Reducing SNF Claim Denials Common Errors and Preventive Auditing.pdf

Reducing SNF Claim Denials: Common Errors and Preventive
Auditing
Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) are facing rising claim denials that directly impact their revenue and
efficiency. According to the 2024 Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) data, the improper payment rate for SNF
services hit 17.2%, which equals about $5.9 billion in potential losses. The CMS Supplemental Improper
Payment Data (2023) also revealed that SNF inpatient Medicare Part A claims had an error rate of 14.9%,
almost double the average of other healthcare providers.
Surprisingly, most SNF claim denials are not due to medical necessity but documentation errors. In 2023,
79.1% of improper payments were caused by insufficient documentation alone. Other major issues
include delayed responses to medical record requests and coding mismatches in HIPPS and MDS data.
To prevent these errors, SNFs must focus on auditing, reviewing, and strengthening their claim
submissions process. This blog breaks down the most common SNF billing errors and explains a preventive
auditing framework that helps facilities reduce denials, improve compliance, and safeguard revenue.
Read detailed blog: https://www.247medicalbillingservices.com/blog/reducing-snf-claim-denials-
common-errors-and-preventive-auditing
Email: info@247medicalbillingservices.com Visit Us : https://www.247medicalbillingservices.com Call: +1 888-502-0537

Common Errors That Cause SNF Claim Denials
SNF billing involves many steps — from patient admission to final claim submission. Errors in
any of these stages can lead to claim rejections or payment delays. Below are the most frequent
problem areas:
Read detailed blog: https://www.247medicalbillingservices.com/blog/reducing-snf-claim-
denials-common-errors-and-preventive-auditing

1. Pre-Submission and Documentation Errors
1.1 Missing or Late Physician Certification
Medicare requires physicians to certify that a patient needs skilled care and renew that certification on
time. If these certifications are missing or late, the claim is immediately denied.
1.2 Missing or Incomplete Physician Orders
Every service — therapy, wound care, or diet change — must have a valid physician order. Missing or
undated orders make payers doubt medical necessity, leading to claim denials.

1. Pre-Submission and Documentation Errors
1.3 MDS and HIPPS Coding Mismatch
The Minimum Data Set (MDS) determines the HIPPS code used for billing under the Patient-Driven
Payment Model (PDPM). If the MDS data (like diagnoses or therapy minutes) doesn’t match the patient’s
chart, payers view it as an inconsistency and may deny the claim.
1.4 Missing 5-Day or Discharge Assessments
Failure to submit required 5-day or discharge MDS assessments on time leads to automatic rejections.
Every Medicare stay requires these assessments to be completed and accepted by the state database.

2. Coding and Billing Errors
2.1 Incorrect Diagnosis or Procedure Codes
Using the wrong ICD-10 or procedure code is one of the top causes of SNF billing denials. The claim must
accurately reflect the patient’s documented condition.
2.2 HIPPS and Case-Mix Coding Errors
Errors in HIPPS or case-mix coding can cause overpayment, underpayment, or total denial. These mistakes
happen when staff misinterpret assessment data or choose the wrong PDPM group.
Read detailed blog: https://www.247medicalbillingservices.com/blog/reducing-snf-claim-denials-common-
errors-and-preventive-auditing

2. Coding and Billing Errors
2.3 Duplicate or Overlapping Claims
Submitting multiple claims for the same service dates is a common administrative error. Always verify the
claim status before resubmission to avoid duplicate billing.
2.4 Span Date and Timely Filing Errors
Incorrect service dates or claims filed after the payer’s deadline result in instant denial. SNFs must track
their billing cycles and submission timelines carefully.
Read detailed blog: https://www.247medicalbillingservices.com/blog/reducing-snf-claim-denials-common-
errors-and-preventive-auditing

3. Post-Submission and Appeals Errors
3.1 Delayed or Incomplete Appeals
Even valid denials go unresolved when appeals are filed late or without full documentation. Missing
therapy notes or certifications weaken your appeal and reduce recovery chances.
3.2 No Root-Cause Analysis of Denials
When the same denials keep recurring, it’s often because the root cause—like a documentation gap or
communication breakdown—was never fixed. Analyzing these causes helps prevent future denials.

