Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert
Congress Hears AMA Plea to Consider Physician Payment Reform
Plus: Use CMS resources to ensure you're ready for new 5010 standards. Congress may have passed a one-year Medicare payment fix for 2011, but that doesn't mean your payment woes are permanently gone. Physicians are still facing potential steep cuts for 2012, and the AMA wants lawmakers to fix those issues before they happen. AMA President Cecil B. Wilson, MD testified before the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee on May 5 to recommend a repeal of the current payment formula (the sustainable growth rate, or SGR) and implementation of a five-year period of stable Medicare payments, followed by a new Medicare physician payment system that Medicare can develop and demo over the five-year stabilization period. It remains to be seen whether Congress takes up the AMA's recommendation, or whether a different model will be put into place before payment cuts hit physicians again in 2012. Keep an eye on the Insider to monitor how this situation unfolds as 2011 closes out.
Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert
- E/M Coding:
Answer the $56 Question--Are You Downcoding Your E/M Visits?
You're not only losing revenue--you're also coding improperly.CMS data from previous years shows that medical [...] - Diagnosis Coding:
Adjust Your Codes Easily When Diagnosis Changes During A Patient's Hospital Stay
Educate your physician to keep you in the loop on patients' development.Just because a patient [...] - Compliance:
Are You Considering 'Firing' A Patient? Proceed Carefully to Avoid Getting Burned
These tips will help you avoid legal pitfalls in discharging deadbeat beneficiaries.Delinquent patients don't have [...] - Part B Coding Coach:
G0431, G0434--Consider Drug Classes Before Selecting the Right Code
Steer clear of 80100, 80104 on Medicare claims.If your pain management specialist conducts urine drug [...] - Physician Notes:
Congress Hears AMA Plea to Consider Physician Payment Reform
Plus: Use CMS resources to ensure you're ready for new 5010 standards.Congress may have passed [...] - In other news
The Jan. 1 compliance date for the new HIPAA 5010 standards is fast approaching. Take [...] - ICD-10 Preparation:
G89 Family Will Bring Chronic, Acute Pain Options
Hint: One-to-one cross from ICD-9 eases transition.When ICD-10 goes into effect in October 2013, you'll [...] - Reader Question:
93970 Global May Lead You to Require Modifier
Question: Can you bill a bilateral scan (93970) along with an office visit and get [...]
