NMH Billing is not affected by the RICO process. SOC procedures repeated for research purposes will be billed per the established NMHC process with standard CPT codes as required for the purposes of the study.
RICO will have an initial fee for review, amendment fee for major protocol or budget changes, and additional support service as noted on the memo dated 11/10/21.
RICO fees will be applicable to industry-sponsored studies utilizing Radiology imaging services at NMH. If the industry-sponsored study only utilizes Northwestern University core facility resources at CTI, the study will be referred to CTI to follow their registration process and scanning fees.
RICO will utilize NUCore for billing purposes. Charges will be reconciled on a monthly basis. Once the study is active and the chart string is generated, the finance contact listed on the competition's application will receive a monthly notification to review the charges listed.
We will provide a detailed study budget which will include all RICO associated fees and the imaging CPT codes. Departments will still need to create a study-specific detailed budget and include the imaging CPT codes provided. This process is unchanged from standard practice.
NMH Billing is not affected by the RICO process. SOC procedures repeated for research purposes will be billed per the established NMHC process with standard CPT codes as required for the purposes of the study.
No, we do currently not have the authority to provide support at satellite hospitals.
NMH Billing is not affected by the RICO process. SOC procedures repeated for research purposes will be billed per the established NMHC process with standard CPT codes as required for the purposes of the study.
RICO will have an initial fee for review, amendment fee for major protocol or budget changes, and additional support service as noted on the memo dated 11/10/21.
RICO will utilize NUCore for billing purposes. Charges will be reconciled on a monthly basis. Once the study is active and the chart string is generated, the finance contact listed on the competition's application will receive a monthly notification to review the charges listed.
This is for radiology technician training. Studies often require training for technicians prior to or alongside patient enrollment. The feedback we received from techs is that training for certain studies can take up to 3-4 hours. Technicians will report this effort to RICO monthly, charges will be billed to the study via NUCORE and NMH will invoice RICO for reimbursement.
If a radiologist becomes a Co-Investigator, per IRB rules that person would be added to the IRB study and to DOA logs. Through the RICO evaluation process, the review committee will help identify a radiology Co-Investigator if deemed appropriate/necessary for each study.
Yes, each study will require RICO review. If certain additional support services are not required due to the same scanning protocol being used, those fees will not apply.
RICO determined an hourly rate was most appropriate due to the varying needs of each study.
Fees for the analysis report would cover NU personnel as they would be performing this work. These fees will only be charged where applicable. A few for this additional support service fee:
A standard clinical read is required for the study à Standard workflow via Epic would apply à the read will be billed via standard CPT code and included in the letter of support provided to the outside department. No additional research analysis fees will apply.
A study that includes a Radiology co-investigator with percent effort requires an additional or non-standard of care read, meaning study-specific information/requirements are needed à Fee for research analysis report will not apply because this work is accounted for in the Radiology co-investigator's effort for the study.
A study without a Radiology co-investigator requires a non-standard read à Research analysis report will apply and the fee will be listed on the letter of support provided to the outside departments.
To be determined and will depend on the availability of scanners due to the clinical schedule being a priority. We expect the RICO process will improve turnaround time.
We understand the intake form is extensive, but the up-front effort will streamline the review process and generation of the detailed study budget. Currently, the study intake process is not standardized and centrally managed which has led to significant delays for prior imaging studies. We anticipate that the new RICO process will increase intake efficiency and reduce workload for all departments utilizing radiology imaging services and NMH. RICO staff will also assist in the completion of the intake form.