General / Hot Coding Topics / Provider News

CMS Offers Great News With Fee Schedule Changes

Boost co-surgery, multiple surgery, and bilateral surgery pay for these select procedures

You’ll no longer have to eat the cost of your services if your physician acts as co-surgeon on spine revisions. Thanks to several Fee Schedule changes that CMS recently enacted. CMS had good news in MLN Matters article MM7430, which had an effective date of Jan. 1, 2011 and an implementation date of July 5, 2011.

Look for Potential Co-Surgery Payment for These Codes:

CMS will change the co-surgery indicator for spine revision codes 22212 and 22222 from “0” to “1”. Keep in mind that supporting documentation is required when billing for a co-surgeon with these procedures, so don’t forget to submit that with your claim or you’ll be looking at bad news.

Remember: If you’re billing for co-surgery, append modifier 62 (Two surgeons) to your procedure code. For modifier 62 claims, most payers pay an additional fee (generally 125 percent of the “usual” fee for the procedure, split evenly between the two surgeons). Avoid reimbursement problems by checking these claims carefully. To claim co-surgeons, each surgeon must perform a distinct portion of a single CPT procedure, and each surgeon must dictate and submit his own operative report for his portion of the surgery.

Benefit From Surgical Assist Changes:

Practices that perform sinus endoscopies will also get a potential boost from the fee schedule changes, now that you’ll see the assistant at surgery indicator change for codes 31233 and 31235 from “1” (Assistant at surgery may not be paid) to “0” (Payment restrictions for assistants at surgery applies to this procedure unless supporting documentation is submitted to establish medical necessity).

You’ll append modifier 80 to the assistant’s surgical codes if the assisting surgeon is a physician. In cases when a non-physician assists at surgery on Medicare patients, append...

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June 24, 2011
General / Provider News

HPI Know-How Helps You Catch Level 4 and 5 E/M Opportunities

 

Beware of CPT® and Medicare differences when counting HPI elements.

Not accurately accounting for the history of presentillness (HPI) documented by your oncologist could result in missing appropriate opportunities to report level 4 or 5 E/M visits. Ensure you’re not missing higher paying possibilities by reviewing this guide to capturing HPI elements.

Brush Up on What Qualifies as an HPI Element

HPI is one of the three parts comprising an outpatient E/M history. It describes the patient’s present illness or problem, from the first sign/symptom to the current status, and typically drives a provider’s decisions about the physical examination and treatment. “The information gathered during the physical exam (PE) portion of a patient’s evaluation often only shows a very limited picture of the patient’s problem. However, speaking with a patient and gathering the history of the patient’s problem” can help fill out the picture, explains Amanda S. Stoltman, CCS-P, compliance coder at Urology Associates in Muncie, Ind.

 Start counting:

HPI also will often determine the level of service you’ll report. You’ll count the HPI elements to help you determine which level of service you can report. There are seven or eight HPI elements, depending on which source you are following. For Medicare, the eight elements are as follows: 

  • Location
  • Quality
  • Severity
  • Duration
  • Timing
  • Context
  • Modifying factors
  • Associated signs and symptoms.

Medicare includes the above list in both the 1995 and 1997 E/M Documentation Guidelines, available at www.cms.gov/MLNEdWebGuide/25_EMDOC.asp.

In contrast: CPT® lists only seven HPI elements in the E/M Services Guidelines, with duration not making the list. Therefore, for Medicare and payers following its guidelines, you should consider duration and timing separately. With payers that follow AMA rules, however, be aware that they don’t consider duration and timing to be two separate elements. Rumor has it...

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June 22, 2011
General / Hot Coding Topics / Provider News

Ensure Your Physician’s Signatures Pass Muster By Answering 2 Key Questions

EMR signature pitfalls could be a daily challenge with which you often deal. Check your answers against our experts’ advice to verify your group’s signature compliance.

Question 1: Some of our physicians use handwritten signatures on their charts and others prefer electronic signatures. Is either kind acceptable?

