Improving wRVUs Per Encounter

Editor's note: This is Part 4 of a 12-part series focused on optimizing medical group financial performance. Each brief in this series takes 2 to 3 minutes to read and identifies specific actions medical groups can take to achieve sustainable financial improvements.

Assessment

Compare work RVU (wRVU) per encounter to MGMA benchmarks for each specialty. If your practice is below benchmark, there are two possible causes:

1. Undercoding and/or inadequate documentation: This problem is especially relevant for E/M encounters, where coding levels can be compared against MGMA benchmarks. 
2. Lower service intensity compared to peers: This may manifest as a higher proportion of visits relative to procedures or a procedure mix that generates fewer wRVUs per case. 

The potential revenue opportunity can be quantified by calculating the difference between the actual wRVU per encounter and the MGMA benchmark for each specialty. Multiply that difference by the total number of encounters. Finally, multiply the total wRVU shortfall by the dollar collected per wRVU to estimate the additional revenue potential for each specialty.