Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert
Congress Pays for SARS, Smallpox
Published on Fri May 23, 2003
The $79 billion supplemental spending bill for fiscal year 2003 includes $2.23 billion for first responders such as police, fire and medical personnel. It also includes $100 million to help state and local governments to vaccinate health workers and first responders against smallpox. And it allocates $42 million to a compensation program for vaccinees who suffer adverse effects. The bill also includes $16 million for research into severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS.
Other Articles in this issue of
Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert
- REIMBURSEMENT:
Know 'Hot Buttons' Before You Press Them
Stop! Are you dangling audit bait in the water? Certain codes are almost guaranteed to [...] - CODING:
If You're Downcoding on Purpose, You're Burning Cash
Many physicians are so beaten down by fraud probes and carrier audits that they're punishing [...] - Congress Pays for SARS, Smallpox
The $79 billion supplemental spending bill for fiscal year 2003 includes $2.23 billion for first [...] - COVERAGE:
PET Scans Now Covered for Thyroid Cancer and Cardiac Diseases
If your clinic performs positron emission tomography scans, you could be in for a big [...] - COVERAGE:
Don't Leap Past Basic Exams to Expensive Test
Soon you'll have a new diagnostic tool for arterial problems - but don't overuse it, [...] - TEACHING HOSPITALS:
Doctor Pays Fine for Wandering off PATH
Physician-presence rules in the teaching hospital setting are among the oldest compliance hot buttons around, [...] - DIAGNOSIS CODING:
CMN Doesn't Need to Justify Diagnosis Code, CMS Says
You may still be in the dark as to which ICD9 Codes to put on [...] - FRAUD & ABUSE:
Physician Deals With Hospitals Are Under Scrutiny
If your practice is working with a hospital, you may be in for scrutiny from [...] - CODING:
Don't Let the Bell Curve Fool You
If you're concerned that you may be downcoding, then it's important to have a certified [...] - HIPAA:
Lawsuit Aims to Slow HIPAA Juggernaut
Privacy advocates and other healthcare groups representing patients who charge that the Health Insurance Portability [...] - CODING:
New Codes Mean Changes for Billing Surgical Dressings, Defibrillators
Physicians and suppliers have a host of new "K" codes to get familiar with thanks [...] - INFUSION:
At Your Service, IV Providers Tell Medicare
Instead of paying per widget, the home-infusion industry wants Medicare to pay per diem for [...] - MODIFIERS:
Your Billing May Revolve Around Global Periods
If a patient comes back after surgery with a problem related to the diagnosis that [...] - COMPLIANCE:
Considering E-Mail Consultations? Read This First
The point-and-click era has patients clamoring for electronic access to their physicians, but before a [...] - MEDICAL REVIEW:
Bring Medical Review Into Greater Focus
Why is the insurance carrier picking on you? It may seem random, but there's usually [...] - FRAUD & ABUSE:
OIG Heats Up Griddle the Carriers Make You Dance On
You may be hearing frequently from carriers about some codes you bill often, but it [...] - DRUG REIMBURSEMENT:
CMS Invites Least Costly Alternative for Drugs
Medicare's new Single Drug Pricer doesn't mean that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services [...] - PHYSICIAN NOTES:
CDC Sees HIV as Fertile Ground for Prevention
"Prevention efforts have stalled" on HIV, with 40,000 new infections now occurring annually in the [...] - ENROLLMENT:
Providers, Suppliers Face New Enrollment Standards
A wider range of Medicare providers could be subject to site visits to verify their [...]
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