Answer 1: According to CMS documents, Medicare requires a legible identifier for services provided or ordered.  The identifier — or signature — can be electronic or handwritten, as long as the provider meets certain criteria. Legible first and last names, a legible first initial with last name, or even an illegible signature over a printed or typed name are acceptable.  You’re also covered if the provider’s signature is illegible but is on a page with other information identifying the signer (letterhead, addressograph, etc.).  Also be sure to include the provider’s credentials.  The credentials themselves can be with the signature or they can be identified elsewhere on the note.

Pre-printed forms might include the physician’s name and credentials at the top, side, or end.  All qualify as acceptable documentation as long as the coder or auditor can identify the provider’s credentials.  You can also use a signature log to back up your physician’s documentation.  The log should contain each provider’s printed or typed name and credentials, along with their signatures and initials. You can reference the signature log in order to verify a note that contains an otherwise unidentifiable signature.  This is an important resource when providers are signing notes that do not include their typed or pre-printed name.

Make sure that you update signature logs at least once a year.  Create separate logs by provider (physicians, CRNAs, AAs, residents, etc.) to help simplify tracking.  Stamped signatures don’t meet the CMS requirements.  Because a signature stamp can be used...

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June 8, 2011
Coder's Cranium / General / Hot Coding Topics / Provider News

Stop Forfeiting Level Four and Five E/Ms With 3 PFSH Tips

Make your physician’s job easier by letting the patient or nurse document the history.

If your physician glosses over a patient’s past, family, and social history (PFSH), you may be missing out on up to $69 per E/M.  Accurately counting the number of PFSH items could result in more money for an encounter, because the top-level E/M codes require PFSH elements in addition to an extended history of present illness, and more than 1 system reviewed. Learn these three quick tips to ensure your physician is capturing, and you’re recognizing, every history component the patient mentions.

1. Determine the Level of PFSH

For coding purposes, the history portion of an E/M service requires all three elements — history of present illness (HPI), review of systems (ROS), and a past, family and social history (PFSH).  Therefore, the PFSH helps determine patient history level, which has a great effect on the E/M level you can report.  If you do not know the PFSH level, you may have to select a lower level of E/M service than might otherwise be warranted.  There are three levels of PFSH: none, pertinent, and complete, says Leah Gross, CPC, coding lead at Metro Urology in St. Paul, Minn.

Pertinent: To reach a detailed level of history for the encounter (in addition to an extended HPI and the review of 2-9 systems), you need a pertinent PFSH.  According to Medicare’s Documentation Guidelines for E/M Services, you need at least one specific item from any of the three PFSH areas to achieve the pertinent level.  When the physician asks only about one history area related to the main problem, this is a pertinent PFSH.

Complete: To reach a comprehensive level of history for the encounter (in addition to an extended HPI and the...

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June 8, 2011
General / Hot Coding Topics

Put Your ePrescribing Knowhow Into Meaningful Use

Get your system moving before June 30th or you’ll pay the price.

If you do not have an electronic prescribing (ePrescribing or eScribing) system yet in place, or have not integrated one into your electronic medical record (EMR) system, you better get a move on it. You only have until June 30, 2011 to submit at least ten claims to Medicare demonstrating that you are a successful eScriber for 2011. Otherwise, you are at risk of not only losing the bonus in 2011 but according to the rulemaking for 2011, also facing penalties assessed, reducing your Medicare fee schedule by 1 percent in 2012.

With limited time, it is smart to consider a stand-alone internet based system which you can implement relatively easy. You could get this system up and running right away, at a low cost, with simplified a implementation timeline and without depending on your electronic health record (EHR) selection and implementation which is both much more extensive, costly and more complicated to implement.

If you’re still asking, “Can our practice afford not to adopt ePrescribing?” Then, the answer is NO. Today you need to start doing something.

