1 CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS 101 Marcia Brauchler, MPH CPC, CPC-H, CPC-I, CPHQ April 4, 2011 10:15 – 11:45 a.m. Track: Revenue Cycle Management Session: 7G All Rights Reserved. 1 AGENDA Why bother? Set yourself up for success Prepare, prepare, prepare Begin with the End in Mind Caution – don’t get stuck Negotiation strategies Monitor for continued success Questions? 2
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CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS 101
Marcia Brauchler, MPH CPC, CPC-H, CPC-I, CPHQ
April 4, 2011 10:15 – 11:45 a.m.
Track: Revenue Cycle Management Session: 7G
All Rights Reserved. 1
AGENDA
Why bother? Set yourself up for success Prepare, prepare, prepare Begin with the End in Mind
Caution – don’t get stuck Negotiation strategies Monitor for continued success Questions?
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It’s your practice’s paycheck You probably have more leverage than you
think Practices do SUCCEED – if it is given priority Mandated fee schedules are not negotiable Commercial lives are dwindling The market place is getting smaller – payor
consolidation
Why Bother?
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Colorado Payors circa 2000 Aetna Affordable Alliance Anthem BCBS Antero Health Plan Beech Street Colorado Access Community Care Network
(CCN) Community Health Plan of the
Rockies (CHPR) CorVel Concentra CIGNA Health Care CompreCare Coventry Health Care First Choice of the Midwest First Health GEHA/PPO USA Network
FOCUS Great-West Humana, Inc. Kaiser MedRisk MetLife Mountain Medical Affiliates
(MMA) Mutual of Omaha MultiPlan One Health Plan PacifiCare Private Healthcare Systems Prudential Rocky Mountain Health Plans Sloans Lake Take Care Western Health Plan United Healthcare
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Colorado Payors – Today
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Aetna Anthem CIGNA
Colorado Access
Coventry Humana Kaiser
Rocky Mountain
United Healthcare
Viant
RESOURCES for gathering Payor Data for Your State:
HMO: your state’s Department of Insurance PPO: proprietary, broker or employer advocacy group Medicare Advantage: Medicare beneficiary website IPAs/PHOs: hospital websites, under “Payors we
Accept” Workers’ Compensation Carriers: Department of
Workers’ Compensation Auto/Lien Payors: claims adjustor for large insurers,
like State Farm; lawyers with non-insured cases
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AGENDA
Why bother? Set yourself up for success Prepare, prepare, prepare Begin with the End in Mind
Caution – don’t get stuck Negotiation strategies Monitor for continued success Questions?
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Get organized, manage the process Where do you start?
#1 Define your Payor Mix
For example:
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Set yourself up for success
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TIP: “Twenty Percent Rule”
No more than 20% of your total practice managed care revenue should come from a single payor Ideal, but usually not reality
Diversification is protection Have an open mind when it comes to new
players
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Set yourself up for success
Hypothetical Payor Mix: Year to Percent of
Date Total Plan Name Receipts Business Alpha Payor 130,439 17.20% Beta Payor 123,194 16.25% Delta Payor 107,512 14.18% Omega Payor 74,745 9.86% Theta Payor 67,916 8.96% Zeta Payor 42,207 5.57% Other 29,077 10%
100.00% 10
Set yourself up for success
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Get organized, manage the process Where do you start?
#1 Define your Payor Mix #2 Define your Product Mix
HMO PPO Medicare Workers Compensation
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Set yourself up for success
TIP: Gather your own Patients’ Plan Data
How? Practice Management system EOB review Front Desk “survey”
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Set yourself up for success
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TIP: Get Payor Online Access
How? Find the payor(s) provider sites. For example, Aetna, CIGNA and United Health
Care: http://navinet.navimedix.com/Main.asp
Why?
