Welcome to Compass

Welcome to “COMPASS,” the newsletter of the Billing Compliance Office. This newsletter will periodically inform clinical faculty, house staff and other University personnel about current issues related to professional fee billing. Compliance with the rules, regulations and policies in this area is challenging as the regulatory requirements governing professional fee reimbursement are complex and changing.

The Billing Compliance Office was created by Columbia University, Health Sciences Division in 1996 to direct the effort to enhance billing compliance. In developing a compliance program, the Health Sciences focused on establishing standards, creating awareness of the standards, and monitoring and enforcing the standards.

Staff of the Billing Compliance Office include Dr. Robert M. Lewy, Chief Compliance Officer; Dr. James S. Lieberman, Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Services, and Medical Director for Billing Compliance; Ms. Lynne White, Director for Billing Compliance; and Ms. Marilyn Hernandez, Billing Compliance Analyst.

Please feel free to share your thoughts and concerns with me, or with any member of the staff. We are committed to make certain that faculty and staff are fully informed about applicable laws and regulations so that they do not inadvertently engage in conduct that may raise compliance issues. We can be reached at 305-3842 (Ext. 73842), or FAX 305-4147.

Sincerely,

Robert M. Lewy, M.D.
Senior Associate Dean for Academic Appointments and Regulatory Compliance

Contents

Health Care Fraud and Abuse Efforts Expand

Requests for Documentation from Health Insurance Carriers

Hotline Established

Patient Signature-on-File Required

Steering Committee Approves Records Retention Policy

Compliance Steering Committee Approves Corrective Action for Billing Non-compliance Policy

Top Ten Critical Success Factors for Achieving Minimum Risk Related to Faculty Physician Billing Compliance

The Teaching Physician Modifiers “GC” & “GE”

Re-Thinking Professional Courtesy