April 2023 OPPS Update Comes with New Codes and a New Identity

The document will also be identified as CR 13136. The April 2023 Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) Update has been released and is effective April 1, 2023, and implemented on…

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Lawmakers Want to Tie Physician Payment Updates to Inflation

Several lawmakers are seeking to tie physician payment updates in Medicare to inflation to prevent potential physician shortage issues. Representatives Raul Ruiz, MD (D-CA-25), Larry Bucshon, MD (R-IN-08), Ami Bera,…

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ACR Recommends Changes to Prior Authorization Proposed Rule

The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) commended CMS for its proposed prior authorization policies but asked the agency to expand its guidance to other utilization management tools and shorten the…

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AI in Healthcare is Here to Stay

From prior authorizations to paperwork, applications are being uncovered every day. I’m about to spice things up a bit here, but stick with me. “Chuck, I’m Sydney, and I’m in…

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Providers are Increasingly Billing Outpatient Visits at Higher Levels

Outpatient visits are being billed at higher levels, leading to increased healthcare spending and concerns about upcoding, a Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker found. Healthcare providers can bill outpatient evaluation and…

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CMS offers guidance on medical billing disputes in wake of Texas court ruling

Following a recent US District Court ruling on the federal government’s arbitration process for disputed medical billing—making the protocol for issuing decisions on disputed claims unclear—CMS posted some clarifying guidance…

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How the CPT code set can be used to help advance health equity

Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) codes provide a uniform nomenclature for coding medical procedures and services that are critical to the communication between multiple stakeholders about the care patients receive. They…

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How do AI, VR help doctors deliver care? CPT code tells the tale

One way to assess creativity in medicine is to look at how physicians are incorporating technology such as telehealth, virtual reality (VR) and augmented intelligence (AI), often called artificial intelligence, into…

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HHS OIG to Conduct Nationwide IRF Audit

The anticipated issue date for the new audit is the 2024 fiscal year. Citing “consistently high error rates,” federal officials announced this week that they will be conducting a nationwide…

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2023 Medicare Final Rules: Long-Awaited, Highly Anticipated

The final rules become effective Jan. 1, 2023. Amid this election season, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published final rules for the 2023 Part B Physician…

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New ICD-10-CM Codes a ‘Big Switch-Over’ for Neurocognitive Disorders

Revised ICD-10-CM codes for neurocognitive disorders are now in effect, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) has announced The coding changes for major and mild neurocognitive disorders represent "the most consequential"…

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