Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert
Doctor Gets Nearly 2 Years in Jail for Kickbacks
Plus: Excluded employee costs this rehab center six figures.
Exchanging wads of cash in unmarked envelopes sounds pretty fishy—and it certainly was for one New Jersey-based physician who was sentenced to 20 months in prison for accepting kickbacks for diagnostic testing referrals.
The doctor was convicted of taking illegal kickbacks in exchange for sending his patients for MRIs, CAT scans and ultrasounds at specific locations. The doctor was recorded accepting thousands of dollars in cash that had been given to him in envelopes. He disguised the payments saying they were rental monies, but no such lease was found to exist.
The imaging companies that paid the doctor were also put under the microscope, and must forfeit over a million dollars in revenue that they accepted from the corrupt referrals. To read more about the case, visit www.justice.gov/usao/nj/Press/files/Onyenso, Chikezie Sentencing PR.html.
Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert
- E/M Coding:
This Payer Clarifies 'New Problem' From MDM Perspective
You can get extra points under ‘management options’ for new problems…if you know what they [...] - Part B Mythbuster:
Op Note Scrutiny Focuses on More Than Just the Title
Plus: Bust this myth about same-day E/M services. Myth: You should work twice as hard [...] - Hernia Coding:
These 3 FAQs Lead You on the Right Hernia Coding Track
Hint: Double the mesh may not equal double the reimbursement. If your practice performs hernia [...] - Patient Privacy:
Your Associate's Mistakes Shouldn't Cost You Money
Look out: Private lawsuits can be just as costly as federal HIPAA fines. You might [...] - Reader Question:
Know the Ear, Nose and Throat Bundles
Question: Can we bill CPT code 31600 with codes 38724, 41120, and 42890, or are these [...] - Part B Coding Coach:
Anesthesiologists Could Collect Extra Units for Field Avoidance
Even if Medicare won’t pay, other payers often do. Seeing a note of “field avoidance” [...] - Physician Notes:
Doctor Gets Nearly 2 Years in Jail for Kickbacks
Plus: Excluded employee costs this rehab center six figures. Exchanging wads of cash in unmarked [...] - In other news
Beware: Even if you don’t self-disclose your employment of a staffer excluded from Medicare, you [...]
