decisionhealth Newsletters, Part B News - 2001 Issue 10 (October)
Bone screen code takes pay cut in Oct. fee schedule update
Subscribe or sign in to view the full article.
Article Overview
This article reviews an October physician fee schedule update and related CMS program guidance that changed payment levels, billing indicators, and surgical reimbursement policies across several service categories. It focuses on broad Medicare policy updates affecting imaging, global periods, co-surgery, bilateral surgery, team surgery, and multiple-procedure payment handling, making it relevant to coders, billers, and reimbursement staff who monitor CMS changes.
Why This Topic Matters
The article helps readers identify which Medicare billing and payment policies changed in the update so they can assess whether affected services, specialties, and reimbursement workflows are impacted. It is useful for organizations that need to align claims processing and fee schedule review with CMS effective dates and indicator changes.
Article Sections
-
Payment update for bone density ultrasound and PET imaging
Summarizes the fee schedule update affecting imaging services and related Medicare payment status changes. The section places the update in the context of CMS program guidance and effective dates.
-
Global billing period
Describes the update to global-period indicators for a group of procedures and the general billing implications of that policy change.
-
Co-surgery
Covers the update allowing co-surgeons in certain situations for a specified set of procedures and notes the related Medicare documentation context.
-
Bilateral surgery
Explains the bilateral-surgery payment adjustment update for selected procedures and the associated Medicare reporting approach.
-
Team surgery
Addresses team-surgery eligibility and carrier pricing treatment for selected procedures under the update.
-
Multiple procedures
Summarizes the multiple-procedure payment adjustment update for selected services and the related payment treatment.
What You Will Learn
- Which broad Medicare fee schedule policies were updated in the article
- How the article groups changes by billing indicator and surgical payment category
- Which types of services are affected by the update
- What organizations and program guidance are referenced
- How effective dates and payment status changes are presented in the update
Who Should Read This
- Medical coders
- Medical billers
- Reimbursement specialists
- Physician office staff
- Revenue cycle professionals
- Compliance staff
Codes Discussed
Modifiers Discussed
Subscribe or sign in to view the full article.


Quick, Current, Complete - www.findacode.com