It’s a New Year, and welcome, 2023! When I still practiced clinically, I once got a job as an emergency physician at a brand-new hospital. I was really excited, because I recognized the opportunity for our department to develop our own best-practice culture. I was hoping the staff would gel in an environment of cooperation, […]
A thorough understanding of the latest guidelines for coding evaluation and management services is necessary to ensure compliant claims. You’ve likely heard about the 2023 CPT® changes for reporting hospital inpatient and observation evaluation and management (E/M) services. AAPC has been preparing medical coders for these changes since they were announced and started offering education […]
Attendees at AAPC’s AUDITCON, Nov. 3-4, 2022, came loaded with questions about the coding and guideline changes for evaluation and management (E/M) services in CPT® 2023. The conference offered several sessions on the subject, including the ED session, “Changes in 2023: Emergency Department,” presented by AAPC Chief Product Officer. The officer provided a high-level overview […]
The proposed rule seeks to reduce administrative burdens and address delays in patient care. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a proposed rule on Dec. 6, 2022, aimed at improving the prior authorization process and interoperability between providers, payers, and patients. The Advancing Interoperability and Improving Prior Authorization Processes Proposed Rule (CMS-0057-P) […]
Providing care management services, including chronic care management (CCM) and principal care management (PCM), is not easy. The first overarching challenge is that not enough patients actually participate in care management with a primary care physician. In fact, A recent report from the Primary Care Collaborative and the American Academy of Family Physicians’ more Americans […]
E/M, Gastro, and Lab Coders, take note. The American Medical Association (AMA) announced some last-minute corrections to the CPT® code set effective Jan. 1, 2023. Add these to your code book, along with the previously released corrections, to ensure you start the year off right with accurate codes and guidelines. Evaluation and Management (E/M) In […]
The difference between a financially and clinically successful practice and one that is struggling often comes down to whether they have the code right and document thoroughly. Changes in 2021 to major coding categories, such as evaluation and management (E/M) coding for office visits means major change that can hamper your operations if not done […]
Ultimately, a CDI program is only as good as how you use the data. Data can be a powerful tool. It is important to remember not to just capture data but to use it. Over the past week you can see articles on clinical documentation integrity (CDI) impacting patient care. The question is how do […]
hcc medical abbreviation: In medical terminology, “HCC” commonly stands for “Hepatocellular Carcinoma.” This is the most common type of primary liver cancer, which originates in the hepatocytes, the main type of liver cell. It’s important to note that medical abbreviations can vary depending on context, so if you encounter “HCC” in a different context, it’s […]
Completing all necessary documentation to describe the individual’s current condition, treatment needs, interventions, and medications must be done with precision. The end of a calendar year and the beginning of a new one can be a busy time for healthcare practices, and this year is shaping up to be no different. In much of the […]