Background: eScribing is part of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) incentive program called the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS). PQRS offers incentives to practices that meet CMS-set goals for the implementation and practice of electronic prescription on a regular basis. The system was designed with “a carrot and a stick”. While we have been enjoying the “carrot” for the past few years, the “stick is on the cusp of being implemented as of June 30th per the 2011 Rulemaking. CMS will pay you when you implement eScribing in 2011 (a 1 percent bonus), it will penalize you when you don’t put it into practice, a 1percent penalty...

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May 10, 2011
General / Hot Coding Topics

5 Tips Lead You to G0438, G0439 Coding Success

Boost your bottom line by reporting new annual wellness visits correctly.  If you want your annual visit claims to be picture perfect in 2011, then follow these five tips to avoid future denials and keep your physician’s claim on the fast track to success.

Background: The Affordable Care Act (ACA) extended preventive coverage to more than 88 million patients covered by health insurance, and Medicare has codified that benefit in the form of an annual wellness visit. Medicare valued the new annual wellness codes based on a level 4, problem-oriented new and established E/M service.

The two new codes are:

G0438 — Annual wellness visit; includes a personalized prevention plan of service (PPPS), first visit

G0439 — Annual wellness visit; includes a personalized prevention plan of service (PPPS), subsequent visit.

Tip 1: Apply G0438 to Second Year of Coverage

Be wary of applying these codes to new Medicare patients coming in to your physician’s practice in 2011.  The reason is that Medicare will only reimburse the initial visit (G0438) during the second year the patient is eligible for Medicare Part B. In other words, during the first year of the patient’s coverage, Medicare will only cover the Initial Preventive Physical Exam (IPPE), also known as the Welcome to Medicare exam.

Tip 2: CMS Limits G0438 to One Physician

If your FP sees the patient for the initial visit (G0438) and the patient sees a different physician for the next annual wellness visit, that second physician will only receive reimbursement for the subsequent visit (G0439), despite having never seen the patient before.

Here’s why: CMS has indicated that when a patient returns to the same or new physician in a third year, they might only pay for the subsequent visit, says Melanie Witt, RN, COBGC, MA, an...

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May 5, 2011
Medicare

Does 99360 Merit Medicare Pay?

Question: My doctors stand by for the cardiologists during a pacemaker placement in case they need to place epicardial leads. They want to report their time, and I have found 99360 for this. Do they need to dictate something in order for me to charge f...

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April 24, 2011
Anesthesia / Hot Coding Topics

High BMI: To Use Or Not to Use Modifier 22

The new fifth-digit diagnosis codes for body mass index (BMI) can help you better document a patient’s condition, especially when the patient’s BMI might contribute to more complex risk factors for the anesthesiologist to handle. Having documentation of a high BMI doesn’t automatically lead to more pay, however. Watch two areas before assuming you can automatically append modifier 22 (Increased procedural services) because of BMI and potentially score a 20-30 percent higher pay for the procedure.

Not All Morbid Obesity Means Modifier 22

A patient is considered to be morbidly obese when his or her BMI is 40 or more. New BMI codes for 2011 include:

  • V85.41 — Body Mass Index 40.0-44.9, adult
  • V85.42 — Body Mass Index 45.0-49.9, adult
  • V85.43 — Body Mass Index 50.0-59.9, adult
  • V85.44 — Body Mass Index 60.0-69.9, adult
  • V85.45 — Body Mass Index 70 and over, adult.

While morbid obesity can be an appropriate reason to report modifier 22, don’t assume you should always append the modifier just because the patient is morbidly obese.

Example 1: During surgical procedures that are performed because of morbid obesity (such as bariatric surgery), the patient must meet the morbidly obese criteria too support medical necessity for the procedure. In those type instances, simply having a patient who is morbidly obese doesn’t support using modifier 22. Remember, if you report a physical status modifier for a patient who is morbidly obese, it is not appropriate to also include modifier 22. Keep in mind that Medicare does not pay for physical status, qualifying circumstances, or extra work modifiers.

The anesthesia provider’s documentation should direct you to the correct BMI code as well as support when you can append modifier 22.

