decisionhealth Newsletters, Coder Pink Sheets - 2009 Issue 11 (November)
OIG singles out transforaminal epidurals in 2010 Work Plan
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Article Overview
This article reviews Medicare physician-policy topics flagged in the HHS Office of Inspector General’s 2010 Work Plan. It is relevant to coders, compliance staff, and physicians who want to understand which billing areas were under review, including pain management procedures, ordering and referral oversight, imaging payment issues, dates-of-service concerns, and selected repeat audit topics from prior years. The article provides a broad compliance-oriented overview rather than a detailed coding tutorial.
Why This Topic Matters
Understanding OIG work plan priorities helps organizations identify areas likely to face audits or payment scrutiny and focus internal compliance review efforts accordingly.
Article Sections
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OIG 2010 Work Plan overview
Introduces the annual work plan and its role in guiding audits and evaluations related to Medicare physician policy and compliance priorities.
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Transforaminal epidural injections
Discusses the planned review of physician billing for a pain-management service category and notes the audit focus on growth in claims and payment oversight.
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Other issues OIG plans to study next year
Summarizes additional Medicare oversight topics scheduled for review, including excluded providers, imaging practice expense, dates of service after death, and selected prior-year issues.
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Official resource
Provides a link to the referenced HHS OIG Work Plan document.
What You Will Learn
- Which broad Medicare compliance areas were highlighted in the OIG 2010 Work Plan.
- How the article frames physician billing as a focus of audit activity.
- What categories of oversight issues were revisited or newly targeted by OIG.
- Which types of topics are associated with the referenced work plan document.
Who Should Read This
- Medical coders
- Compliance professionals
- Physicians
- Practice managers
- Billing staff
- Auditors
Codes Discussed
Code Ranges Discussed
Modifiers Discussed
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