You don’t have to get confused with many options! One good thing about the transition to ICD-10 is that the diagnosis coding guidelines for mammograms have not changed significantly, so it should be easy for you to use the new [...]
Hint: The diagnosis can point you in the right direction. Prostate specific antigen (PSA) screenings are commonplace in most urology practices, which means if you don’t have your procedure and diagnosis coding straight, you may face high denial rates and [...]
Hint: Do not use the modifier PT when the service began as a diagnostic procedure. Although the coding of a screening colonoscopy is a straightforward process and involves only a couple of relevant codes, problems arise when the same screening [...]
Watch out: Medicare has specific requirements other payers might not follow. Colon cancers is one of the most potent dangers in American society witnessed by the increasing number of colon screening being carried out today. The U.S. Preventive Services Task [...]
Question: When billing codes that fall under the physician fee schedule, should pathology billing representatives ever include the referring-provider diagnosis information such as signs and symptoms? Codify Subscriber Answer: If you’re billing for a pathologist, you should code the final diagnosis or [...]
Question: What diagnosis codes should we use for screening and diagnostic prostate specific antigen (PSA) tests when ICD-10 goes into effect? Minnesota Subscriber Answer: Physicians typically order screening PSA tests using ICD-9 code V76.44 (Special screening for malignant neoplasms; other sites; prostate). [...]
Get your patient involved before billing 82270. Coding for your gastroenterologist’s fecal occult blood tests (FOBTs) depends heavily on patient status at the time of the test. Further, you’ll have to remember that Medicare has deleted one of its G [...]
Question: Our physician performed a Pap smear and sent it for histopathological examination. The pathology lab however reported inadequate specimen. The physician then repeated the Pap smear on the same patient. How can we report this repeat service? New Mexico Subscriber [...]
Question: A 48-year-old patient complaining of chronic heartburn, cough, and cramps was referred to our office for an EGD. Our gastroenterologist also noted “crampy, lower right abdominal pain” as the additional indications in his notes. After the EGD, that confirmed gastroesophageal [...]
Medical necessity is pivotal for preventive service. With the implementation date of Oct. 1, 2015 looming, you can’t afford to go slow on changing your mindset from the ICD-9 system to ICD-10. Let us help you prepare with this snapshot [...]
