Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert
Senate Lacks Votes to Change Medicare Payment Structure, But Members Vow to Keep Trying
Plus: CMS heads closer to defining 'meaningful use,' but official definition won't be issued until late 2009.
Last week, Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) helped shepherd a bill that would have changed the Medicare payment formula, thus permanently stopping the cuts that physicians face each year in Medicare payments. The bill failed to pass after some senators questioned whether the bill's price tag (over $240 billion) was excessive.
"The reason we have to take care of this so-called doctor fix is that seniors need to be able to have a doctor when they're sick. Medicare patients need to have a doctor when they're ill or hurt," Reid said in a statement on his Web site. Keep your eye on the Insider for more information about legislative moves on this front.
Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert
- CPT 2010:
New Codes for Cardiac CT, Imaging Debut Jan. 1
Plus: Say goodbye to two perfusion codes. If you've ever wondered whether Medicare actually pays [...] - BILLING:
Give Your MAC Permission to Communicate With Billing Co.
Prepare ahead of time by designating the billing company on your enrollment form. HIPAA laws [...] - CPT 2010:
CPT 2010 Retains Consult Codes, Adds Specificity to Tumor Excision Codes
Plus: Look for new nerve conduction study, facet joint injection codes. Although CMS has proposed [...] - PQRI:
CMS Offers Alternative Way to Access Your PQRI Feedback Reports
No need to register in the IACS system to read individual physicians' report -- simply [...] - READER QUESTION:
Don't Code Fibroid Tumor Diagnosis Until You Pinpoint Location
Plus: Know the alternative terms that physicians use to describe the various types of tumors. [...] - PART B CODING COACH:
Ventilator Management vs. E/M Codes: This Guide Helps You Make the Call
Boost reimbursement by 70 percent on subsequent care days with 9400x in lieu of low-level [...] - PHYSICIAN NOTES:
Senate Lacks Votes to Change Medicare Payment Structure, But Members Vow to Keep Trying
Plus: CMS heads closer to defining 'meaningful use,' but official definition won't be issued until [...] - In other news ...
• What's "meaningful use?" That definition could be part of your holiday gift this year [...]
