Physician Advisor Reviews Improve Patient Outcomes

Physician advisor (PA) reviews play a crucial role in improving patient outcomes by facilitating various processes within healthcare organizations. PAs act as liaisons between hospital administration, clinical staff, and support personnel to ensure compliance with regulatory issues, advise physicians on medical necessity, and help achieve overall organizational goals related to the efficient utilization of healthcare services. Physician advisors contribute to better patient outcomes through several key activities.

Second-Level Physician Advisor Medical Necessity Reviews

Physician advisors perform second-level medical necessity reviews for patient cases that do not meet first-level screening criteria or lack a documented expectation of length of stay. These reviews help determine the appropriate level of care for patients, such as inpatient admission, outpatient observation, or discharge to an alternative setting. By ensuring that patients receive the right care at the right time and place, physician advisors can improve patient outcomes by reducing unnecessary hospitalizations, complications, readmissions, and costs.

Peer-to-Peer Discussions

Physician advisors engage in peer-to-peer discussions with commercial payer medical directors for cases that have been denied. These discussions aim to resolve medical necessity issues before claim submission, thus preventing revenue loss for the hospital. By advocating for the hospital and the patient, physician advisors improve patient outcomes by securing appropriate reimbursement for the services provided and avoiding delays in care delivery.

Length of Stay Reviews

Physician advisors assist case management in conducting length of stay reviews. These reviews are particularly valuable in cases where there is no progression in the plan of care, an ambiguous plan of care, or where there may be an opportunity to arrange for a plan of care at an alternative level. By optimizing the utilization of hospital resources and ensuring timely discharge planning, physician advisors contribute to improved patient outcomes. Enhanced communication and coordination among providers result in higher patient satisfaction, improved quality of care, and better continuity of care.

Clinical Documentation Improvement

Physician advisors collaborate with the clinical documentation improvement team to support clinical documentation improvement initiatives. They help ensure accurate documentation of the patient’s clinical complexity and capture the appropriate ICD-10 codes. This effort ensures accurate reimbursement for services and compliance with coding and billing regulations. By educating providers on documentation best practices, physician advisors enhance patient outcomes by improving data quality, risk adjustment, and performance measurement.

Moving Forward With Physician Advisor Reviews

The bottom line is that  physician advisor reviews are essential for improving patient outcomes by ensuring compliance with regulatory issues, advising physicians on medical necessity, and helping achieve overall organizational goals related to the efficient utilization of healthcare services. Physician advisors leverage their clinical expertise and leadership skills to conduct second-level medical necessity reviews, facilitate peer-to-peer discussions, assist case management with length of stay reviews, and work with the clinical documentation improvement team. Through these efforts, they contribute to reducing unnecessary hospitalizations, complications, readmissions, and costs; securing appropriate reimbursement for services and avoiding delays in care delivery; enhancing patient satisfaction, quality of care, and continuity of care; and improving data quality, risk adjustment, and performance measurement.

Sources:                             

1. What is a Physician Advisor?
2. The Physician Advisor’s Role in Case Management
3. Physician Advisor Utilization Review Jobs
4. Association of Physician Leadership in Care Management
5. Physician Advisors in Utilization Review: A Narrative Review