6 Aspects to Understanding ZPIC Audits

I. Introduction Zone Program Integrity Contractors (“ZPICs”) are charged with the responsibility of investigating alleged instances of fraud, waste, or abuse by health care providers.  They are authorized to conduct…

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Coronavirus, Case Management, and the Vaccine

The impact of the coronavirus is being especially felt among case management professionals. There is no topic that will define the career of those currently in healthcare more than the…

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CMS Releases New ICD-10-PCS Codes for COVID-19

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released 21 new ICD-10-PCS codes that apply to the vaccination or treatment of COVID-19. These codes are effective January 1, 2021.  The…

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New ICD-10 Codes, MS-DRG Assignments for COVID-19 Coming Jan. 1

Come January 1, 2021, CMS will implement 21 new ICD-10 procedure codes for COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics for the novel coronavirus, including baricitinib and monoclonal antibody treatments. The Food and…

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Health Information Manager: Five Essential Skills To Possess

Health Information Manager: Five Essential Skills To Possess : The record-keeping of patients is transitioning from traditional handwritten ways to digital formats. Health care providers are using the latest technologies to…

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CMS Details Medicare Payment for New COVID-19 Antibody Drug

Just a day after the FDA approved the emergency use of a new COVID-19 antibody drug, CMS updated Medicare payment and billing policies to ensure providers have access to the…

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Unemployment, COVID-19, and Testing Claims

America’s new normal. Unemployed, uninsured, unbelievable! The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that 12.6 million Americans are on unemployment rosters around the country; 32.5 percent of the adult population…

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COVID-19 CPT vaccine and immunization codes

New Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) codes have been created that streamline the reporting of immunizations for the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2, also known as COVID-19). Unique CPT codes approved for COVID-19…

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Sounding the Alarm About False Positives

There are false negatives; there are false positives; there are untested individuals with disease. I am in the process of developing a 90-minute COVID-19 webinar for ICDUniversity in December to…

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New York ER doctors sue UnitedHealth over out-of-network claims

Five New York emergency room physician groups on Monday filed a federal lawsuit alleging that UnitedHealth Group and Multiplan conspired to underpay out-of-network providers. The group of staffing firms, all…

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Demand for medical coders, billers accelerates despite pandemic

Some jobs have weathered the pandemic far better than others. Medical coders and billers were booming even before the coronavirus hit, and demand for those skills has only accelerated. The…

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