decisionhealth Newsletters, Part B News - 2009 Issue 6 (June)
NPP Report: Number of NP, PA consults have skyrocketed this decade
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Article Overview
This article reviews a Part B News analysis of consultation billing trends for nurse practitioners and physician assistants over multiple years. It discusses Medicare utilization patterns, denial rates, and CMS policy context affecting how consultation services are billed in the physician assistant and nurse practitioner setting. The piece is aimed at coding, compliance, and practice management readers who want to understand the general trend and the governing framework behind these consult claims.
Why This Topic Matters
It helps coding and compliance professionals monitor how consultation claims for nonphysician practitioners are being used and what policy considerations may affect reimbursement and claim acceptance.
Article Sections
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Consultation billing trend analysis
Summarizes the overall increase in consultation billing by nonphysician practitioners and the time period covered by the analysis.
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Denial experience and specialty mix
Reviews denial patterns for the service category and discusses the mix of specialties represented among physician assistants and nurse practitioners.
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CMS policy context for consultation services
Addresses the Medicare policy framework referenced in the article and the broader compliance context for billing consult services.
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Practice management considerations
Discusses operational and documentation considerations for practices that use nonphysician practitioners to furnish consultative services.
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Data table and source reference
Presents the reported year-by-year utilization and denial figures and the cited CMS billing data source.
What You Will Learn
- How consultation billing by nonphysician practitioners changed over time
- What the article says about denial patterns for these services
- Which broad policy and compliance issues are associated with consultation claims
- How practices may think about operational handling of consult services
Who Should Read This
- Medical coders
- Compliance staff
- Billing managers
- Practice administrators
- Physician assistants
- Nurse practitioners
Codes Discussed
Code Ranges Discussed
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