Following a private equity acquisition, physician practices saw a 20.2 percent increase in charges per claim, an 11 percent raise in the allowed amount per claim, and a 37.9 percent increase in new patient visits. Private equity acquisition of physician practices in dermatology, gastroenterology, and ophthalmology was associated with increased healthcare spending and utilization, according […]
Although the Biden Administration claims this is the final regulation, there is evidence more is yet to come. The Biden administration released the final No Surprises Act regulation recently but advised healthcare professionals that this final version is not the final one and promised more to come. The latest final rule was narrowly focused on […]
Prior Authorization reform in Medicare Advantage would help relieve administrative burden for medical groups and reduce patient care delays, MGMA said. The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) has urged CMS to implement policies that support prior authorization reform and value-based care contracts within the Medicare Advantage program. MGMA submitted comments to CMS Administrator in response […]
Recent changes to evaluation and management (E/M) billing guidelines that allow physicians to bill for previously unreimbursed services are producing higher revenues for longer patient visits, according to results of a new study. The study in JAMA Network Open looks at the financial impact of CMS’s 2021 expansion of its time-based billing guidelines to include […]
A quarterly update to the Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS), issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Aug. 11, includes 23 new CPT® codes for proprietary laboratory analyses (PLA) tests. Medical coding and billing staff processing claims for lab testing should be aware of these code changes that are effective Oct. […]
Value-based payment is severely lacking as a percentage of total medical revenue across practices as providers face scheduling and billing challenges. The transition to value-based payment is moving at a snail’s pace despite healthcare’s long journey with the transition away from fee-for-service, new survey data indicates. Value-based payment made up just 6.74 percent of total […]
Age determines who qualifies for the bivalent formulations from Pfizer and Moderna. On Aug. 31, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) amended the emergency use authorizations (EUAs) of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines to include updated booster bivalent formulations. These latest formulations include messenger RNA components to help build immunity against both […]
‘Good labors are the great resource for the company’ Here are the ICD-10 CM codes for general injuries in the workplace. ICD-10-CM – Z77. 29: Exposure to Harmful Substances or Environments Z77.29 is a specific/billable code for Exposure to Harmful Substances that is used to indicate a diagnosis for reimbursement purposes. W22. 8XXA […]
Has your billing department prepared for the upcoming 2022-2023 influenza season? As we approach the 2022-2023 influenza season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to recommend flu vaccination for everyone aged 6 months and older, with the ideal timing being by the end of October. This guidance remains consistent with previous years. […]
AHA said that the 2.7 percent Medicare reimbursement update for home health agencies does not accurately reflect the financial challenges that home health agencies have faced during the pandemic. The American Hospital Association (AHA) has urged CMS to reconsider the Medicare reimbursement update for home health agencies proposed in the Calendar Year 2023 Home Health […]