ERN/The National Council of Reimbursement Advocacy

11/27/2025

Gratitude. Most days, our work doesn’t slow down long enough for gratitude to breathe. Healthcare, compliance, reimbursement, regulation— the pace is relentless.

Deadlines press in.
Decisions carry weight.
People’s lives, access, and outcomes depend on what you do.

And yet Scripture reminds us:

“Through Him… let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise.” — Hebrews 13:15

Gratitude is a sacrifice.
Not because we don’t value people—but because gratitude rarely fits neatly into the urgency of our schedules, our responsibilities, or the pressures we quietly carry.

In the rush, it becomes easy to overlook the very things that keep our world standing:

• A nurse choosing compassion after a 12-hour shift
• A utilization review nurse overturning a denial that preserves patient access to care
• A claims examiner honoring policy with integrity
• A regulator protecting safeguards that often go unseen
• A colleague who shows up when it would be easier not to
• A case manager who advocates like family
• A provider giving more despite receiving less.

These moments don’t announce themselves.
They don’t compete for attention.
They hold us together.
And sometimes—
without meaning to—
we forget to say thank you for them.

Entitlement robs us of gratitude. Too often, we miss the beauty of what’s ordinary:
the coworker holding the door,
the partner making breakfast,
the neighbor waving,
the weather cooperating,
the body functioning,
the bed that held us through the night,
the technology that connects us,
the breath in our lungs.
Thankfulness is rarely convenient.
That’s why it’s powerful.

It requires us to pause, notice, and acknowledge what we could have easily taken for granted. So today— we choose gratitude.

Not because life is simple, but because choosing gratitude releases treasure to other people.

A Great-Full Cup Exercise:

Take a mug or plastic cup.
Write the name of a colleague.
Invite others to take a Post It and finish the sentence:

“Something I’m proud of about you…”

Change the routine of doing nothing into the routine of saying something.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Ed and Anu Norwood, & The ERN Enterprises Team

11/06/2025

Providers are citing the law — and winning.

Exactly one week from today, we’re hosting the final 2025 session revealing the administrative laws hospitals are using to overturn denials and recover millions.

If you work in denial management, compliance, or revenue cycle, this is the one session you don’t want to miss.
You’ll walk away knowing which laws win — and how to use them in 2026.

🗓️ Thursday, November 13, 2025 — 8:30 AM (via Zoom)
📘 Booklet with laws included

👉 Register Here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/cu/8Aa1kuO?source_id=e104aee1-9ab1-4689-aea8-071fceaf222e&source_type=em&c=ULnKkszGbvdwTsrra7UJLuJEunXAI0eA5Avsv__6BfW9X-jrG6PYkQ==

10/24/2025

Providers are rewriting how appeals are won.

CMS has clarified what defines compliance in 2026—and it’s no longer about interpretation.
It’s about citing the law that proves your case.

ERN’s PCCP Accelerated Boot Camp breaks down the legal reasoning behind every successful appeal, teaching providers how to apply the same federal and administrative laws CMS enforces across MA, VA, and ERISA.

Every concept taught is grounded in real cases, proven frameworks, and the statutes hospitals are using to win.

📅 Thursday, November 13th | 8:30 AM (Virtual)
💻 PCCP Accelerated Boot Camp: Learn What’s Winning Appeals in 2026

Register Now: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/cu/8Aa1kuO?source_id=e104aee1-9ab1-4689-aea8-071fceaf222e&source_type=em&c=ULnKkszGbvdwTsrra7UJLuJEunXAI0eA5Avsv__6BfW9X-jrG6PYkQ==

10/18/2025

Our greatest place of influence is our ministry.

💙 Behind every patient’s heartbeat… is someone ensuring their access to care.

To every Case Manager and Patient Financial Services professional — this week, we celebrate you.

You are the advocates who make sure patients aren’t just seen, but cared for.
The ones who turn compassion into compliance, and obstacles into outcomes.
When care gets complicated, you make it possible.

At ERN, we see you, we value you, and we’ll keep doing everything we can to advocate for the people who advocate for patients.

Thank you — and Happy National Case Management & Patient Account Management Week! 💙

10/15/2025

“Money is a reward that solves a problem. You are either solving a problem or you are the problem.” - Dave Martin

What kind of problem do you solve?

What do you owe your patients, providers, industry, or sphere of influence?

We harm others when we don't give what we owe them.

At ERN, we strive to be better than the last time you saw us and solve payor problems with administrative laws.

Don’t miss November 13, 2025.

Save the date to change the narrative and see what has changed.

(**Individuals that desire to transition their tenacity to healthcare are also welcome to attend).

https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/cu/8Aa1kuO?source_id=f98f8898-5fa0-4be9-81c5-3f5c653e7b77&source_type=em&c=j_G1pfLxjLjSVo3E-HlhjLJY8eE3J8P5Y_apoboBPG0LHQAjZ30Jrw==

10/09/2025

Everything we are learning right now is to create a weapon (or slingshot) to put our fingerprints on for the next generation.

When all the smoke is cleared, how will we know you were here—at ground zero—to save people’s lives, a broken system, a broken process, a broken patient, or relationship?

What is your slingshot?

10/03/2025

The Government Shutdown: Is Provider Revenue at Risk?

The federal shutdown is changing how appeals and payments are handled — placing more responsibility on providers to protect their own revenue and preserve patient access to care.