Example 2: The patient’s obesity might contribute to breathing problems that lead to lower oxygen and...

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April 12, 2011
Hot Coding Topics / modifier 25

AK Removals: Earn $120 by Following 17000-17111 with 99201

Stick to these 3 tips for your E/M and lesion removal procedures.

You can report both the E/M and lesion removal if the E/M service was a significant and separately identifiable service for an E/M service with actinic keratoses (AK) removal procedure.

Always verify with your carrier before appending modifier 25 (Significant, separately identifiable evaluation and management service by the same physician on the same day of the procedure or other service) to the E/M code.

You can only consider reporting modifier 25 when coding an E/M service, says Janet Palazzo, CPC, coder for a practice in Cherry Hill, N.J. If the procedures you are reporting don’t fall under E/M services, it is possible the encounter qualifies for another modifier instead.

Have a look at the following three tips to help you report these services accurately so your practice won’t miss out on about $41 for 99201 and $80 for 17000 or more, according to national averages indicated in Medicare’s 2011 Physician Fee Schedule.

1. Know When You Should Charge an E/M

Each insurer has its own guidelines for office visits (99201- 99215, Office or other outpatient visit …) and lesion removals (17000-17111, Destruction, Benign or Premalignant Lesions). So, knowing whether to appeal an E/M denial is difficult unless you know that the service deserves payment.

You should report the office visit (99201-99215) in addition to the procedure when the dermatologist performs a significant, separately identifiable E/M service from the AK removal, especially if the patient is new to your practice.

Along with the appropriate E/M code, report any diagnoses that come with that examination, which may include more than just the AK.

For example, if a patient comes in for an initial AK visit, you should charge an E/M service, since the physician has to examine the area and discuss...

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March 21, 2011
Provider News

93224-93226: Snag Extra Cash With These Tips

The catch is you have to make the request for your rightful dollars.

Here’s a piece of good news for you. As per the Medicare’s April update, three Holter monitor codes will get a slight boost in pay.

The change has an implementation date of April 4, 2011, and an effective date of Jan. 1, 2011. That means contractors have to be ready to comply with the change by April 4, but the change in practice expense relative value units (PE RVUs) is retroactive to Jan. 1 dates of service.

Medicare isn’t requiring contractors to search their files to adjust claims they have already paid (which is good news for any physician who reports a code seeing a fee decrease). But contractors do have to adjust claims if you bring them to their attention. Take a look at how many 93224-93227 services you provided from January to March to see if making the claim for the small increase in RVUs is worth your time.

93224: The PE RVUs for 93224 (External electrocardiographic recording up to 48 hours by continuous rhythm recording and storage; includes recording, scanning analysis with report, physician review and interpretation) will change from 2.30 to 2.53. That’s a difference of .23 RVUs. Multiply that by the 2011 conversion factor (33.9764), and you can expect roughly an additional $7.81 for this code. (Remember that geographic region will affect your fee, as well).

93225: For 93225 (…recording [includes connection, recording, and disconnection]), the PE RVUs only increase by .09, changing from 0.82 to 0.91. So the additional reimbursement should be roughly $3.06.

93226: You may see an additional $4.76 for 93226 (… scanning analysis with report). Its PE RVUs change from 1.21 to 1.35.

Swan-Ganz: If you ever report 93503 (Insertion and placement of flow directed catheter [e.g.,...

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March 13, 2011
Hot Coding Topics / modifier GZ / Provider News

Per New CMS Transmittal Modifier, All Claims With Modifier GZ Will Be Denied Immediately

As per the latest CMS regulation, all claims with modifier GZ appended will be denied straight away. It is not unusual even in the best-run medical practices that the physician performs a noncovered service and doesn’t get an ABN signed. If you shoul...

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February 17, 2011
Hot Coding Topics / MAC / Provider News

New AWV Codes: Here’s What the MACs Are Saying

Stop worrying if your claims were denied, you still hold a chance as many carriers are reprocessing.

