Anesthesia Coding Alert

The March 1 deadline has arrived;are you ready for new ABN protocols? You've probably encountered scenarios in your pain management practice where a new procedure is not covered by Medicare. Or maybe your anesthesiologist's work during an endoscopy has been denied reimbursement. It's time for an advance beneficiary notice (ABN) to help ensure payment, but are you ready for the updated rules? Take a look at four facts to keep in mind when using ABNs in your pain management or anesthesia practice. Understand ABN Versus NEMB ABNs tell the patient that Medicare is not likely to provide coverage of planned services and that she may be responsible for paying any noncovered portion. These forms are commonly used for recommended procedures for diagnoses that are not included on a Medicare contractor's local coverage determination (LCD) list. Generally, the patient must sign the ABN if she wants your specialist to provide a [...]