Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert
How To Cope With Multiple Imaging Discount
If you perform more than one imaging scan on "contiguous" body parts, you'll have a 25-percent reduction on each additional scan this year--and 50 percent next year.
Jeff Fulkerson, senior certified coder in the radiology department of Emory Health Care in Stockbridge, GA offers a couple of suggestions for coping with the multiple imaging discount:
Invest in a new scanner. If you're using older equipment, it's time to upgrade. "The newer machines produce a better film in less time." You'll save money in the long run by wasting less time, Fulkerson explains.
Review your scanner utilization. Check whether the scanner is being used to capacity each day, Fulkerson also urges.
Some providers may try to get around the multiple-imaging reduction by performing multiple scans on different days. But "manipulating the system" in this way can cause more problems than it solves, insists Cheryl Schad, owner of Schad Medical Management in Mullica Hill, NJ.
"This is exactly the kind of intentional evasion that the OIG will be looking for," Schad adds
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