MedicareFind tip: Sizing up a topic

When you’re researching topics that are new to you, MedicareFind puts a lot of information in front of you. As many of you may be familiar, you can then use our filters, sorting, thesaurus, and other features to access the particular information that is useful to you. But what I’d like to highlight here are a couple ways you can enhance your knowledge of a topic without even opening a document.

Let’s take billing for observation services as an example, where we might find this results page. There are a little over 1,100 results here, and we can narrow in on information by using the filters and other refinements. But in addition to this narrowing function, the filters themselves are a great source of information for us if we’re trying to get a handle on a topic — they tell us when and where information about this topic is coming from, and what sort of information it is.

Let’s take this one at a time:

When? Take a look at the filters and corresponding number of results under the “Year” section — this will give you a rough idea of whether the topic is a new area of concern, an old one that hasn’t been addressed recently, or one that receives regular attention. In the case of observation, it appears to be a regular concern with spikes in certain years.

Where? Now look at the filters under the “Source” section — this will tell you who cares about the topic. Is it an enforcement concern? Then the OIG might have weighed in. Are there local coverage issues? Then local contractors will be producing documents. In the case of observation, it looks like quite a few entities have something to say.

What type of information? Lastly, look at the “Document Type” filters — these give you a sense for what sort of guidance you can expect to find. Are there edits for this topic? Are the local coverage policies new or retired, or still being drafted? Is this something that the CMS manual system addresses? Was there rule making? You can start answering some of these questions by looking at what filters are available to you. In the case of observation, the document types run the gamut — contractors have weighed in with LCDs, CMS has discussed it on Open Door Forum calls, and the OIG has released audit reports.

The observation example is a simple one, but you can test this out on your own topics of interest. You may already have a great understanding of most of the topics you’re researching — in which case you won’t need to take advantage of these resources — but when you’re trying to get your bearings in a difficult area, every bit of information helps.

Happy FINDing! Sign up for a MedicareFind free trial today.