E&M guidelines top the list of priorities for Medicare in 2001

Why This Topic Matters

The piece helps readers understand the broad policy and regulatory topics likely to affect Medicare billing, documentation, compliance, and practice operations in the coming year, without providing implementation details from the premium article.

Article Sections

1. E&M draft guidelines

   Discussion of planned development, review, education, and testing steps related to evaluation and management documentation guidance.

2. Work Values/PE-RVUs/Relative Value Update Committee system

   Coverage of physician work and practice expense valuation activities, including review of related analyses and possible updates affecting Medicare payment policy.

3. New ABN, HCFA-855 forms

   Overview of anticipated updates to Medicare forms and enrollment materials and the timing of their release.

4. Push on for Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) change

   Summary of expected discussion around physician reimbursement methodology and potential recommendations for change.

5. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

   General discussion of new privacy regulation developments and compliance consequences for healthcare providers.

6. Perhaps a return of the AMA's Socioeconomic Monitoring System (SMS)

   Brief mention of a possible reappearance of an AMA-related practice expense data collection approach.

7. Pre-Op diagnosis exams

   Coverage of carrier treatment of diagnosis codes used for pre-operative clearance examinations.

8. Fraud and abuse

   Discussion of anticipated attention to fraud-and-abuse compliance issues tied to federal self-referral and anti-kickback concerns.

9. Congress

   Preview of expected leadership changes in congressional committees with Medicare jurisdiction.

10. Medicare reform

    Commentary on the political environment surrounding possible Medicare reform activity in Congress.