Craneware Experts Discuss Best Practices for Compliance Performance Improvement at National Events

ATLANTA, April 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Experts from Craneware, Inc. (AIM: CRW.L), the market leader in healthcare revenue integrity solutions, will speak and participate in national healthcare industry forums during the next four weeks to raise awareness of industry best practices for compliance, including new health reform legislation requirements.

The newly adopted Healthcare Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act (public law section 111-148) creates additional requirements that make it necessary for hospitals to more closely scrutinize their outpatient claims data, which has grown more complex with this law. Fundamental changes to public law, coupled with expanded fraud and abuse statutes, give very little tolerance to errors. Billions of dollars are being spent for additional Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Health and Human Services (HHS) and Office of Inspector General (OIG) agents to ensure there is a reduction in fraud and abuse dollars as represented by U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports.

"These factors make it more critical than ever for hospitals to submit accurate claims the first time," commented Craneware's Executive Vice President of Marketing Ann Marie Brown. "Not only to reduce serious noncompliance risks, but also because it is vital that hospitals price, charge and code appropriately for optimal reimbursement so they can continue successfully serving their communities."

On April 18-21, Craneware will exhibit solutions at the Health Care Compliance Association's (HCCA) 2010 Compliance Institute in Dallas, Texas, booth #713. The solutions help healthcare provider organizations to:

• Ensure accuracy, efficiency and consistency in their revenue integrity processes.
• Identify compliance issues at the source before they become patterns of behavior that require repeated correction.
• Stop revenue leakage and charging errors that put organizations at risk of non-compliance penalties.
• Have processes and information needed to respond to compliance inquiries.

Also this week, on Tuesday, April 20, nationally known author and speaker, Craneware Consultant Bill Malm, ND, RN, will leverage his more than 20 years experience in clinical and financial healthcare to lead two workshops at the Annual Conference of the American Association of Medical Audit Specialists (AAMAS) in Orlando, Fla. The first workshop is an in-depth look at "Emergency Department Revenue Cycle Management."

In a second AAMAS workshop on April 20, Malm will provide an in-depth understanding of best practices for "Chargemaster Data Management and Data Mining."

On April 22, also at the AAMAS Conference, Craneware Professional Services Resource Manager Elaine Dunn, MS, RRT, RPSGT, will present insights and best practices on charging, coding and billing processes for respiratory therapy services.

On Monday, May 10, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EDT, Malm will co-lead an HCPro Audio Webcast, "Billing for Non-Covered Services: Incorporate Recent Changes into Policies and Procedures," with Judith Kares, JD, CPC, a practicing attorney and compliance consultant. Kares has 25 years experience representing hospitals, third-party payers and other health care clients in the areas of health care contracting and regulatory compliance.

The Webcast will cover how to incorporate the changes required to meet the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) new guidelines for issuing advance beneficiary notices (ABNs) and billing for non-covered services. The speakers will discuss the impact on patient access, billing, and Medicare processing, the importance of accurate documentation for proper reimbursement, and provide guidance on effective techniques for discussing the potential financial impact of non-covered services on patients.

Craneware Revenue Integrity Solutions™ help healthcare providers use industry best practices to achieve operational efficiency, compliance and legitimate reimbursement. Craneware's product families - Revenue Cycle, Supply Management and Strategic Pricing - all provide hospitals with increased visibility into their financial performance, helping hospitals to proactively identify, address and prevent revenue leakage while assuring compliance.

View the social media release at http://pitch.pe/58312.

About Craneware

Craneware (AIM: CRW.L) is the leader in automated revenue integrity solutions that improve financial performance for healthcare organizations. Craneware's market-driven, SaaS solutions help hospitals and other healthcare providers more effectively price, charge and code for services and supplies associated with patient care. This optimizes reimbursement, increases operational efficiency and minimizes compliance risk. By partnering with Craneware, clients achieve the visibility required to identify, address and prevent revenue leakage. To learn more, visit craneware.com.

SOURCE Craneware, Inc.