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Oncology & Hematology Coding Alert

Telehealth:
Get the Answers to Your Top PHE Telehealth Questions
And find out when, or if, the waivers will end. Keeping track of the current state of tel... Read more
Coding Quiz:
Test Your Understanding of 2022’s Major Code Changes
How familiar are you with this year's procedure, dx, and E/M revisions? Keeping up with t... Read more
Procedure Coding:
Understand These 4 Things to Improve Your EGD/Endoscopy Coding
Don't be intimidated by new code choices. At the beginning of this year, CPT® introduc... Read more
Coding Quiz Answers:
Check Your Answers to our End-of-Year Coding Quiz
How much do you recall about recent coding changes? Once you've answered the quiz questi... Read more
Reader Questions:
Know How to Code This Pneumonitis Adverse Effect Encounter
Question: What diagnosis code should I use for immunotherapy-induced pneumonitis, whi... Read more
Reader Questions:
Use This Modifier for Multiple Drug Claims
Question: Our practice billed Medicaid for a patient's chemotherapy treatment, which ... Read more
Reader Questions:
Choose Primary Dx in This Lymph Node FNA Biopsy Encounter
Question: Our oncologist performed a fine needle aspiration (FNA) on a patient's righ... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Consider Different Codes for Cervical Cancer Follow-Ups
Question: What is the best way to code a follow-up visit for a patient who has comple... Read more
E/M Updates:
Take Note of These 2023 Office/Outpatient Consultation Changes
Beware that Medicare recognition remains to be seen. Among the changes set to take effect... Read more
Case Study Corner:
Keep These Codes Close in This Adverse Chemo Effect Scenario
Hint: Know your T36-T50 definitions. Patients reporting to your oncologist with adverse ... Read more
Procedure Coding:
Know the Dos and Don'ts of Brachytherapy Coding
Best beware of brachytherapy bundles. Brachytherapy — the placement of radioactive mate... Read more
Reader Question:
Look to This Code for SMM, MGUS Dx
Question: I am trying to locate the correct ICD-10-CM code for smoldering multiple myeloma... Read more
Reader Question:
Use a New E/M to Address an Old Problem? Think Again
Question: We have an oncologist in our practice who insists on adding an office/outpatient... Read more
Reader Question:
Rethink Counting This Lab Reorder
Question: Two weeks ago, a patient saw one of our providers who orders labs. The pati... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Don’t Muddle These Modifiers for Discontinued Services
Question: Our physician ordered an hour-long infusion of Rituximab for a patient with non-... Read more
E/M MDM:
Count on These Hints to Factor Data Into MDM Levels
Remember: Guidelines for the remainder of E/M categories will change in 2023. Evaluation ... Read more
Let Updated Code Descriptors Guide Your Leveling
For the last two years, CPT® has featured two different ways to calculate levels for cer... Read more
Billing:
Get the Answers to All Your Split/Shared Billing Questions
Clear up the confusion over when and how the rules will change. Billing when one of your... Read more
CPT® 2023:
Prepare for PLA Code Changes With This Primer
Here's how to stay on top of this rapidly changing CPT® subsection. CPT® 2023 contains ... Read more
Reader Questions:
Push Your Understanding of These IV Codes
Question: One of our payers is saying they “will no longer accept 96365 when bille... Read more
Reader Questions:
Get Soft on This Connective Tissue Neoplasm Code
Question: I am trying to code leiomyosarcoma of the sigmoid colon. I have found docum... Read more
Reader Questions:
Pay Attention to Neoplasm Sign and Symptoms Sequencing
Question: I am confused about ICD-10-CM coding guideline IC.2.g. For example, a pati... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Get Time on Your Side With No Problem
Question: A patient established with our office came to us complaining of fatigue. Th... Read more
News You Can Use:
Know What’s Going Down With CMS’s Proposed 2023 MPFS
CRC screening policy shift could spell good news. On July 7, 2022, the Centers for Medic... Read more
Coding Quiz:
Can You Ace This Hormone Receptor Coding Quiz?