Preventive Auditing Framework for SNFs
A proactive auditing framework can identify and correct billing issues before they result in claim denials.
Here’s how SNFs can structure their internal review process:
1. Pre-Claim Scrub and Review
Before claim submissions, perform daily or batch reviews using claim-scrubbing tools. These identify
missing information, wrong codes, or mismatched documentation early.
2. Sample Internal Audits
Conduct regular audits on a random sample of claims to check accuracy. Compare billing details with
patient charts to confirm that services are documented and compliant.

3. Focused Process Audits
Target high-risk areas such as new admissions, therapy documentation, or initial claim submissions.
Focused audits ensure front-end verification and coding accuracy.
4. Denial Trend and Root-Cause Audits
Analyze denied claims by payer or reason to identify repeating issues. Use these findings to provide
focused staff training and fix weak points in the workflow.
5. Ad-Hoc Audits
Whenever there’s a change in payer rules or billing codes, perform quick audits. This helps the SNF stay
compliant with new billing standards.

6. Audit of High-Risk Areas
High-risk services—like therapy, comorbidity coding, or certifications—should be audited monthly or
quarterly. This ensures accurate documentation and proper reimbursement.
7. Post-Audit Feedback and Continuous Improvement
Every audit should end with a report summarizing errors, corrective steps, and follow-up actions.
Continuous feedback helps SNFs strengthen their billing accuracy over time.

Why Outsource to 24/7 Medical Billing Services
Partnering with an expert team like 24/7 Medical Billing Services can make a huge difference in preventing
SNF claim denials.
We specialize in SNF billing services, combining advanced automation with human expertise to simplify
complex workflows.
•Accurate claim submissions
•Reduced denials and faster payments
•Stronger compliance with PDPM, Medicare, and Medicaid rules
When your SNF’s billing process runs smoothly, your staff can focus more on patient care rather than
paperwor

FAQs
Q1. How often should SNFs perform internal audits?
Most facilities conduct weekly pre-billing reviews and monthly random audits to catch issues early.
Q2. How do payer policy updates affect claim approvals?
Even small rule changes can trigger denials if your billing systems or staff are not updated promptly.
Q3. How does proactive auditing support compliance?
Proactive auditing ensures your SNF consistently meets Medicare, Medicaid, and private payer
documentation standards, reducing the risk of denials.

ABOUT US
We are a medical billing company that offers ‘24/7 Medical Billing Services’ and support physicians,
hospitals, medical institutions and group practices with our end to end medical billing solutions. We
help you earn more revenue with our quick and affordable services. Our customized Revenue Cycle
Management (RCM) solutions allow physicians to attract additional revenue and reduce
administrative burden or losses.
Our company was founded in 2005 and is now a leading organization of highly motivated
and certified coders & billers in the US medical billing industry. Our current employee strength is
500+ and we have ambitious plans to grow more rapidly.
As a leading Medical Billing Outsourcing Company we take care of the complete setup & enrolment
in about one to four weeks time depending on the complexity of the project. We have certified trainers
with 10+ years of experience to train the newcomers so they can get acquainted with the specialty
jargons & stay updated with the recent coding developments.

Contact us
For More Information:
ü Call Us : 888-502-0537
ü Email Us : Info@247medicalbillingservices.Com
ü Visit us : https://www.247medicalbillingservices.com
Our Office Locations:
ü Ohio : 28405 Osborn Rd, Cleveland, OH 44140, United States
ü Delaware : 16192 Coastal Hwy, Lewes, DE 19958, United States
ü Texas : 2028 E Ben White Blvd, #240-1030 Austin TX, 78741

Contact us
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Ø LinkedIn : https://wwww.Linkedin.Com/Company/24-7-medical-billing-services/
Ø YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnXCz_45u1QKChv5z7BbLAw

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