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Set yourself up for success
#2 Define your Product Mix Which EMPLOYERS offer which Insurance
Plans? Health plans Product Lines Benefit exceptions (i.e. no preventive) Vision & Dental
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Set yourself up for success
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TIP: Ancillary Provider Map of Insurance Plan to Ancillary Networks
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Set yourself up for success
OptumHealth Health New England United Healthcare
Healthways Aetna Humana Kaiser Principal Sterling
American Specialty Health CIGNA Fallon Community TUFTS UniCare
Get organized, manage the process Where do you start?
#1 Define your Payor Mix #2 Define your Product Mix #3 Determine how your Participation Agreements are held For each physician Individually, Group, IPA
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Set yourself up for success
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Get organized, manage the process Where do you start?
#1 Define your Payor Mix #2 Define your Product Mix #3 Determine how your Participation
Agreements are held #4 Determine contracted reimbursement
terms by product % of RBRVS, Conversion Factors, Discount
off Billed
Here’s how . . . 17
Set yourself up for success
#4 Determine contracted reimbursement terms by product . . .
Determine if reimbursement is fixed on a given year of RBRVS
Consider what components of RBRVS does the payor utilize Geographic adjustment, site of service differential, etc.
A thought about “Term”
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Set yourself up for success
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TIP: Disregard payors who say you can’t negotiate now
“Term” Section Negotiation window . . . Ugh.
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Set yourself up for success
Payor Contract Entity
Scheduled Change
Year of RBRVS
% of RBRVS
Last Reimbursement
Update
Alpha Payor IPA July 1st fixed 2007 130% 1/1/2008
Beta Payor Direct,
individual N/A fixed 2005 125% 9/1/2006 Delta Payor IPA Nov. 1 current 2011 140% 6/1/2011 Omega Payor Direct April 15th current 2012 110% 1/1/2012
Theta Payor Direct, Group Jan. 1st current 2011 125% 4/1/2011
Zeta Payor Direct,
individual 2nd Qtr current 2011 150% 7/1/2011 20
Set yourself up for success
#4 Determine contracted reimbursement terms by product . . .
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Get organized, manage the process
#5 Define Codes that matter to the Practice Gather the following:
Superbill with CPT and HCPCS codes Fee schedule with charges for each code Frequency count of CPT & HCPCS codes Commonly used ICD-9 codes
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Set yourself up for success
#5 Define Codes that matter to the Practice
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Set yourself up for success
CPT Code DESCRIPTION
FREQ. (including
with modifiers)
Alpha Payor Beta Payor Delta
Payor Omega Payor
Theta Payor Zeta Payor
Contract through: IPA Direct IPA Direct Direct Direct Effective date: 1/1/2008 9/1/2006 6/1/2011 1/1/2012 4/1/2011 7/1/2011
• Ensure circumstances are represented in calculating acceptable rates.
Prepare, prepare, prepare
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Contracting – 40% Completion
40% Read Language & Draft Revisions
• Review language and fee schedule terms.
• Know the deal-breakers.
Prepare, prepare, prepare
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AGENDA
Why bother? Set yourself up for success Prepare, prepare, prepare Begin with the End in Mind
Caution – don’t get stuck Negotiation strategies Monitor for continued success Questions?
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Contract Negotiation
Skim the Contract
• Skim – locate relevant data
• Focus on what matters the most
• Don’t get lost in the verbiage
Negotiation Strategies
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Contract Negotiation
Read the Contract in Detail
• Comprehend the contract • Refer to checklist • Make no assumptions
Negotiation Strategies
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Contract Negotiation
Prioritize Your Needs (Changes) & Prepare for Negotiation
• Prioritize • Prepare • Negotiation
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Negotiation Strategies
Dress Rehearsal Who will be present from your side, from their side? Where will the negotiations be held? Who will say what and when? How much time will be allocated? Who will produce an agenda? Who will summarize the actions and potential tasks? Who will document the meeting? Agree to not agree.
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Contract Negotiation
Negotiation Strategies
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Contract Negotiation
Ask for Everything!
