SUMMARY OF HIMG SERVICES

1. Health Information Management (HIM) Department Support Services

2. Coding Audits and Support Services

3. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Readiness

4. Institution and Physician Practice Compliance

Recognizing an increasing need for focused support within the Health Information Management (HIM) department, AMS has assembled a team of seasoned professionals to form the Health Information Management Group (HIMG). Our credentialed professional staff can help with all aspects of traditional HIM workflow analysis and activity as well as provide billing and coding proficiency audits and support. On-site consulting services are designed to assess existing HIM operations, coding, and compliance systems, and to provide not only recommendations for improvement, but also the tools to achieve it!

Additionally, the HIMG will provide health care compliance plan development and implementation, and can provide assistance with understanding and preparing for implementation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) mandates, including readiness benchmarking, assessment of compliance with confidentiality, security and electronic data interchange requirements, and devising strategies for successful policy and procedure implementation.

The HIMG also draws upon the strengths of two well respected AMS professional groups that have been successfully serving the needs of health care clients since 1967-the Systems Engineering Group (SEG) a leader in systems analytical productivity improvement and the Accounts Receivable Management Services (ARMS) group, which offers a wide range of expertise in receivables management and revenue cycle improvement.

Let AMS and its HIMG assist you with:

1. Your HIM Department Management needs with added emphasis on documentation and compliance, the HIM department workload has increased over 25% in many instances, outstripping the ability of staff and systems to keep pace. AMS can provide staff and expertise to tackle backlogs, streamline operations and improve efficiency. Complete department appraisals including review of policies and procedures, assessing compliance with Joint Commission standards, and assisting with general work flow processes have enabled our clients to streamline processes and establish consistency in work flow, quality and staff performance.

HIM Department Support Services

• Interim HIM department management
• Joint Commission readiness
• Physician Credentialing
• Policy and Procedure review
• Backlog reduction
• Transcription assessment/strategy
• Organization reviews
• Workflow analysis

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2. Coding needs - AMS can provide professional coding expertise to assist with a myriad of coding issues. Whether performing coding audits, billing reviews, or providing interim coding services or educational resources, AMS will help you realize greater efficiencies in your coding operations.

Coding Services

• Interim coding
• Coding back log clean up
• Policy and procedure review and development
• Data quality assessment
• Staff assessment
• Staff training
• Product evaluation
• APC and APG assessment

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3. HIPAA needs - With the advent of implementation of the HIPAA the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) mandates, HIM departments again take center stage. HIPAA provides an excellent opportunity to revisit confidentiality policies and to strengthen HIM's role as a leader in patient privacy initiatives. AMS can assist with overall organization assessments and educational program development to meet the critical HIPAA requirements.

HIPAA Readiness Services

• Facilitate organization wide implementation of HIPAA team
• Provide baseline assessment for HIPAA readiness
• Review correspondence policies and procedures
• Assess "Release of Information" guidelines and procedures
• Review vendor contracts for HIPAA compliance
• Provide staff education Ð department and organization wide
• Assess physical safeguards and other HIPAA mandates

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4. Compliance needs - The investigation of health care fraud is one of the most important priorities of state and federal governments and third party payers. The issuance of compliance guidance by the Office of the Inspector General creates new areas of concern and opportunities for operational and systems improvement. AMS will be your guide to navigate this complex new area by providing comprehensive compliance services, products and advice to help you manage your clinical laboratory, third party billing company, hospital, nursing home and physician practice compliance issues..

Compliance Services

• Compliance plans, policies and procedures
• Standards of Conduct and Business Practices
• Establishing hotlines and other reporting mechanisms
• ICD - 9 and APT coding audit and documentation review
• Investigation and reporting protocol development
• Review and redesign of encounter forms
• Staff training and certification
• "Advance Beneficiary Notice" - "ABC" requirements
• Physician documentation and reassignment rule

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EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE

AMS HIMG is comprised of credential health information management professionals with a varied range of experiences. They include former directors of health information management departments; coding specialists with ICD and CPT instructor experience; and a credentialed licensed attorney with HIM and a strong compliance operational background. HIMG staff are assisted by the experience from SEG and ARMS professional staff to deal with related operational and billing issues. Many of AMS' professional staff are local and nationally recognized experts, and speak regularly, write on and monitor issues and industry developments affecting health care, HIM and compliance policy.

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