Financial stakes rising as auditors set their sights on providers.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is continuing to tweak its various audit programs, and the changes make it imperative that case managers stay current so they can educate the rest of the staff. Hospitals have got to get patient status right up front, and that means case managers should review every patient who comes in from every point of access. Hospitals should eliminate the silos within their various departments and outside the hospital walls with post-acute providers so everyone can work together for better patient care. Case managers should work closely with their physician advisors and admitting physicians as well as being involved in revenue cycle activities.