E/M Coding Alert - 2012 Issue 29
Therapy: Determine How 2013 Fee Schedule Proposal Will Impact Your Rehab Claims
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Article Overview
This article explains how the 2013 proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule could affect outpatient rehabilitation claims and documentation. It focuses on new CMS functional status reporting concepts, proposed severity scaling for therapy patients, timing of reporting, and concerns raised by therapy professional organizations about readiness, data reliability, and implementation. The piece is relevant to physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology practices that submit Medicare claims and track regulatory changes.
Why This Topic Matters
Therapy practices need to understand proposed Medicare reporting changes that may affect claim submission, documentation workflows, and compliance planning. The article highlights why the rule matters for outpatient rehab providers and how professional associations are responding to the proposed requirements.
Article Sections
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Biggest Change
Introduces the proposed Medicare reporting changes for outpatient rehabilitation and explains the broad purpose of the new functional-status data collection. It also discusses when the reporting would apply and the general implementation timeline.
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Severity Modifiers 'Off-Scale' for SLPs
Covers concerns raised by speech-language pathology stakeholders about the proposed severity scale and how it compares with existing reporting approaches. The section also notes professional association feedback on reliability and readiness.
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Prepare for Extra-Steep Learning Curves
Addresses provider education, documentation workflow changes, and the anticipated administrative burden of implementing the new reporting system. It also mentions related discussions about additional G-code groupings and claim-form placement.
What You Will Learn
- What the proposed 2013 Medicare therapy reporting changes are about
- How CMS is approaching functional-status data collection for outpatient rehab
- Why therapy organizations are concerned about implementation timing and documentation demands
- What kinds of specialties and provider groups are affected by the proposal
- How the article frames the operational impact of the proposed rule on claims workflows
Who Should Read This
- Physical therapists
- Occupational therapists
- Speech-language pathologists
- Rehab clinic administrators
- Medical coders and billers
- Healthcare compliance staff
- Revenue cycle professionals
Codes Discussed
Code Ranges Discussed
Modifiers Discussed
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