Pointshare adds to APC coding service - ambulatory payment classifications - Brief Article

Health Industry Today, June, 2001

Pointshare, Bellevue, Wash., said its CodeCorrect[TM] service can help device and med-surg supply manufacturers as well as health care providers determine ambulatory payment classifications (APC) that can in turn help improve their bottom lines.

The new service is said to help increase reimbursement for ambulatory and surgical procedures by assisting compliance with the Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) Medicare coding system.

The new APC coding service, said the company, is an additional module to the existing coding service Pointshare currently offers its customers.

Medicare OPPS regulations require hospitals to bundle codes for ambulatory and surgical procedures and their associated supplies into one bill.

Pointshare said real-time access to monthly, weekly and often daily government updates helps users manage changes and access coding data that can increase reimbursement levels.

"CodeCorrect-APC has the most current pass-through list available," said Diane Jepsky, executive VP for coding and compliance at Pointshare.

"Since the introduction of OPPS, hospitals have reported a 20% to 30% reductgion in reimbursement. The decrease in revenue is attributed to confusion surrounding charge masters, coding and the pass-through list."

The APC coding data is available through Pointshare's CodeCorect.com, an application service provider specializing in coding, compliance and consulting the health care industry.

For information, contact the company at 425-468-0323 or log onto www.codecorrect.com.

* www.pointshare.com