decisionhealth Newsletters, Part B News - 2010 Issue 10 (October)
High-level E/Ms targeted as errors spike after consult elimination
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Article Overview
This article covers Medicare contractor monitoring of higher-level new patient office visits after consult code changes, including a prepayment review announced by one MAC, reported error patterns, and common documentation and billing issues that can trigger denials or records requests. It is relevant to medical coders, billing staff, compliance teams, and practices billing Medicare across affected jurisdictions.
Why This Topic Matters
It helps readers understand a Medicare claims review trend that can delay payment and increase denial risk for higher-level new patient evaluation and management services. The article also highlights how MAC-specific auditing and documentation scrutiny may affect coding compliance workflows.
Article Sections
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Prepayment review and audit findings
This section describes the Medicare contractor action, the affected jurisdiction, and the internal audit that prompted closer review of selected services. It also places the issue in the context of recent Medicare coding changes.
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5 steps to avoid new visit mistakes
This section summarizes common documentation and billing problem areas associated with new patient evaluation and management claims. It focuses on broad compliance themes practices should monitor.
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Other MACs have no plans for similar action
This section compares the situation in other Medicare Administrative Contractor jurisdictions and notes whether similar review actions are planned. It also references general error-rate observations across contractors.
What You Will Learn
- How Medicare contractor reviews can affect higher-level new patient evaluation and management claims
- What broad types of documentation and billing issues are associated with claim denials or additional review
- How contractor-level auditing activity can differ across Medicare jurisdictions
- Why changes in referral and consultation billing patterns can influence evaluation and management scrutiny
Who Should Read This
- Medical coders
- Billing staff
- Compliance teams
- Practice managers
- Physician offices
- Medicare-billing providers
Codes Discussed
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