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 […]
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 […]
It’s important to be realistic about what AI can and can’t do currently. Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a buzzword in payment integrity for years. Companies are increasingly using AI and data mining to identify healthcare savings. This technology can be helpful in the right scenarios. Data versus Nuance AI, which includes technologies like machine […]
Make sure your facility is aware of all the Medicare policy changes that permit payment for expanded services. Telehealth as a healthcare delivery platform has been in existence since the late 1960s. It was first introduced through projects initiated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Nebraska Psychology Institute. The declaration of […]
Recognition of the impact that social determinants of health (SDOH) have on patients’ outcomes is growing, as is the desire to incorporate SDOH factors into patient-care plans. But awareness of an existing data infrastructure that could help physician practices do so is limited. “The clinical care we provide only accounts for about 50% of […]
A quarterly update for the Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS), issued May 4, includes nine new CPT® codes for proprietary laboratory analyses (PLAs). Medical coding and billing staff that process claims for lab testing should be aware of these codes and pricing. 9 New PLA Codes The following PLA (type of service 5) codes are […]
To see where and how the use of digital health tools is growing, take a look at the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) code set, which opened the door to payment for remote patient physiologic monitoring and is now doing the same for remote therapeutic monitoring and remote therapeutic treatment management. Leading the way in this […]
Dodge denials for drug testing by knowing which details demand attention. How often do you experience denials when it comes to your definitive drug testing? If the answer is often, this article may provide some answers to why that might be happening. Many payer policies have very clear guidelines, both medical and reimbursement, that dictate […]
Validating the shift to higher office visit levels and the impact of the 2021 E&M guidelines. Between 2019 and the end of 2021, a lot changed. Not only did the COVID-19 pandemic impact the way in which physicians and hospitals saw patients, but the introduction of the new 2021 Evaluation and Management (E&M) guidelines was […]
On Feb. 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) released ICD-11 2022. This is the official version of the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) coding set that WHO member countries will be implementing worldwide. In fact, according to the WHO release announcement, 35 countries are already using ICD-11. The WHO began developing […]