Tag: medical-coding

Patient-Driven Payment Model

What Providers Need to Know Right Now About PDPM

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) takes effect on Oct. 1. When the reform takes effect, long-term post-acute care (LTPAC) facilities will see a big change in how they receive payment for delivering valuable patient care. While the payment reform will inevitably bring challenges, it will also present a significant […]
The Facts Surrounding The Coding Chronic Kidney Disease

The Facts Surrounding The Coding Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a serious health condition affecting millions of people worldwide. In the United States alone, 15% of adults, or approximately 37 million people, suffer from CKD. This condition, often insidious in its onset, can lead to severe complications and significantly impact quality of life. Key Facts about CKD: Prevalence: More common […]
21 New HCPCS Level II Codes

21 New HCPCS Level II Codes for April

The new codes include drugs for migraines, to initiate blood-clotting in patients on certain coagulants, chronic and hairy cell leukemia, and folic acid for chemotherapy patients. The home health codes help facilitate the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) Pioneer ACO initiative. New HCPCS Level II Codes […]
Diagnostic Accuracy

ICD-10, Diagnostic Errors & Payment Reforms to Improve Diagnostic Accuracy

In October 2015, physicians across the United States transitioned from the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Ninth Revision to the tenth revision (ICD-10-CM, the US version of the World Health Organization [WHO] ICD-10). Although the ICD-10-CM was a new concept for physicians in the United States, the international variant has been available since […]
CPT update

CPT 2020 and CPT 2021: Catch a Glimpse

Preview of CPT® Code Changes for 2020 and 2021 The CPT® Editorial Panel’s February 2019 meeting introduced several key updates set to take effect in CPT 2020 and 2021, including significant revisions, deletions, and additions across multiple specialties. Major Changes for CPT 2021 The most notable update is the revision of office and outpatient E/M […]
Codes Subject To Or Excluded From CLIA Edits

2019 Codes Subject To Or Excluded From CLIA Edits

The CPT® codes that are considered a laboratory test under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) change each year, as well as throughout the year, making it difficult for healthcare providers and laboratories to keep up. Here are the CPT codes for 2019 that are subject to or excluded from CLIA edits in easy-to-look up […]
New Rules Issued for Modifiers 59, XE, XS, XP, and XU

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 […]
Medicare Advantage Plans and the Two-Midnight Rule

Medicare Advantage Plans and the Two-Midnight Rule

Controversy continues to swirl around this subject. A recent article of mine focused on the argument that Medicare Advantage (MA) plans have to follow the two-midnight rule. It certainly generated buzz; I received a number of emails with comments and questions. First, I want to note that I love getting comments and questions. I can’t […]