Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement
CMS Further Expands Preventive Care to Cover Depression and Alcohol Misuse Screenings
If alcohol misuse is found, CMS will cover four additional counseling visits. The news that Medicare patients will soon benefit from cardiovascular screenings wasn't the only positive note that CMS sang in the past few weeks. The agency also announced that it will soon cover annual screenings for two additional preventive services. Alcohol misuse screening: Primary care providers will be able to perform an annual alcohol misuse screening at no cost to the patient. If the screening turns up positive for alcohol misuse, Medicare will cover four behavioral counseling sessions each year to treat the alcohol issues, according to an Oct. 14 CMS statement. The alcohol misuse screening will require physicians to use the "Five A's" criteria outlined in our article "CMS to Cover Annual Visit to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease" on page 178. To read CMS's coverage criteria for alcohol misuse, visit www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/details/nca-decision-memo.aspx?NCAId=249. Depression screening: CMS estimates that one in six people age 65 and older suffers from depression. To that end, Medicare now covers annual screening for depression by primary care practices. "These new coverage policies address important issues related to mental health and prevention of substance abuse," said CMS's Patrick Conway, MD, in an Oct. 14 statement. To determine which screening tools CMS recommends for the depression prevention visits, read the complete Decision Memorandum at www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/details/nca-decision-memo.aspx?NCAId=251.
Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement
- Annual Wellness Visits:
2012 Fee Schedule Boosts AWV Pay, Adds 'Health Risk Assessment' Tool Criteria
Look for five percent more in your annual wellness visit RVUs effective Jan. 1. Although [...] - Preventive Care:
CMS to Cover Annual Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Visit
Coverage will apply to primary care practitioners, Decision Memo indicates. Amidst growing complaints that Medicare's [...] - Enrollment:
CMS Extends Timeline for Revalidation Effort by Two Years
You can now check the database to determine whether you've been sent a revalidation notice. [...] - CPT® 2012:
CPT® Defines 'Other Qualified Healthcare Professional'
Unfortunately, RNs don't make the cut under CPT®'s new definition. If you've wondered what "other [...] - Home Health Reimbursement:
Use These 10 Vital Tips for Billing Success
Do your billers' job descriptions really match what they're doing? With your Medicare margins getting [...] - Industry Notes
CMS Offers ICD-10 Templates, Planning Assistance The transition for medical practices to convert their diagnosis [...] - CMS Further Expands Preventive Care to Cover Depression and Alcohol Misuse Screenings
If alcohol misuse is found, CMS will cover four additional counseling visits. The news that [...]
