RAC: Operational Challenges and Best Practices

The national rollout of the recovery audit contractor (RAC) program began March 1, although most states in the first phase will begin communication with their RAC contractors in April and May. The second phase of the rollout will occur August 1 or later. HIM professionals should continue to prepare for the implementation of RAC and develop internal procedures for how their departments will respond. This virtual meeting will provide the latest updates on the status of RAC audits, including how organizations managed the process in the demonstration states and continue to work through the appeals process. A panel of industry experts will review the essentials of preparing for and responding to RAC audits, including the RAC appeals process. In addition, tips on building an internal response team and incorporating RAC as part of the revenue cycle process will be discussed.

Objectives:

• Understand the current status of RAC.
• Identify the importance of preparing for RAC audits.
• Identify the steps to establishing an internal response team.
• Review the procedures that should be established to respond to a RAC audit.

Audience Benefit:

The nationwide rollout of the RAC program by CMS has far-reaching implications for any organization. Understanding the operational challenges and identifying best practices from those who have already been through this process will make your own implementation process smoother. The audience will learn the exact nature of the recovery audit strategy from a panel of industry experts.

Continuing Education Units Available: 2
Learning Level: 1 Awareness
Learning Category: Coding and Reimbursement

March 1, 2009, marked the official start of the permanent RAC program. Many of the 26 states in the first phase of the rollout will begin communication with their RAC contractors in April and May.

HIM professionals cannot afford to miss industry experts Denise Morris, RHIA, CCS, Senior DRG Coordinator, Health Information Management; Kelly Shaw MHA, RHIA, CCS, Compliance Manager, Medical University Hospital Authority; and Debbie Mallon RN, MPA, Assistant Vice President of Clinical Documentation Management, North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, as we focus a virtual meeting on RAC implementation and the development of internal procedures for responding to RAC. Your organization’s revenue cycle will need a strong course of action for managing the RAC process from receipt of the initial request letter through the final level of appeal. This meeting will exhibit best practices gleaned from the three-year demonstration program.

Ninety minute program includes:

• Current status of the permanent RAC program
• Methods of preparation for responding to RAC requests
• Internal steps for managing RAC requests
• Tracking and Trending of RAC requests and appeals
• Case Scenario examples of RAC process
• Live Q/A

Meeting Day Tips

• The virtual meeting link will be sent out on Wednesday, September 16 to those that have registered and paid to participant.  Additional technical support will be available on the day of the broadcast. 
• Before accessing the site, viewers should make sure that they have an active internet connection (preferably with at least 256k download speed, although  there is a second stream running at 112kbps), a working soundcard, and windows media player installed on their system.  It's preferable that viewers access via a hardwire landline internet connection as opposed to a wireless connection, if they have landline internet available.  Multiple users from the same office that shares a network may find that they slow the connection down for everyone on that network. 

• The program will start at 12 pm Central Time, which means that the stream itself will start playing at 11:45am with the 15-minute clock on screen counting down and playing music.  The video program will run from 12pm to 1:30pm, with the first 60 minutes being the presentation, followed 30 minutes of Q&A via the submit question button.

• We recommend that people log-in sometime between 11:45am and 12pm to check their connection speed.  They will have a choice of 2 speeds: medium and low. They should be able to hear the music playing and see the background video streaming smoothly.  If they do not hear music, they should check speaker volume and make sure their sound card is working properly.  If the video stream seems choppy, they should log out, then log back in and choose the lower streaming rate on screen.  If there are still issues, the user will want to contact their company IT person. 

• On the page hosting the webcast, viewers will be able to access a submit question  button on the lower right of the screen.  This will open a window and the viewer will be able to type questions and submit them to be considered by the panel.  At the conclusion, viewers can log out simply by closing the window.

Registration Fees

AHIMA members receive discounted pricing for meetings.

Repeat Program (September 23)
AHIMA Member	$160
Price	$210

Contact Customer Relations at 1-800-335-5535 for more information.

Four Ways to Register

• Online Registration (credit card only)
• Mail registration form and payment to:
  AHIMA
  Dept. 77-6331
  Chicago, IL 60678-6331
• Fax registration form to (312) 233-1500 (credit card and purchase order payments only)
• Phone (800) 335-5535 (credit card payment only).

Cancellation Policy

If you must cancel your meeting registration, you may either provide a substitute, or cancel your registration. In either case, please notify AHIMA in writing as soon as possible. A $75 processing fee is assessed on all cancellations received two weeks prior to the appropriate meeting date. After that date, the full registration fee will be forfeited unless your registration is cancelled due to an emergency. In an emergency, please notify AHIMA’s registrar of your cancellation via fax, including an explanation for your cancellation. All refunds will be processed within 30 days after receipt.

AHIMA reserves the right to cancel or reschedule a conference due to unanticipated circumstances. In the event of cancellation, registrants will be contacted and the full registration fee will be refunded. AHIMA and ATC are not responsible for any travel arrangement cancellation charges incurred by event cancellations.