Eli's Rehab Report
CMS Delays $1,590 Therapy Cap by 60 Days
Although Medicare carriers planned to implement CMS Part B therapy caps beginning on July 1, a last-minute CMS intervention allows practitioners an additional two months before they must begin the cap restrictions.
When the cap becomes effective on Sept. 1, carriers will impose a $1,590 annual limitation on Medicare B outpatient occupational therapy and a separate $1,590 combined cap for physical therapy and speech-language pathology services.
PM&R practitioners are still attempting to repeal the cap entirely, and Physical Medicine and Rehab Coding Alert will continue to follow the regulations and alert you if CMS delays implementation again.
Eli's Rehab Report
- Strengthen Your Muscle Weakness Coding With New ICD-9 Codes
PM&R practices will finally be able to specify muscle weakness diagnoses, thanks to a new [...] - NCCI Serves Up New Edits for PM&R Practices
Thanks to version 9.2 of the National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI), which took effect July [...] - 3 Steps to Base Your E/M Visit On Time With Patient
Long E/M visits and time spent reassuring and counseling patients in the office does not [...] - You Be the Coder:
What is the Z-Joint?
Question: Our physiatrist documented a z-joint injection, but we couldnt find a code for this. [...] - Set Up a Template for Time Guidelines
If you are still unsure about whether your physician's documentation supports selecting your E/M level [...] - Good News! Carriers Wont Ask for Planned Refunds
Due to the delayed implementation of the 2003 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule , Medicare [...] - CMS Delays $1,590 Therapy Cap by 60 Days
Thanks to an eleventh-hour therapy-cap delay, you can continue treating your therapy patients without worrying [...] - Reader Question:
Update Your TPI Coding
Question: Our physiatrist performed four trigger point injections in different muscle groups. Our carriers Web [...] - Reader Question:
Report Symptoms in Absence of Dx
Question: When we see a patient for a new pain-related problem, I usually report the [...] - Reader Question:
MD Must See Patient First for Incident-To
Question: Our nurse practitioner (NP) often sees patients and, if the physiatrist is in the [...] - Reader Question:
Report Diskography RS&I Per Level
Question: If our physiatrist performs diskography injections at multiple levels (such as L2-3, L3-4, L4-5), [...] - Reader Question:
Isaacs Syndrome: Motor Neuron Disease
Question: Is there a specific diagnosis code for Isaacs syndrome?
Texas Subscriber [...] - Reader Question:
Report Botox Injections per Operative Session
Question: Our physiatrist administered three Botox injections to a patient's right arm, but the injections [...]
