The need to improve patient access to mental and behavioral health services is undeniable, and tools from the AMA and others are available to help primary care practices integrate these services into their workflow and ensure they are properly paid for these services. When North-western Medicine needed to provide greater access to behavioral health services […]
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 99202-99215 only and are […]
Many of us have been immersed in COVID-19 and telehealth billing, coding, and the varying rules among payors of late, all the while the clock has remained ticking on the looming changes to evaluation and management (E&M) services, effective Jan. 1, 2021. It is possible, too, that there are those who have not heard of […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has provided some guidance within the “Medicare and Medicaid Programs Policy and Regulatory Revisions in Response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency” interim final rule (IFR), allowing for remote patient monitoring, or RPM. This type of patient care is very helpful for ongoing treatment during the COVID-19 […]
Over the past few months, the folks at ICD10monitor have seen an increase in website searches regarding two specific ICD-10-CM codes: U07.1 (COVID-19) and F32.9 (Major depressive disorder, unspecified). Some say that this is a sign of the times, and that may be absolutely true, considering what has gone on in the past four months […]
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. […]
Denials and how to not get discouraged with evaluation and management codes, and how to appeal There Is Little More Frustrating To Chiropractors And Billers Than Evaluation And Management Codes: While the service is required both clinically and documentation-wise, it is being bundled more and more often by third-party payers. If both the chiropractic manipulative […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is proposing changes to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and the Quality Payment Program as part of its effort to reduce provider burden. “Clinicians are drowning in paperwork and reporting requirements caused by cumbersome government rules and regulations,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma in a press […]
Dive Brief CMS Administrator Seema Verma announced Thursday the agency will overhaul coding regulations that she argues have hindered beneficiary access to new medical technology. Medical device companies will now be able to apply for a new permanent Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) code twice a year, instead of annually. CMS also recently eliminated […]