Answer these three questions to brush up on your breast cancer coding knowledge. One imp... Read more
2023 E/M Updates:
Observe These Inpatient/Observation Care Management Changes in 2023
CPT® extends MDM elements across more E/M codes. CPT® 2023 features a huge shakeup in t... Read more
Coding Quiz Answers:
Check Your Answers to Our Hormone Receptor Coding Quiz
And test your knowledge of testing techniques along the way. Once you've answered the qui... Read more
Reader Questions:
Match Dx With Male Mastectomy
Question: Medicaid is denying a claim for 19303 because the patient is male. They say... Read more
Reader Questions:
Make This History Code Dilemma a Thing of the Past
Question: We have a patient who is a breast cancer survivor, status post double mast... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Consult the Answer to This Consultation Conundrum
Question: Our oncologists want to report consult codes 99446-99449 when they are comp... Read more
News You Can Use:
View the New 2023 Blood Disorder Dx Codes
Time to put these new VWD, HIT, and HUS codes at your fingertips. Changes to the D50-D89 ... Read more
ICD-10-CM Coding:
Don’t Overlook This Underdosing Coding Advice
Know the nuances of medication noncompliance coding. From a medical perspective, a pati... Read more
Patient Management:
Get the Answers to All Your SDoH Coding Questions
And learn all about the new ICD-10-CM codes and guidelines for 2023. ICD-10-CM 2023 conta... Read more
Reader Questions:
Follow This Guideline for Completed Treatment Follow-Ups
Question: When should I apply Z08 to a patient's record, and how long after treatmen... Read more
Reader Questions:
Use This Code When PSA Levels Make History
Question: How do you code a history of elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA)? AAP... Read more
Reader Questions:
Look to This Code for Accurate Leukemic Meningitis Reporting
Question: I cannot find a code for leukemic meningitis in the Alphabetic Index for IC... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Infuse Your Understanding of These Therapeutic Apheresis Codes
Question: What is the correct way to bill for apheresis? Do I use 36514 for the remov... Read more
Condition Spotlight:
Tackle Complete Blood Cancer Coding With This Guide
And test yourself with these tricky scenarios. Despite some difficult clinical terminolog... Read more
Mythbusters:
Remove These 3 Myths for Super-Clean Skin Biopsy Claims
And use this clever coding trick when your provider performs multiple biopsies. Knowing h... Read more
Care Management:
Take These Tips, Transform Your TCM Documentation
But be careful: Your MDM calculations may soon change. When one of your patients transiti... Read more
Reader Questions:
Pause Before Adding E/Ms to Radiation Treatment Planning
Question: Can I bill office and outpatient evaluation and management (E/M) codes 9920... Read more
Reader Questions:
Know the Difference Between These Diagnostic Bone Marrow Procedures
Question: How is a bone marrow aspiration different from a bone marrow biopsy? Ohio ... Read more
Reader Questions:
Pick Lab Panels Only When All Tests Included
Question: Our physician ordered testing of a patient's potassium, sodium, calcium, ch... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Don’t Phone In These Codes for Patient Follow-Up
Question: I have a provider who is billing codes 99358 and +99359 for her supportive ... Read more
Infusion Coding:
Use This 3-Step Guide to Perfect Your Infusion Coding
Everything you need should be right in the MAR. If you were looking for a quick, easy, an... Read more
Test Yourself:
Code This Chemo Scenario
The patient undergoes the following: First, Code the Complex Services As chemotherapy ... Read more
Practice Management:
Take the Team Approach, Avoid These Common Denials
Make your EHR work for you at every stage of the revenue cycle. Who hasn't experienced de... Read more
E/M Coding:
Stay on the Level With the Answers to These 2021 E/M Risk Element Questions
Clinician judgement and thought process are key to assigning and supporting higher levels ... Read more
Reader Questions:
Raise Your MDM Risk Level High on These Toxic Agents
Question: According to the Risk of Complications element of the CPT® medical decisio... Read more
Reader Questions:
Get Personal With This History Code Use
Question: A patient had a lumpectomy. When would it be appropriate for me to use a pe... Read more
Reader Questions:
Know How to Report This Negative Biopsy
Question: What is the appropriate diagnosis to use when a provider performs a biopsy ... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Mind These Medicare ESA Modifiers
Question: A patient came to our outpatient clinic with an order to receive Retacrit due to... Read more
ICD-10-CM Coding:
4 Tips Will Put You at the Head of the Neoplasm Table
Learn the right way to code metastatic cancers. If you're new to oncology coding, the ICD... Read more
Coding Quiz:
Got ACP Questions? This Quiz Has All the Answers
Test yourself and advance your care planning knowledge. Advance care planning (ACP) is li... Read more
Modifiers:
Take This Modifier Advice, Code Repeat Services Right
Just remember to check for MUEs/MAIs. Using a modifier can have a profound effect on your... Read more
Coding Quiz Answers:
Check Your Answers to Our ACP Coding Quiz
And don't forget to take this great documentation advice. Once you've answered the quiz q... Read more
Reader Questions:
Test Your Understanding of This Breast Cancer Screening Code
Question: If a provider performs an evaluation and management (E/M) service and order... Read more
