Internal Medicine Coding Alert
Who Performed the CPAP Check? It Matters
Question: When a patient comes to the office and the respiratory therapist completes a pressure check on her continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) equipment, our physician wants to bill 94660. How should we bill for this? Michigan Subscriber Answer: You should not bill 94660 (Continuous positive airway pressure [CPAP] ventilation, initiation and management) for a pressure check on a patient's CPAP equipment because you should only report 94660 for the initiation and management of continuous positive airway pressure ventilation. If the physician saw the patient on the same day he or other staff checked the equipment, he could bill an E/M service for his visit but not for the respiratory therapist's work. If the therapist checked the equipment, and the physician did not see the patient, you could not bill for this service.
If a nurse practitioner or physician assistant checks the equipment and reviews information with the patient, you should bill the appropriate E/M code (99211, Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of an established patient, that may not require the presence of a physician. Usually, the presenting problems[s] are minimal. Typically, 5 minutes are spent performing or supervising these services).
Internal Medicine Coding Alert
- ICD-9 Update:
Why Location Now Matters to Your Decubitus Ulcer Coding
You'll also have more specific DVT, protein codes to use Beginning Oct. 1, your internist [...] - Clip-and-Save Checklist:
Here Are 9 New Ulcer Codes You Should Know
To ensure that you don't fall behind with the latest decubitus ulcer code changes, clip [...] - ICD-9 Update:
Get Ready for 2005's Allergic Rhinitis, Bronchitis Dx Codes
You can finally code for animal hair, dander If you want to avoid denials this [...] - Will NCCI 10.2 Reduce Your G0328 Reimbursement?
Why you should stop reporting screening and diagnostic tests together You can no longer report [...] - 3 Nurse-Visit Coding Tips You Can't Do Without
Solid documentation could bring you $22 a pop for 99211 Although you may think reporting [...] - Reader Question:
Don't Confuse Vaccine, Therapeutic Injections
Question: I'm having trouble with my Medicare carrier denying our tetanus injections using administration code [...] - You Be the Coder:
Colonoscopy Diagnoses
Question: The patient presented with rectal bleeding (569.3, Hemorrhage of rectum and anus), and the [...] - Reader Question:
No Global Days Mean Few E/M Choices
Question: How should we report 99233 and 49080 to Medicare on the same day? I [...] - Reader Question:
Here's How to Report Hospice Modifiers
Question: What are the differences between modifiers -GV and -GW? Louisiana Subscriber Answer: You should [...] - Reader Question:
Avoid -Q5 and -Q6 When Using Group PINs
Question: We have two internists in our multi-specialty group of 65 doctors. When one of [...] - Reader Question:
Who Performed the CPAP Check? It Matters
Question: When a patient comes to the office and the respiratory therapist completes a pressure [...] - Reader Question:
Get to Know Medicare's New CBC Codes
Question: An office staff member draws a Medicare patient's blood and performs a complete blood [...] - Reader Question:
Check Report Before Selecting Benign or Malignant
Question: When coding removal of a skin lesion, how do I know whether I should [...]
