Pulmonology Coding Alert

Know your most cost-effective options and how to stay off of Medicare's hit list. You shouldn't lose sleep over whether you're in the clear when it comes to proper polysomnography billing practices. To avoid haggling for payment, look here for the inside scoop on when sleep studies are justified, what carriers need to see, and how tokeep costs in check. Find Out What's Sparking Audits The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is taking a hard look at sleep studies this year because there has been such an increase in volume, says Jill M. Young, CPC-ED, CPC-IM, president of Young Medical Consulting LLC in East Lansing, Mich. The agency wants to make sure that doctors aren't using the studies in response to noncovered complaints, such as insomnia, she says. So don't be surprised if the OIG wants to peek at your medical records to confirm that any sleep studies are [...]