Reader Questions:
Deliver This Code to Medicare for SBRT Treatments
Question: Is it correct to charge for treatment management (77435) when the patient r... Read more
Reader Questions:
Face Up to This Code Choice for Merkel Cell Dx
Question: What is the correct code for Merkel cell carcinoma that is only found on th... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Use This 3-Step Process for Accurate Xofigo Coding
Question: What is the correct way to code for radium Ra 223 (Xofigo) therapy for a pa... Read more
News You Can Use:
Confused by Medicare’s New RO Model? Here’s What You Need to Know
Experts weigh in on this innovative new payment system. On Nov. 2, 2021, Medicare rolled ... Read more
ICD-10-CM Guidelines:
Spot the Difference Between Aftercare and Follow-Up Codes
These scenarios and Excludes1 instructions will point you in the right direction. Correc... Read more
Mythbusters:
Bust These 3 Myths for Compliant 99211 Coding
Incorrect use of this low-level E/M could be costing you money. The dust may have settle... Read more
Reader Questions:
Stage This CKD Code First When Anemia Manifests
Question: I know that coding guidelines tell you that a chronic kidney disease (CKD) ... Read more
Reader Questions:
Locate This Cancer Code After Mastectomy
Question: A patient underwent a bilateral mastectomy after having breast cancer of th... Read more
Reader Questions:
Be Certain Before Using This Uncertain Behavior Code
Question: Our provider excised an area of patient's skin and sent it off to pathology... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Consider Duration, DOS for High-Level Problem MDM Decisions
Question: One of our providers always documents that his patients with an active canc... Read more
Screening & Testing:
Perfect Your Mammography Coding With These FAQs
Here's how to navigate the Medicare minefield. For such a significant, high volume, yet s... Read more
Documentation:
Spring Clean Your Documentation With These 3 Cs
NCQA guidelines will make sure your records are in good health. “Consistent, current an... Read more
Condition Spotlight:
Stay Alert to These Different Ways to Document Cancer and Fatigue
These two scenarios will help you determine causality. Fatigue and weakness are common i... Read more
Reader Questions:
Make the Right Decision on This Pre-Op E/M Encounter
Question: One of our providers will decide that a patient has to have surgery, then h... Read more
Reader Questions:
Know These Dx Codes for CA 19-9 Testing Necessity
Question: What ICD-10-CM code should I use to prove medical necessity if our provider orde... Read more
Reader Questions:
Count Only Conditions Managed During E/M
Question: Our provider is treating a patient for polycythemia and leukocytosis. The p... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Watch Sequencing for Accurate Prophylactic Infusion Coding
Question: We performed a chemotherapy infusion on a patient lasting 115 minutes. Prio... Read more
Mythbusters:
Bust These 5 Myths for Successful Ovarian Cancer Coding
Are you remembering to use the new bilateral codes? Cancer coding is more art than scien... Read more
Prolonged Services:
Know The Dos and Don’ts of Non-Face-to-Face Prolonged Service Coding
Here's how to capture all the time your provider spends outside of patient contact. Most ... Read more
Test Yourself:
Put Your Leukoplakia Coding Skills to the Test With This Case Study
Can you distinguish between these biopsy procedures? Oral hairy leukoplakia may sound li... Read more
Reader Questions:
Sequence These IV Codes for Concurrent Pushes
Question: A patient was suffering from nausea and vomiting, so our provider ordered two in... Read more
Reader Questions:
Question Purpose Before Billing This Hydration Service
Question: Recently, one of our patients received hydration for 45 minutes. At that point, ... Read more
Reader Questions:
Document These Encounter Codes for Hormone Therapy
Question: When a patient presents to our practice for hormone therapy injections to treat ... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Add All MDM Elements Before Assigning E/M Level
Question: A patient returned for a six-month follow-up after undergoing a punch biopsy of ... Read more
Screening and Testing:
Get the Answers to Your Frequently Asked PSA Testing Questions
Here's how to understand the differences between these four prostate cancer tests. On the... Read more
Modifiers:
Unbundle Your Modifier 59 Understanding With These 2 Scenarios
Hint: Look to other modifiers and NCCI edit pair modifier indicators for correct applicati... Read more
ICD-10-CM Coding:
Factor This Knowledge Into Your Coagulation Disorder Coding
What do 13 factors, hereditary conditions, and these Greek and Latin words have in common?... Read more
Reader Questions:
Include Biopsy in This Pleural Effusion Encounter
Question: Our provider drained pleural fluid and performed a needle pleural biopsy on a pa... Read more
Reader Questions:
Take These Steps to Document Physicist Consults
Question: How do we document a special physics consultation with a radiation physicist? M... Read more
Reader Questions:
Depend on This Definition to Determine Independent Historian’s Role
Question: Our provider recently performed an evaluation and management (E/M) service on an... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Elevate This Chronic Illness MDM Beyond Stable Status
Question: If a patient only has one chronic problem that is not worsening but is not respo... Read more
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