Author: aslocal

From small practices to large health systems, optimizing reimbursements through accurate clinical documentation is essential for financial health, sustainability, and growth. It also plays a critical role in maintaining compliance with regulations and providing high-quality patient care. 

Learn how to optimize reimbursements from your exams and ensure the financial health and sustainability of your organization by evaluating these four key areas related to ultrasound documentation. 

1. Accuracy of Documentation  

Prioritize comprehensive, clear, and precise documentation.  

Accurate and comprehensive documentation of ultrasound procedures is essential for optimizing your billing practices. By ensuring precise documentation, you minimize the risk of claim denials and audits.  

It’s crucial each ultrasound report clearly describes and outlines the type of examination, findings, measurements, interpretations, and any associated diagnoses. Inadequate or ambiguous documentation can result in coding errors, claim denials, and delays in reimbursement, impacting the overall financial health of your organization.  

Accurate documentation also lays the foundation for effective charge capture by ensuring that all the services performed during the ultrasound procedure are clearly recorded.  

2. Effective Charge Capture and Reconciliation  

Ensure all services rendered are billed appropriately with timely and accurate charge reconciliation.  

Effective charge capture involves accurately recording and reconciling all billable ultrasound services and includes not only the main ultrasound procedure, but also additional services that were completed during the examination.  

Failing to capture charges appropriately can result in lost revenue, billing errors, claim denials, and compliance issues. To ensure effective charge capture, healthcare organizations should implement processes, technologies, and quality assurance measures to minimize errors.  

Timely and accurate charge capture will maximize efficiency by ensuring that all billable services are properly recorded and billed. Additionally, streamlined workflows and reduced administrative burden will free up resources to focus on other priorities.  

3. Compliance of Coding and Billing  

Ensure compliance with coding guidelines and regulations.  

Proper coding and billing practices prevent underbilling and overbilling, which could lead to significant losses, legal issues, and penalties. Compliance with coding guidelines is also crucial for maintaining trust with patients and payers.  

Ultrasound procedures have specific Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes that must be assigned correctly based on the documentation. Compliance with relevant coding and billing rules, such as National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI) edits and local coverage determinations (LCDs), helps prevent claim denials and audits.  

Properly coded and billed claims also provide reliable data for financial analysis. This data is invaluable in identifying revenue trends, potential areas for improvement, and strategic decision-making opportunities to enhance your organization’s financial performance.  

  

4. Ongoing Staff Education and Training  

Improve departmental efficiency with ongoing training and education. 

Providing ongoing training and education to staff is crucial for maintaining a well-informed and efficient department. They should be familiar with coding and billing guidelines, documentation requirements, insurance policies, and any updates or changes in regulations.   

Also ensure that staff have access to reliable support and receive thorough onboarding and training for the technology you leverage. Properly trained staff are more likely to accurately capture charges, reduce errors, and contribute to departmental efficiency within a more financially efficient department.  

By addressing these areas and implementing technology to help automate coding and correct errors, ultrasound departments can enhance their processes to optimize reimbursements, ensure financial sustainability, and improve patient care.  

Nasrin Benion, MBA, RDMS, knows the ins and outs of maintaining a successful MFM department, having managed 8 clinical sites in her career as a leader and sonographer.

Her experience driving key initiatives that supported her department’s financial success, and keen knowledge of physician, sonographer, surgeon, and administrative needs have given her an invaluable understanding of the difference that implementing the right technology makes for clinicians.

Watch as Nasrin shares her journey from using AS Software to joining the team, why she is so passionate about the value of AS Software for alleviating the pain points of clinicians, and her commitment to AS Software customers.

Sonographers are at the heart of patient care, working tirelessly each day to capture highly technical images while putting patients at ease. We want to help recognize the hard work and dedication of sonographers, who each deserve to be celebrated and appreciated!

Whether you’re a fellow sonographer, a coworker, a patient, or a friend — please take a moment to nominate an outstanding sonographer who makes an impact in your life or community. We are accepting nominations through October 20, 2023.

