Reduce Denials in Your Anesthesia/PM Practice
Published on Sun Jan 25, 2009
Take easy steps to lower claim problems and retain or increase revenue. Denials got you down -- financially or otherwise? Here are some coding and “housekeeping” tips to dispel the anesthesia and pain management denial blues. Tip 1: Beware Messy Bundled Anesthesia Services Most anesthesia services are bundled with other services. According to Cindy Lane, CPC, CHCC, with Advanced Coding Solutions LLC in White House, Tenn.,you need to stay up to date with the most recent Correct Coding Initiative (CCI) edits. Currently, anesthesia includes services such as: • transporting, positioning, prepping, draping of the patient for satisfactory anesthesia induction/surgical procedures • placement of external devices necessary for cardiac monitoring, oximetry, capnography, temperature, EEG, CNS evoked response, Doppler flow • placement of airway (endotracheal tube, orotracheal tube, etc.) or naso-gastric or oro-gastric tube • laryngoscopy (direct or endoscopically) for placement of airway • intraoperative interpretation of monitored functions (blood pressure, heart [...]
