AHA survey: Hospitals continue to appeal RAC claim denials

Hospitals continue to appeal Recovery Audit Contractor claim denials, according to the latest report from the AHA's quarterly RACTrac survey. Hospitals participating in the first-quarter 2015 survey report appealing 44% of all RAC claim denials, with a 73% overturn rate in the appeals process. Hospitals also report that RACs cite inpatient coding error as the most common reason for claim denials. In addition, hospitals continue to spend significant funding and resources to manage the RAC process, according to the survey. Hospital representatives are invited to attend a webinar July 8 at 2 p.m. ET to review recent RAC policy developments and results from the survey, which helps hospitals monitor the impact of RACs and advocate for needed changes to the program. For more information, visit www.aha.org/rac.