Cardiology: Understanding the Imperative of Pre-Authorizations

In continuing our observance of American Heart Month, during the next live edition of the Talk Ten Tuesdays live Internet radio broadcast we will zero in on the topic of coding and clinical documentation integrity (CDI) issues related to cardiovascular procedures – and, specifically, the importance of obtaining pre-authorizations for cardiology procedures.

Obtaining cardiology procedure pre-authorizations tends to be a time-consuming process, depending on the complexity of the patient’s insurance coverage and staff experience. And that is why we invited Susie Vestevech, the COO for TiaTech USA, to walk you through the process, which can range from several days to several weeks, often requiring multiple phone calls and documentation submissions.

Every year, some 805,000 people in the United States have a heart attack. Basically, someone has a heart attack every 40 seconds. Making certain that your facility is prepared to obtain cardio procedure pre-authorizations is of vital importance every month, not just in February.

The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:

• Coding Report: Laurie Johnson, senior healthcare consultant with Revenue Cycle Solutions, LLC, will report on the latest coding news.
  
  
• SDoH Report: Tiffany Ferguson, a subject-matter expert on the social determinants of health (SDoH), will report on the news that’s happening at the intersection of coding and the SDoH.
  
  
• News Desk: Timothy Powell, CPA, will anchor the Talk Ten Tuesdays News Desk.
  
  
• TalkBack: Erica Remer, MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc. and Talk Ten Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.