Management of Your Revenue Cycle and Appeals: Tools for Office Managers and Clinicians

October 28, 2008

CDs of this event are available for purchase. Click here to order.

Expert Speakers:

Carmen Elliott, MS, is an Associate Director with the Payment Policy & Advocacy unit at American Physical Therapy Association. Her primary responsibilities at APTA include communication with members about reimbursement issues, including physical therapy coverage, payment, coding, managed care contracting, workers compensation and auto liability coverage. She also assists in coordination of activities between the Component Reimbursement Chairs and the Payment Policy unit.

Prior to joining APTA in September 2006, Carmen was a Practice Administrator for a large physical therapy practice in Southern Maryland, in which she oversaw the daily operations of 5 outpatient PT clinics. She also worked as a Network Development Specialist for a Managed Care Organization in which she was in charge of developing a provider network and contracting with providers in the Southern Maryland region.

Carmen received her BS degree in Biology from Bowie State University, Bowie, MD and a MS degree in Health Care Management from Marymount University, Arlington, VA.

Jim Nugent was the Director of Reimbursement at APTA from 1994 to earlier this year. He is currently reducing his full-time role but serves as a Senior Policy Analyst of Payment Policy & Advocacy as he transitions to retirement. Prior to joining APTA in 1992, he spent 20 years in the healthcare insurance industry, primarily with local Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans, where his particular area of expertise was claims processing operations. He also worked for four years establishing a specialty managed care organization.

Jim is heavily involved with private third-party reimbursement particularly in the areas of workers' compensation, claims coding, and managed care.

He holds a BS degree in Financial Management from the University of Virginia and an MA in Economics from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Original Audio Conference Description:

The flow of revenue coming into a physical therapy practice is a cycle that starts when a patient schedules an appointment and ends when the payment of services is received. Physical therapy practices often underestimate the financial impact of an efficient revenue cycle management process. An efficient revenue cycle process will significantly reduce the physical therapist practice's administrative cost, including time-consuming administrative efforts such as investigating and appealing claims that payers have denied. This audio conference will help you to take a closer look at internal processes and record keeping within your facility and help you maximize efficiencies within your office staff.

APTA Payment Policy & Advocacy staff will tell you what you need to know about the processes involved in managing your revenue cycle. APTA will also discuss strategies in minimizing denials and in using your appeal rights to your maximum advantage. During the Q & A session following the presentation you may ask questions directly to the experts.

Upon completion of the audio conference, you will be able to:

• Identify the processes involved in revenue cycle management in provider's offices.
• Develop effective strategies to successfully write and submit appeal claims with payers.
• Develop tools that help maximize efficiencies in overall operational performance by office staff.
• Identify areas that may negatively impact revenue cycle management, subsequently cash flow into the office.
• Identify strategies for successfully managing claim denials and appeals.

Continuing Education Units: Each registered participant will receive a Certificate of Attendance to earn .2 CEU or 2 contact hours after successful completion of a test with a score of 70% or better.

[Last updated: 03/27/09 | Contact: advocacy@apta.org]