Changes Coming to Office Visit Codes Question: At my family practice’ office visit code, my office manager and I have recently been debating over coding. She reports that the new coding system has changed our typical 99214 visits into 99213s. For example, I see a patient for routine follow-up on three or more chronic conditions. […]
The American Medical Association (AMA) publishes the Current Procedural Terminology code set changes every year, usually in September, for the upcoming new year. The changes impacting CPT 2020 were released on September 4, 2019. There was a total of 394 CPT code changes, of which, 58 affect the surgery center market. 2020 CPT Code Changes […]
Let the countdown for New Year 2020 begins. This New Year will bring you a thrill of excitement for many people as they prepare to celebrate in 2020. For health care providers, treating patients never stop even for the holiday season. Here is the list of ICD-10 codes that may crop up during the ringing […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that, beginning in January 2020, CMS will implement shorter and more frequent HCPCS Level II coding cycles for requests to modify the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) Level II code set. Under the updated procedures, stakeholders will be able to submit code applications on a quarterly basis […]
Emergency release of the new EVALI code by CDC. On Dec. 9, 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published additional guidance regarding e-cigarette/vaping associated lung injury (EVALI Code). The new code is U07.0 (Vaping-related disorder). The CDC consulted with the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding an addition to the classification that would […]
Advanced technology like AI is streamlining medical billing and coding procedures for enhanced customer experiences. Artificial Intelligence in Medical coding and billing is a crucial viewpoint of healthcare. Reports revealed that by 2021, the medical billing outsourcing market is predicted to touch $16.9 billion. The coding and billing functionality transmutes patient record information into regulated […]
Part 1: Consider skin lesion removal type and depth, intent, and lesion location to avoid common dermatology coding procedures mistakes. Accurately dermatology coding procedures can seem like a daunting task. Code selection can be confusing because skin procedure codes require you to consider several factors such as the type of removal, lesion size and location, […]
Improving the customer experience is no longer an idea that’s relegated to the retail or hospitality industries. Now, the idea has gained traction across many industries, including healthcare. For health plans, improving the customer experience and providing member-centric care helps drive member acquisition and retention and improve reimbursement (via a better STARS rating). With so […]
Since there are huge CPT coding updates for 2020, there are no new anesthesia codes. The newly proposed rule only includes new and revised codes for a few certain pain procedures. The rule provided for lowering of relative value units (RVU) for certain nerve injections codes which pay less in 2020. Some of the New […]
Medicare has been issuing beneficiaries new member cards with Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers (MBI) in place of Social Security Numbers (SSNs) for more than two years. 2019 was a phase-in period when Medicare would accept either a beneficiary’s Social Security Number or their new MBI on claims. Starting Jan. 1, 2020, CMS will reject any Medicare claim Denials […]