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Cardiology Coding Alert

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38 Percent Cut for 93015? Ride 3 CMS Releases' Ups and Downs

Published on Sat Jun 27, 2009

Plus: CMS addresses long-circulated rumors of ending consult pay. CMS has posted one proposed rule (fee schedule) sure to make you tighten your belt and another (MRI coverage) that offers a ray of hope. Add to that the final ICD-9 2010 rule, and you've got plenty to keep track of. Here's a crash course on these recent releases. 1. Could the '3 R' Requirement Be History? For 2010, CMS plans to end payment for consult codes, according to the proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, printed in the July 13 Federal Register (http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-15835.htm). Less hassle, less cash? Instead of reporting consult codes, you'd report new or established patient office visit or hospital care (E/M) codes for these services, and CMS would increase payments for the existing E/M codes. To determine the impact of this change, you'd have to compare the reimbursement from the new fee schedule office visit fees vs. [...]
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