Practice Management Alert

Plus, read E/M billing clarification if you bill Medicare for teaching physician work.

According to reports, at least two major insurance companies -- Cigna and Humana -- show better-than-expected results for the second quarter of 2011, attributed to increases in new membership.

For Cigna, "total revenue was up to $5.5 billion for the quarter compared with $5.35 billion for the second quarter of 2010" and "medical membership, which is regular health insurance, grew to 11.46 million people as of June 30 from 11.37 million a year before," according to an article in The Hartford Courant. Humana's second-quarter net income rose to $460.3 million from $340.1 million in 2010, according to the Associated Press. This rise likely correlates to increased membership in Humana's stand-alone Medicare prescription drug plans and individual specialty plans, which include vision and dental coverage.

Humana CEO Michael B. McCallister said the company now sees opportunities to expand its 2012 Medicare businesses "a little more aggressively than we thought possible 90 days ago," according to the Associated Press.

CMS will expand coverage of MRIs for patients with implanted pacemakers when used according to FDA-approved labeling.

The latest national coverage determination "provides access to the MRI environment for patients with FDA-approved pacemakers," CMS announced in a July news release. Currently, the only pacemakers that are FDA-approved for use with MRIs is the RevoMRI SureScan Pacing System, which was approved on Feb. 8 .

"This swift action by CMS provides patients who need a pacemaker with greater access to MRI exams," CMS administrator Donald Berwick said in the July 7 announcement.

To read the final decision memorandum, visit www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/...Imaging%20(MRI)%20(3rd%20Recon)&bc=ACAAAAAAIAAA&NCAId=252 &.