Tag: Coding Modifiers

Tips-To-Maximize-Medical-Billing-and-Coding-Efficiency

Tips To Maximize Medical Billing and Coding Efficiency

Ensuring precise claims processing and prompt reimbursements, healthcare practitioners rely heavily on efficient medical billing and coding procedures. The act of streamlining these functions holds the potential to not only heighten overall effectiveness but also to curtail administrative burdens and mitigate the risk of errors. Within this article, we will delve into a selection of […]
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Electrocardiogram (EKG) Coding Guidelines

Guidelines for Interpreting Electrocardiogram (EKG) Coding

The guidelines for interpreting EKGs could vary according to the specific treatment situation. Patients presenting at the emergency department (ED) to undergo an electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) can present a coding challenge. The main issue revolves around how to accurately report the physician’s services for the patient. Is it appropriate to utilize the EKG CPT® […]
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Updated HCPCS Coding Guidelines

Guide to the Latest HCPCS Level II Codes

A retroactive effective date of April 1 has been assigned to a newly introduced code. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the results of its review cycle for drug and biological HCPCS Level II codes in the first quarter of 2023. Out of the 36 applications received, 23 have been approved […]
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2021 Coding Rules

New Coding Rules for 2021

New 2021 Coding Rules Q: Do the new 2021 coding rules for office visits apply to all payers or just Medicare and Medicaid? Also, are these rules just for office visits, or can we use them for hospital visits, nursing home services, and home visits? A: The changes to the documentation requirements are for codes […]
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Surgical Procedure

Procedural Codes: Global Surgery & Related Services

Multiple Surgeries Multiple surgeries are separate procedures performed by a physician on the same patient at the same operative session or on the same day. Multiple surgeries are distinguished from procedures that are components of or incidental to a primary procedure. Intraoperative services, incidental surgeries or components of surgeries will not be separately reimbursed. Reimbursement […]
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Denial Management Services

Medical Necessity and Denial Management

Quality work reduces the burden of the denial management process. When my children were young, they really enjoyed the movie “The Neverending Story.” It’s about a boy who reads a magical book that tells a story of a young warrior whose task is to stop a dark force called “The Nothing” from engulfing a mystical […]
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LT/RT Modifiers

Change To RT And LT Modifiers Use

The Durable Medical Equipment Medicare Administrative Contractors (DME MAC) are changing the requirement that medical coders to use the right (RT) and left (LT) modifiers for certain HCPCS codes, and that the modifiers be used when billing two of the same item or accessory on the same date of service and the items are being used bilaterally. The […]
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Pain Management

Pain Management and The Global Period

Pain management during the global period of a procedure, if related to that procedure, is not separately reportable. If a provider other than the operating provider performs follow-up care, you must be careful to avoid “unbundling” of that follow-up care. The global period, or global surgical package, bundles all care typically related to surgical service into a […]
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New Rules Issued for Modifiers 59, XE, XS, XP, and XU

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a policy change modification to the claims processing logic for Modifier 59 Distinct procedural service (and the optional patient-relationship modifiers XE, XS, XP, and XU) on February 15, 2019. These modifiers are only processed when applied to the Column 2 code in a bundled pair, per Correct Coding Initiative […]
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