Shutdown impacts:
CMS oversight is reduced. CMS will not be issuing many clarifications or fielding provider questions. Oversight of contractors is scaled back, and non-urgent surveys are suspended. (CMS FY 2026 Contingency Plan, HHS.gov)

ERISA/EBSA audits are paused. With 75% of staff furloughed, research, audits, and enforcement are on hold — leaving employer-sponsored health plans with less scrutiny. (BenefitsPRO, Oct. 1, 2025)

What remains protected:
VA operations continue. Nearly 97% of VA employees remain working, and 38 U.S.C. §117 provides advance appropriations for medical care. This ensures payments to providers and veteran care are safeguarded despite the shutdown. (VA Contingency Plan)

What this means for providers:
Denials and payments will not stop — but with reduced oversight, payors have more leeway to misinterpret rules. Providers must anchor appeals in administrative law and federal regulations to prevent revenue and authorizations from being withheld.

We’ve created a simplified resource — The Government Shutdown: What Providers Need to Know (Medicare, MA, VA, and ERISA) — outlining what continues, what slows, and the specific laws you can use to defend your revenue and protect your patients during the shutdown.

09/23/2025

🔥 Your “YES” leaves fingerprints no one else can. Footsteps fade, but fingerprints remain on lives, systems, and stories forever.
When the smoke clears, will others know you were here—at ground zero—saving lives, rebuilding what was broken, leaving your mark where it mattered most?

💡 Live for impact, not just income.

08/21/2025

One Letter. $300,000 Won.

That’s what a California Ambulance Association member shared today after using one of our proprietary RevAssurance database letters to overturn a $300k dispute with a major payor.

One slingshot. 400+ tools.

This is why we built RevAssurance Online. For providers like you. To make sure you never walk into a payor fight unarmed.

And now, we’re making it easier than ever for our CAA family to join:

✨ Exclusive Offer for CAA Members Only ✨
🔹 Take an extra 10% OFF our 25th Anniversary Sale on RevAssurance subscriptions, renewals, and support packages (already 25% off)
🔹 That’s a total of 35% savings if you subscribe by Friday, August 22, 2025

🎟️ Coupon Code: amb10 (CAA providers only, expires 8/22/25)
🎟️ Or use 25YEARS (exclusive 25% off, expires 8/31/25)

👉 Subscribe now: https://www.ernenterprises.org/key-features/

At ERN, we don’t just train compliance.
We train champions.

08/08/2025

25 Years of Advocacy. A New Chapter Begins.

This week marks 25 years of ERN Enterprises standing on the front lines challenging payor misconduct, fighting for medically appropriate healthcare, and streamlining administrative law so providers can do what they were called to do: save lives.

For a quarter of a century, we’ve carried a simple but unshakable mission: leave our fingerprints on healthcare, workplaces, people, processes, and relationships for generations to come.

From overturned denials to landmark appeals…
From protecting patients to empowering providers…
Every battle we’ve fought has been fueled by the belief that justice in healthcare isn’t optional—it’s essential.

To mark this milestone, we’ve reimagined our online home. Our new website isn’t just a facelift—it’s a living testament to the lives touched, the cases won, and the relentless pursuit of doing what’s right.

🌐 Visit the new ERN Enterprises website today and see how we’re shaping the future of healthcare advocacy.

👉 https://www.ernenterprises.org

Here’s to 25 years more—and the lives we’ll impact in the years ahead.

07/31/2025

🚨 Healthcare Warriors — This One’s for You 🚨

Tired of egregious Medicare Advantage, ERISA, and VA denials?

Frustrated watching payers rewrite the rules while services rendered to patients go uncompensated?

It’s time to flip the script.

Join us October 23, 2025 for our 25th Anniversary Master Class:

🎯 Mastering Federal Appeal Concepts (Live via Zoom)

In this powerful, two (2) hour course, we’ll equip you with:

✅ Proven strategies to overturn denials with ERN proprietary appeal concepts
✅ Administrative law insights that shift payer behavior
✅ Templates, timelines, and tactics to fight back with confidence, clarity & courage

We don’t just train compliance.
We train champions.

Whether you're a seasoned pro or just stepping into the fight, this class will sharpen your voice, strengthen your advocacy, and protect your ability to provide care.

💻 Live via Zoom | 🕘 8:30 AM – 11:00 AM PST

🎉 Celebrating 25 years of saving lives and defending providers.

🔗 Register today!

Email from Introducing our brand-new course Mastering Federal Appeal Concepts! Secure your spot today. As we celebrate 25 years of defending patients and providers, and redefining denial prevention, i

07/11/2025

🔥 We save lives. 🔥

When Hudson was just 12, he faced the unthinkable. After two failed leg-lengthening surgeries, his State Medicaid plan decided it was cheaper to amputate his leg than send him out of state to a specialist who could help him walk again.

When his health plan slammed the door shut and said NO, ERN kicked it wide open and said YES.
We fought. We refused to back down.
We went all the way to the ALJ Hearing — and won.

This week, Hudson came back to visit us. This time, as a grown man, standing on the very legs they wanted to take. When asked what what the impact of our work was on his life, he moved us with these six words:

“My two feet on the ground.”

This is what 25 years of advocacy looks like — not just overturning denials but rewriting destinies.
This is what happens when you refuse to take NO for an answer.
This is why we exist — for every Hudson whose story could have ended in loss but didn’t.

💙 If you’re a provider, a patient, or a team member who has felt the impact of this fight — your story matters too.
📣 DM me or drop a comment below. Tell us how ERN has stood in your corner, impacted your career, protected your providers/patients, or helped you reclaim what’s rightfully yours.

Together, we don’t just fight for claims.
We fight for lives.

🔗 Watch Hudson’s story: https://youtu.be/mw1TQhVFBKk?si=m9FlZXuYUQ1XKaBq