Keep signature, modifier 59, and ‘Incident To’ guidelines front and center.
If you’ve been worrying that the oncologist’s illegible signature on an order is going to come back to haunt your practice in an audit, CMS has offered
answers...
Plus: CMS reps cite current Medicare law and advise that practices should report just one inpatient care code per patient, per day.
Although CMS has eliminated payment for consult codes, it will continue to honor split/shared visits — as long...
But because legislators missed the cutoff by one day, some claims were processed using a lower rate.Although the government appeared poised to take a big bite out of your next Part B payments, you have another month before...
No legislative wrangling can take place until April 12.
Unless Congress steps in soon, you could be facing the 21.2 percent Medicare pay cut that you’ve feared since January.
Despite several Congressional attempts to cobble together another temporary pay fix...
Help is here: One troublesome, confusing edit is no longer an issue.
You may still be getting to know your CPT 2010 manual, but the new edition of CCI, effective April1, is already looking to make some code pairings impossible....
Upcoming policy change will slash your payments by half.
Big changes are on the horizon if you participate with insurance provider Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) of New Jersey.
In a recent memo, BCBS states that effective May 17,...
Find out what steps Congress must take to delay the much feared 21.2 percent pay cut.If a new bill — already approved by the Senate — moves forward, you could have another six months before the 21.2 percent...
In MSP cases, non-consult code for both payers may be best.
If you have payers who didn’t play follow-the-leader with Medicare in cutting out consult codes, you have a dilemma on your hands. You have to decide what to do...
Medicare’s elimination of payment for consultation services has caused mass confusion throughout the coding community, not just due to the changes it has caused in your billing procedures, but also due to lack of information from CMS.
In an apparent…
On Tuesday evening, the Senate passed H.R. 4691, which freezes the Medicare conversion factor at current levels through March 31.
Because of this vote, you will not face the 21% pay cut until April 1, explains Part B Insider editor,…
Related articles:
The latest on the 21 percent Medicare pay cut.
If your practice leans heavily on Medicare for reimbursement, expect your cash flow to taper off a bit.
CMS has instructed the MACs to hold claims for the first ten business…
Include this term in Box 19 to indicate the type of implant. Question: One of our surgeons says we should use a total hip code for Birmingham resurfacing even if he doesn’t complete a total hip procedure; another physician says to use an unlisted code . What’s the correct answer? Washington Subscriber Answer: Both of your physicians could [...] Related articles:
Take the extra time to get your practice registered in PECOS — don’t wait until the end of the year, CMS reps say. Practices that were busily struggling to find out whether their ordering/referring physicians’ national provider identifiers (NPIs) were in the PECOS system can relax a little bit — at least until next year. If your physician performs [...] Related articles:
Fear not: The CF may stay until autumn, but the current snow storm is delaying the official word. Practices that were looking for a permanent change to the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula before March 1 may come up empty-handed. However, Congress appears to be planning to offer an extension of the pay cuts that you’re [...] Related articles:
Hint: If you try to use an unlisted code, be sure your OP notes include this information. If you don’t know the ins-and-outs of coding cutting edge procedures, you risk getting left in the dust as medicine continues to evolve. A new techniques, however, doesn’t always mean a new, corresponding CPT code. Check out this podiatry [...] Related articles:
Plus: You can now download a list of all practitioners who can order/refer. If you’ve been confused about how to report low-level hospital visits now that consult codes are gone, you aren’t alone. CMS intends to tackle this problem by issuing more specific guidance on the topic in the near future. That’s according to a Feb. 2 [...] Related articles: