HCFA chief: new documentation guidelines a result of poor coding

Article Overview

This article summarizes an exclusive interview with HCFA’s outgoing top doctor about why new evaluation and management documentation guidelines were being developed and how poor coding patterns influenced that decision. It also touches on broader Medicare physician billing and policy issues, including practice expense survey data, targeted prepayment review, compensation questions involving clinical staff time, CPT’s place in the billing system, and the status of incident-to policy discussions. The piece is relevant to physicians, coders, compliance staff, and healthcare organizations following Medicare documentation and billing policy changes.