RFID: Defined for Hospital Inventory Tracking

Posted on August 17, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

A Supply Chain Management Strategy

By Staff Reporters

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RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION

RFID refers to a device attached to an object that transmits data to an RFID receiver. A device can be a large piece of hospital hardware the size of a small book like those attached to ocean containers, or a very small device inserted into a label on a package. RFID has advantages over bar codes such as the ability to hold more data, and to change the stored data as processing occurs. Moreover, it does not require line-of-sight to transfer data, and is very effective in harsh environments where bar-code labels will not work. RFID is not without its own problems, however, as RF signals can be compromised by materials such as metals and liquids.

SCM: https://medicalexecutivepost.com/2011/06/09/supply-chain-management-in-healthcare/

Although RFID technology is receiving much current attention, it still tends to be cost-prohibitive for some hospital inventory tracking applications. As chip prices go down, there will be continued growth in the application of RFID, but, as in the case of 2D bar codes, many hospital warehouse applications simply do not require this added functionality. The low-cost 1D bar code may continue to be the technology of choice for many hospital inventory tracking applications in the short term.

Smart labels are labels with integrated RFID chips. The idea is to produce labels (probably with bar codes) as well as programming the RFID chips embedded in the label. This would provide all current functionality (human- and machine-readable text and bar codes) as well as adding RFID functionality.

Slap-and-ship describes an approach to complying with vendor requirements for physical identification of shipped goods. More recently, slap-and-ship has been used to describe complying With RFID requirements (such as those from large health care systems); however, it is also applicable to any compliance labeling requirement (such as compliance bar-code labels). Slap-and-ship implies meeting the customer’s requirement by applying the bar-code labels or RFID tags, but not utilizing the technology internally.

SCM PODCAST: https://medicalexecutivepost.com/2022/03/16/podcast-medical-supply-chain-management/

Finally, anti-skimming bills were first approved by California and Washington State relative to RFID privacy and are focused on making it illegal for criminals or businesses (or criminal businesses) to read and use personal information from RFID-enabled items such as driver’s licenses and credit cards without the owner’s consent.

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Filed under: "Ask-an-Advisor", business, Glossary Terms, Health Economics, Information Technology, Videos | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

CHARGE MASTER: Medical Bills Paradox

Posted on November 20, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

SPONSOR: http://www.CertifiedMedicalPlanner.org

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CHARGE MASTER MEDICAL BILLS

Classic Definition: A comprehensive review of a physician, clinic, facility, medical provider or hospital’s charges to ensure Medicare billing compliance through complete and accurate HCPCS/CPT and UB-92 revenue code assignments for all items including supplies and pharmaceuticals. The charge master captures the costs of each procedure, service, supply, prescription drug, and diagnostic test provided at the hospital, as well as any fees associated with services, such as equipment fees and room charges

Modern Circumstance: A charge master quizlet (charge description master [CDM]) document that contains a computer-generated list of procedures, services, and supplies with charges for each. Charge master rates are essentially the health care market equivalent of Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) in the car buying market. Poor charge master maintenance can lead to overpayments or underpayments. It can also lead to claim rejections from insurance companies, poor patient experience, or compliance violations.

Paradox Examples:

  • Superbills: An encounter form that is the financial record source document used by healthcare providers and other personnel to record treated diagnoses and services rendered to the patient during the current encounter. It is also called a superbill.
  • Payment rates: Almost no one actually pays the publicized charge master rates. The vast majority of health care consumers are represented by a payer of some kind, such as a commercial health insurance company, Medicaid, or Medicare. Commercial insurers negotiate the actual prices they pay during the process of contracting with providers. Medicare and Medicaid establish their own payment levels independent of hospitals’ charge master lists – Medicare through the federal government and Medicaid through state governments.
  • Cash pay: The sad irony of the charge master is that the uninsured are the most likely to be billed charge master rates because they are not represented by a third-party payer.
  • Problematic features: Other items also impede the ability of payers to have a comprehensive and accurate understanding of hospitals’ financial positions. For example, nonprofit hospitals are required to report charity care, bad debt expenses, community benefit initiatives, and uncompensated care. When these expenses are reported at the charge master level, expenses can be paradoxically overstated, potentially making a hospital’s financial position look worse than it actually is.

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Filed under: "Advisors Only", "Ask-an-Advisor", "Doctors Only", Accounting, CMP Program, Glossary Terms, Health Economics, Health Insurance, Health Law & Policy, Healthcare Finance, iMBA, Inc., Insurance Matters, Managed Care, Marcinko Associates | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »