AMA announced that the CPT codes for the third doses of the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines are finalized and ready for the upcoming booster shot administrations. The American Medical Association (AMA) announced that the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes for the third doses of the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines are effective for immediate […]
CMS has expanded the prior authorization requirement to two new service categories within hospital outpatient department services. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has expanded the prior authorization requirement for two additional hospital outpatient department (OPD) services. Effective with date of service July 1, 2021, CMS has expanded the prior authorization requirement to […]
It is critical to submit comments on proposed rule on critical care. As I said last week, the Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule for the 2022 calendar year (CY) came out July 23, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is soliciting comments by Sept. 13 I’m going to review the proposed changes […]
Deciding which code to use starts with determining each payer’s policy. The Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) has two principal subsystems, referred to as Level I and Level II. Knowing when to use HCPCS Level I codes versus HCPCS Level II codes can be confusing, mainly because many services are described by both code […]
Telehealth policies will lapse if something isn’t done quickly, as the PHE is scheduled to end on July 21. As lawmakers are lining up to decide what Medicare will pay for after the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) is over, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) has plans […]
Increasing provider utilization in remote patient monitoring starts with effective backend processes and leaning into technologies that they already trust. Remote patient monitoring (RPM) took off during the coronavirus pandemic, but the industry will have to take decisive steps in order to build on that momentum, according to Eric Wicklund, senior editor of mHealthIntelligence. Remote […]
The code 99417 is invalid for Medicare and MA reimbursement. When the CPT® Guidelines were updated for 2021, one of the options for leveling an office or other outpatient evaluation and management (E&M) service was to use time as the leveling agent. The time thresholds for each E&M office visit were also changed from “typical” […]
Part IV in this series discusses expanding HIM’s visibility and enhancing organizational processes via authorization denial management. In my prior article, I discussed the value of payer policy management, and mentioned that “no authorization” denials represent 10-15 percent of all denials. This focused denial category presents another opportunity for health information management (HIM) professionals. HIM […]
Miscoding and fraudulent billing can destroy a medical practice. Use these tips to get robust oversight of your medical billing and coding in place. The work billers and coders do for a medical practice plays a large role in its survival. Coders and billers are tasked with translating the care delivered by medical professionals into […]
Physicians are asking for adequate reimbursement for all COVID-19 vaccines and their administration, according to a new policy statement from the American College of Physicians (ACP). The statement released on Jan. 12 calls on health policymakers to require insurers to “provide adequate reimbursement for all vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, administered according to” scientific guidelines established by […]