PACS study kit
Cheatsheet, term cards, never-miss list, and a seven-day plan. Original study material.
The rule
Is it gated. Is the packet complete. Work the clock. Approve or refer. This desk does not issue the denial.
A thin chart is a gather step. A failed portal submit still needs a timestamped backup channel.
Never miss
- Covered and authorized are different facts.
- Adjacent services can have separate gates.
- A scheduling comment is not clinical evidence.
- Expedited is a definition, not a courtesy stamp.
- PACS is optional and is not the spine of a VA prior-auth career.
- Status calls get minimum necessary after you verify the caller.
Traps
- Inventing a finding the plan rule asked for.
- Quietly downgrading expedited to standard.
- Promising claim payment from an authorization.
- Writing 'send everything' as the missing-item ask.
Shortcuts
- Member, provider, service, then clinicals the rule names.
- Name the exact missing document.
- Next owner and next check time in every note.
Memory hooks
- GATE-PACKET-CLOCK-REFER. Four moves of authorization work Do them in order.
Punishing economics relative to VA pay. Present as optional, never as the path spine.
- Day 1Is the service gatedRead the Is the service gated terms, then the never-miss lines that touch this domain.
- Day 2Packet completenessRead the Packet completeness terms, then the never-miss lines that touch this domain.
- Day 3Clock and expedite routingRead the Clock and expedite routing terms, then the never-miss lines that touch this domain.
- Day 4Escalation and scopeRead the Escalation and scope terms, then the never-miss lines that touch this domain.
- Day 5Payer communicationRead the Payer communication terms, then the never-miss lines that touch this domain.
- Day 6Mixed recallRun the term cards, then a short drill. Restate the one-line rule out loud.
- Day 7Full drillSit the 15-question exam and review every miss against this kit.