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RVUs: share your tips on ways to maximize via documentation.


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Accurate documentations not only help reflect the amount of work we put into our patients, it can help improve RVUs. Since i'm a new PA, i always questioned how to accurately documenting my work in a precise manner. This is where i hope my fellow PAs will share your "macros" or documentation tips via this thread.

 

For instance: a patient suffered a rib fracture, you document "Definitive Fracture Care" in your note and providing care including pain control, incentive spirometer and instruction for patient to return for signs of pneumonia. By writing the phrase "Definitive Fracture Care" in your note will reflect higher RVUs.

 

Lets hear it.

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1) Yeah splinting adds RVUs but correct me if I'm wrong you have to document after splint placed alignment good and neurovascularly intact to get all the RVUs.

2) Also for toothaches which are normally low RVUs I do a supraperiosteal block and document on this. Pt's love and boost RVUs.

3) I make sure to properly document all lacs as one of the most common procedures i.e wounds greater then 3.1 cm, 5.1, and 7.1 are different billing rates and complexity (believe these are the right lengths).

4) Apparently documenting pulse ox gives 1 RVU for a patient, just started doing this.

5) If I give IV fluids I state volume depletion/dehydration or something along those lines to boost diagnosis made

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Jason: all are great points. Thanks for reminding about the post splint documentation. I do document neurovascular function post-splint but have not document alignment, so i will start doing so. As far as toothache, true "pain" patient loves blocks but most of the other toothache patients....well, they are not that in tune to getting immediate relief if you know what i mean. If i have repeat toothache patient, i tend to prescribe Lortab Elixir instead of tabs. As far as lac, i thought significant length difference is either < or > than 2.5 cm, but you are probably right.

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  • 6 months later...
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I believe the lac sizes are less than 2.5 cm, 2.6-5.0 cm, 5.1-7.5 cm, etc

always list at least 1 FH and SH feature

always write splint notes including rechecks

always mention reviews of old charts or consults if done

always document critical care time

include a ddx in your note and a medical decision making section( unlikely to be PE given xyz, unlikely acs given nl enzymes and nl treadmill, etc)

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If i have repeat toothache patient, i tend to prescribe Lortab Elixir instead of tabs. .

 

OMG the candy man has arrived

 

 

 

PLEASE stop giving out opiates to the simple tooth ache patient

 

high dose nsaid and pen v-k

 

NO opiates unless the bone is showing

 

also, NO opiates or benzo's for the patient who ran out who says "I am going to withdrawl" but has stable VS....

you are just getting played for drugs!

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I believe the lac sizes are less than 2.5 cm, 2.6-5.0 cm, 5.1-7.5 cm, etc

always list at least 1 FH and SH feature

always write splint notes including rechecks

always mention reviews of old charts or consults if done

always document critical care time

include a ddx in your note and a medical decision making section( unlikely to be PE given xyz, unlikely acs given nl enzymes and nl treadmill, etc)

 

What's funny is that I list all this anyway, but we get absolutely no RVU's as we are strict salary

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  • 4 years later...
Hello.  I am an employed primary care physician who was recently transitioned from a salaried position to a productivity-based employment contract.

 

Prior to this, I never really paid much attention to my productivity, other than listening to administrators telling me to "see more patients."  Once my compensation became tied to these numbers, however, I became intensely interested in how my productivity is determined.

 

I developed an iOS app to allow me to calculate my work RVUs at the time of coding, while I'm seeing patients.  Using the app in my practice has dramatically increased my productivity by making me aware of how the CPT codes I apply affect my reimbursement.  As an added bonus, I can now keep track of my OWN productivity, and I don't have to rely blindly on a health care administrator to provide me that data.

 

I have further developed this app, RVUcalc, for the use of other clinicians and made it available for download in the iTunes App Store for $3.99.  If there is enough interest, I will also port the application to the Android platform.

 

It is a very simple app, but it is lightning fast and very easy to use.  I have found many different uses for it in my practice.  But I think its biggest value lies in what it has taught me about the relative values of the CPT codes I use every day, and how I can optimize those codes for maximum compensation.

 

I feel that it would be very beneficial to EVERY provider on a production-based compensation model, or any provider who wants to gain insight into their productivity numbers.

It is available in the iTunes app store and more information, including a preview video, can be found at my website:

 


 

I sincerely hope that someone here finds this helpful.  It has made a HUGE difference for me.

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