Otolaryngology Coding Alert

Armed with a list of your practice's top procedures, you can evaluate if your practice should change, add or remove surgical procedures to an ASC from the outpatient department or the office.

Take these four steps, says Annette Grady, CPC, CPC-H, CPC-P, CCS-P, executive officer of the American Academy of Professional Coder's National Advisory Board:

Step 1: Update your super biller charge ticket.

Step 2: Identify your top-25 procedures and the services associated with them, such as supplies, drugs, equipment and radiological services.

Step 3: Find out the payment indicators for each of those codes (CMS-1517-F Addendum AA available at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/QuarterlyProviderUpdates/downloads/cms1517f.pdf).

Step 4: Compare your payment for performing the package in the office (where you can charge supplies and the insurer may pay for additional services and supplies), the ASC (where you will have to research whether associated items are included) or the outpatient department (where you can bill and receive payment for the physician component only).