Category: Blog

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Keep an eye on Ophthalmology Billing

Learn the nuances of billing these ophthalmology services and reduce your compliance risk. When I first started working in ophthalmology, I worried I would become bored: I mean, after all, it’s just two little eyes, right? I quickly learned how complicated ophthalmology can be and that there are many nuances and layers to coding and […]
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How to avoid medical necessity denials

How to avoid medical necessity denials and ensure timely payment. Sick visit on the same day as an annual wellness visit (AWV) Reason for denial: Lack of clear clinical documentation regarding why the physician had to go above and beyond what is normally addressed during an AWV. How to avoid it:“I often tell doctors to […]
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How are Medicare patients using interstate telehealth visits?

Opponents of the loosened interstate telehealth restrictions that were instituted at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic argued that it would result in out-of-state doctors luring patients away from their current physicians. But a new study finds that most out-of-state telehealth is used for continuity of care, not acquiring new patients. The study compares interstate […]
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Where did all the Medicare Physician Payments Go

The federal government probably won’t be raising Medicare reimbursements next year, and physician organizations are strongly objecting. At its Jan. 13 meeting, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), which advises Congress on financial issues pertaining to Medicare, recommended against increasing base payment rates to doctors in 2023. It justified its decision in part by noting […]
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Can you bill E/M from the same appointment?

Despite myths to the contrary, physicians are not prohibited from coding and billing for both preventive and problem-focused evaluation and management (E/M) services when they are performed during the same appointment. Motivated by a desire to avoid audits, many physicians tend to undercode for the work they perform. Others, however, are just unaware that the idea that […]
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Updates on End-Stage Renal Disease Prospective Payment

CMS issued a proposed rule to update payment rates and policies under the End-Stage Renal Disease Prospective Payment System for renal dialysis services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries on or after Jan. 1, 2023. Here are four takeaways from the proposed rule: Under the proposed rule, Medicare expects to pay $8.2 billion to approximately 7,800 facilities […]
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Surgical Procedure

How to code global surgery modifiers 54, 55, and 56

To understand these modifiers, we first need to review the surgery global period. All medical procedures that include a global period are made up of three parts, explained in more detail later in the article: Pre-operative services Intra-operative services, and Post-operative care. If a physician does not perform all three parts of the service, compliant […]
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Update on Medicare Reimbursement for ESRD facilities

The CY23 End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System Proposed Rule would increase Medicare reimbursement rates, among other policy changes. CMS recently proposed the Calendar Year 2023 End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System (PPS) Proposed Rule, which would boost Medicare reimbursement for ESRD facilities and refine a new mandatory value-based purchasing program. The proposed […]
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