Almost a year ago, practices were told that Medicare will cover an annual wellness visit (AWV) for Part B beneficiaries effective Jan. 1 and last month, CMS announced the new codes for the AWVs. Everything seemed to look perfect until came the time for claims submissions and came the denials along with it.

The MACs may have hit a few speedbumps while processing the first of the AWV claims, but are attempting to get their systems rolling smoothly as January closes out for codes G0438 (Annual wellness visit, initial) and G0439 (Annual wellness visit, subsequent). We give you answers to several questions — straight from the MACs themselves — which may help you ensure that your claims go through smoothly.

Which Diagnosis Code Should You Use?

Several subscribers have told the Insider that they submitted their AWV claims using ICD-9 code V70.0 (Routine general medical examination at a health care facility), but faced immediate denials due to MACs claiming that this is the wrong diagnosis code.

It appears that those denials were the result of a computer glitch that made the AWV codes non-payable when billed with V70.0, but some payers have already fixed this problem.

National Government Services, a Part B payer in four states, sent out a notification on Jan. 25 stating that they “omitted the editing for diagnosis code V70.0 that is allowable with HCPCS codes G0438 and G0439, and claims that were initially denied are being reprocessed.

Pinnacle Business Solutions, a Part B MAC in two states, ran a notification on its Web site on Jan. 21 stating that a system error in the claims processing system incorrectly denied claims for G0438-G0439 between Jan. 1 and Jan 20. “A...

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February 3, 2011
Coding Challenge / Hot Coding Topics

52300 or No 52300 For Ureterocele?

Question: My urologist performed a cystoscopy, transurethral incision of an orthotopic ureterocele, ureteroscopy, and a double J stent placement. I have drawn a blank on how to report the ureterocele incision. Here is the doctor’s note: “A 24 resec...

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February 1, 2011
CPT Updates / Hot Coding Topics / modifier 76 / modifier 78 / Modifier GU / Provider News

CPT 2011: New Modifier GU and Revisions to 76, 77, and 78 Change Your Reporting

2011 adds a new modifier to your coding arsenal and updates the descriptors for several others you might often use. Get ready for modifier GU (Waiver of liability statement issued as required by payer policy, routine notice). You might have times when ...

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January 19, 2011
Coder's Cranium

Report Picture Perfect Annual Wellness Visits With These 5 Tips

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) extended preventive coverage to more than 88 million patients covered by health insurance, and Medicare has codified that benefit in the form of an annual wellness visit. Medicare valued the new annual wellness codes based on a level 4, problem-oriented new and established E/M service. The two new codes are:

  • G0438 – Annual wellness visit; includes a personalized prevention plan of service (PPPS), first visit
  • G0439 – Annual wellness visit; includes a personalized prevention plan of service (PPPS), subsequent visit.

Tip 1: Apply G0438 to Second Year of Coverage

Be wary of applying these codes to new Medicare patients coming in to your physician’s practice in 2011.

The reason is that Medicare will only reimburse the initial visit (G0438) during the second year the patient is eligible for Medicare Part B. In other words, during the first year of the patient’s coverage, Medicare will only cover the Initial Preventive Physical Exam (IPPE), also known as the Welcome to Medicare exam.

Tip 2: CMS Limits G0438 to One Physician

If your FP sees the patient for the initial visit (G0438) and the patient sees a different physician for the next annual wellness visit, that second physician will only receive reimbursement for the subsequent visit (G0439), despite having never seen the patient before.

CMS has indicated that when a patient returns to the same or new physician in a third year, they might only pay for the subsequent visit, says Melanie Witt, RN, COBGC, MA, an independent coding consultant in Guadalupita, N.M. “It is therefore important that you convey this information to any new physician the patient sees.”

Tip 3: Add Preventive Service Codes, If Performed

You can bill the new annual visit codes in addition to any other preventive service, such as G0102 (Prostate cancer...

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January 18, 2011