Recipients will receive an award along with a $250 digital gift card of their preference from a selection of over 200+ popular retailers, restaurants, and service providers.

Award Categories

Team Player

The Team Player award recognizes a sonographer who demonstrates outstanding teamwork skills, collaboration, and consistently uplifts their colleagues.

Inspiring Leader

The Inspiring Leader award recognizes a sonographer who has demonstrated outstanding leadership, vision, and the ability to inspire and guide their colleagues towards excellence.

Community Advocate

The Community Advocate award recognizes a compassionate sonographer who goes above and beyond to serve their community and exemplifies the true spirit of giving back.

Selection Committee

Derek DellaVecchia

RDMS, RDCS, RVT, RMSR

Priya Patel

MBA, RDMS, RDCS, RVT

Jeanne S

Nasrin Benion

MBA, RDMS

Jeanne Sottile

AAS, RDMS, RVT

Terms and Eligibility

Nominees must reside in the United States and be a current, or former, licensed sonographer. A nominee may be nominated for more than one category. Nominators can submit more than one nomination for different nominees. Nominations may be submitted by peers, community members, or employers, and self-nominations are accepted. Nominations must be completed through the nomination form before the submission deadline of October 20th, 2023. Award recipients who are prohibited from retaining the monetary value of the award can either donate it to a charitable cause of their choice, or decline it.

Learn why sonographer wellness is more important than ever and how to help prevent and alleviate physical and mental pain.

In the forum, our panelists discuss and share:

  • How sonographers can advocate for themselves
  • The impacts of work-related musculoskeletal disorders
  • The challenges of maintaining ergonomics
  • Helpful industry resources for preventing and alleviating pain

Featuring:

Nasrin Benion
MBA, RDMS

Marybeth Tomory
BS, RDMS AB, OBGYN, FE

Jeanne S

Jeanne Sotille
AAS, RDMS, RVT

Discover the smartest cloud solution built for Women’s Health

Thanks for stopping by during The Georgia OBGyn Society annual meeting to see how our ultrasound reporting and image management platform is transforming Women’s Health with:

  • Workflow automation for faster, more accurate diagnostics
  • Reduced documentation time for enhanced clinician support
  • Alleviating technology burdens for seamless workflows

Event information

The Georgia OBGyn Society hosted the 72nd Annual Educational Meeting at The Westin Resort & Spa at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina August 24-26, 2023.  GOGS, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and the Georgia Section of ACOG have partnered to bring the premier continuing medical education, networking, and business meeting for obstetricians and gynecologists. 

This quick demo covers how to:

  • Manage and store ultrasound images for long-term or short-term periods
  • Instantly access ultrasound images from anywhere
  • Use customized labels to collaborate and mark significant images — tied to our SQL database for quality assurance, accreditation, case studies, and more
  • View 3D/4D volume renderings and cine loops with no lag time, and archive to your PACS or VNA
  • Annotate images, automatically calculate measurements, and easily update image measurements within your ultrasound reports
  • Compare ultrasound images to previous studies side by side and embed images in your final ultrasound reports

Creating ultrasound reports is more pain-free than ever before

Get more time back in your day and 💜 sonography again.

It was great to see you at the conference. We loved showing you how our ultrasound software supports a better sonographer workflow, with:

  • Patient history and order detail pulled directly from your EHR into the report
  • Pre-built templates, guided auto-fill and unlimited customization for your practice
  • Automated CPT coding for instant charge capture

Attendees

Nasrin Benion

Nasrin Benion
MBA, RDMS
Director of Clinical Ultrasound

Derek DellaVecchia
RDMS, RDCS, RVT, RMSR
Senior Account Executive

Matt Hansen

Matthew Hansen
Account Executive

Event Information

Location: Gaylord National

201 Waterfront Street
National Harbor, MD 20745-1135

Dates: September 21-23, 2023

Conference Agenda

Exhibit Hall Directory

About The Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (SDMS)

SDMS Floorplan