Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert

Teaching Documentation May Soon Become Easier

The American Academy of Medical Colleges has been working with the Physician Regulatory Issues Team at CMS to allow teaching physicians to use macros in their part of the medical record and speed up the process, according to the PRIT Web site at www.cms.hhs.gov/physicians/prit. CMS is making final revisions to a "clarifying statement" about the use of macros.

Hospitals also asked the PRIT to allow non-credentialed providers to do the history and physical exam for outpatient surgical procedures, the PRIT reported at the Aug. 23 Practicing Physicians Advisory Council meeting. The PRIT said it had worked with the American College of Surgeons to come up with an interim recommendation that surgeons should perform the H&P, but other providers could consult as needed, and information from non-staff physicians could be included in the record as backup material.