Category: Medical Billing

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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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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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The Challenges of Billing Observation Correctly

Observation, outpatient outlier payments, and the Inpatient-only List: Getting it right is not always easy. On this week’s Monitor Mondays we had a robust discussion about Condition Code 44. And on June 9, I will be presenting a webinar on the nebulous concept of “outpatient” service in a bed. Both of these have one thing […]
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Learn About OPPS Changes in July Update

Please be mindful that several coding and billing alterations pertaining to outpatient claims have been backdated to either April or January. Numerous modifications to Medicare’s Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) in the July update closely mirror those in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Database (MPFSDB) update for the same quarter. These include the introduction of […]
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