’ll also learn strategies for determining proper billing in emergency department “bypass” or “divert” situations, and how to distinguish between clinics, physicians offices, diagnostic or therapeutic centers, and other types of destinations.

Solving the Mysteries of Medicare

Medicare represents the single largest payer for most ambulance services.  Representing anywhere from 40% to 60% of total ambulance service revenues, the impact of Medicare cannot be understated.  Therefore, a firm understanding of Medicare basics is absolutely vital.  This session will review important concepts such as the major components of Medicare for ambulance services.  Also learn about provider enrollment, coverage eligibility requirements, Medicare’s ambulance vehicle and crew requirements, and claim submission deadlines.  You will learn about the rules regarding "mandatory assignment," "mandatory claim submission," and beneficiary signatures, including when and under what circumstances others may sign for the beneficiary.  This session will also review all of the ambulance service procedure codes and corresponding definitions for each level of service, and provide examples for each.  We will also explain the basics of the “Medicare Secondary Payor” program.

Mastering Medical Necessity

We will take a detailed look at the medical necessity requirements for both emergency and nonemergency transports—one of the toughest areas to deal with in ambulance reimbursement.  We will thoroughly review the so-called "presumed criteria" for emergency transports, the rules regarding bed confinement, as well as the other conditions that may justify ambulance transport.  You will also learn all of the requirements for physician certification statements for both repetitive and non-repetitive patients.  The special challenge of dialysis patients will also be covered.  We will use specific documentation examples throughout this insightful session.

ABC3 - Main Conference

Sessions Include:

Reimbursement Update

Always a crowd pleaser, we will kick off the conference by bringing you up-to-date on all the current reimbursement news and changes.  This session will review the latest in Medicare rules, policies and regulations, condition code changes, new CMS regulations and interpretations and other "cutting edge" information that you can put to use right away.  We’ll cover breaking news and other new information, updated right up until the conference date.

The Coding Clinic — Real Answers to Real Claims

By popular demand, this session will focus entirely on actual claim examples and supporting documentation.  We will review individual claims, both emergency and nonemergency, at all levels of service and provide specific - and sometimes surprising -coding recommendations based on the supporting documentation.  This session will also include specific examples on how to effectively use the new condition codes.  The Coding Clinic was rated as one of the most popular sessions at our prior ABC3 clinics.

In the Trenches Collection Strategies — What You Should (and Shouldn’t) Do

This session will provide detailed strategies regarding collections on “self-pay” accounts.  We’ll review sample billing and collection letters, and a sample "Hardship Determination Waiver" process that you can use when patients claim that they cannot afford to pay your bill.  Learn strategies for taking patients to collections and for instituting small claims court actions and legal proceedings when necessary.  You’ll also learn when to request or accept “letters of protection" from a patient’s attorney and strategies for dealing with patients who are represented by attorneys, including how to cope with settlement offers that are much less than what was billed.  Learn about “liens and lawsuits” and how they affect your collections, as well as bankruptcy issues

Proper Documentation Skills — How to Get Your Crews to Fall in Line!

One of the most common questions we receive at our conferences is, "How do I get my field personnel to document more thoroughly and completely?"  Well, we have heard your plea!  Learn how to implement specific strategies to improve your crew field documentation skills.  We will review proven documentation QA strategies that you can put to use right away.  Effective documentation training strategies will be presented, to help you improve your in-house training efforts.  We will also present novel and effective ideas for personnel incentive programs based on documentation accuracy and completeness consistent with your organization’s compliance obligations.

Dealing With Facilities — Payment, Documentation, Compliance and More!

                        Knowing when to bill a facility — such as a skilled nursing facility or hospital - and when to bill Medicare for a patient transport is a critically important compliance issue.  Learn — in detail — the applicable billing rules under PPS and Medicare DRGs to allow you to make prompt and accurate billing decisions.  Strategies for obtaining necessary documentation from these facilities — for both emergencies and non-emergencies — to support your prompt and proper billing decisions, as well as ways to educate facilities and physicians about your documentation needs will be presented. We will discuss the importance of working with facilities to ensure prompt and timely payment of ambulance bills, as well as what billing personnel need to understand about discounting fees to facilities.

Accounts Receivable Management  –  How Well Should You Be Doing?

The performance of your billing office — or your billing vendor - is critical to the overall

success and cash flow of your organization.  However, many ambulance services have no idea how to judge the performance of their billing operation, whether it is in-house or outsourced.  This session will define critical concepts of payer mix, collection percentages and other important performance indicators to allow you to accurately assess your overall billing performance.