• Agenda • Prepared prioritization list
• Timing 43
Negotiation Strategies
Negotiation Strategies
Introductions include: name, title, function
Distribute agenda Establish parameters for negotiation Present what you bring to the table Present your data Ask for what you want Be willing to listen and hear what they are saying Be open to explore all options Document interaction, task, assign dates and who is
responsible Summarize
“Taking initiative does not mean being pushy, obnoxious, or aggressive. It does mean recognizing our responsibility to make things happen.”
Stephen R. Covey
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Negotiation Strategies
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Contract Negotiation
Endure the Negotiation Process
• Stakeholders apprised • Commit everything to
writing
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Negotiation Strategies
Now what?
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Prepare, prepare, prepare
0% Identify Payor Contact
10% Draft & Send Health Plan
Proposal
20% Follow-up with Payor
30% Receive Offer from Payor
40% Read Language & Draft
Revisions 50% Language & Rates Acceptable
60% Signature on Contract
70% Credentialing Packet Submitted
80% Contract Returned Correctly
90% Credentialing Approved
100% Effective Date
Police Reimbursement
for Accuracy
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Contracting – 50% Completion
50% Language & Rates Acceptable
• Ensure language is acceptable.
• Practice agrees acceptable.
Prepare, prepare, prepare
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Contracting – 60% Completion
60% Signature on Contract
• Print agreement • Assemble • Get signatures
Prepare, prepare, prepare
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Contracting – 70% Completion
70% Credentialing Packet Submitted
• Complete packet • Provide requested
documents • Work with billing company
Prepare, prepare, prepare
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Contracting – 80% Completion
80% Practice Returns Contract Correctly
• Scan document • Save in easy to find location at Practice
Prepare, prepare, prepare
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Contracting – 90% Completion
90% Credentialing Approved
• Be responsive. • Be proactive.
Prepare, prepare, prepare
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Contracting – 100% Completion
100% Effective Date
• Welcome letter to practice
• Legal document • Effective date = ultimate confirmation
Prepare, prepare, prepare
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AGENDA
Why bother? Set yourself up for success Prepare, prepare, prepare Begin with the End in Mind
Caution – don’t get stuck Negotiation strategies Monitor for continued success Questions?
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Now what?
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0% Identify Payor Contact
10% Draft & Send Health Plan
Proposal 20% Follow-up
with Payor 30% Receive Offer
from Payor
40% Read Language & Draft
Revisions 50% Language & Rates Acceptable
60% Signature on Contract
70% Credentialing Packet Submitted
80% Contract Returned Correctly
90% Credentialing Approved
100% Effective Date
Police Reimbursement
for Accuracy
Monitor for Continued Success
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Educate Stakeholders Get front desk schedulers & pre-auth coordinator
information on Payors “Red Light/Green Light” Online payor log-ins
Share effective date and new reimbursement data with billing staff . . .
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Monitor for Continued Success
Example for Payor Monitoring:
CPT Code MEDICARE 201X
Alpha HMO
7/1/2011
Beta PPO 201X
RBRVS
Delta Workers
Comp
Gamma Plan 201X
RBRVS
99201 $35.79 $48.32 $46.53 $62.08 $44.91
99202 $61.85 $83.50 $80.41 $90.73 $79.95
99203 $90.22 $121.80 $117.29 $133.70 $118.69
99204 $137.39 $185.47 $178.60 $191.00 $167.85
99212 $36.94 $49.87 $48.02 $57.30 $46.78
99213 $59.59 $80.44 $77.46 $85.95 $65.21
99214 $89.52 $120.85 $116.38 $128.93 $101.86
99215 $120.88 $163.19 $157.14 $186.23 $147.71 56
Monitor for Continued Success
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Monitor for Continued Success
Mark calendar Stay proactive Conscientious monitoring
Renegotiation Schedule
Final Words . . .
Organization on all levels is essential. Follow the steps in the order outlined for best
results.
Monitor for Continued Success
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Questions?
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Marcia Brauchler, MPH, CPC, CPHQ Physicians’ Ally, Inc.