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Oct 28th, 2021
Understanding ASCs and APCs: Indicators and Place of Service
by Christine Woolstenhulme, QMC QCC CMCS CPC CMRS
The decision regarding the most appropriate care setting for a given surgical procedure is determined by the physician based on the patient's individual clinical needs and preferences. Of course, there is a difference in reimbursement, and the billing depends on where the procedure took place, such as an office setting, inpatient ...
by Aimee L. Wilcox, CPMA, CCS-P, CST, MA, MT
Audits are currently underway to verify the monies distributed through the CARES Act were warranted and properly used by those organizations that received them. The federal government has contracted with financial institutions such as KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers, among others, to perform these audits referred to as Provider Relief Fund (PRF) audit contractors, funded with monies from the very same program. There were four phases of funding disbursements with phase 1 audits beginning in September. How ready are you to be audited?
by Aimee L. Wilcox, CPMA, CCS-P, CST, MA, MT
We always knew there would come a day when payers would look down on an "unspecified" diagnosis code and possibly even deny it or delay payment until a review of the record could be performed. ICD-10-CM was adopted by the U.S. for data analytics, which cannot be accurate if unspecified codes are reported when the documentation verifies greater specificity. Join us for a look at the many guideline changes to ICD-10-CM, a review of the newest code changes and suggestions on documentation improvement to elevate coding protocols.
by Aimee L. Wilcox, CPMA, CCS-P, CST, MA, MT
As the OIG has published their intent to further investigate the 9.5% of improper payments based on incorrect ICD-10-CM code assignation, they implore Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) to begin employing some of the CMS tools and data analytic programs used to help identify outliers.
by Aimee L. Wilcox, CPMA, CCS-P, CST, MA, MT
Between June 2019 and June 2020, the United States saw a total of 107,750 deaths from COVID-19. The spread of this virus was so extraordinary that it led President Trump to declare a public health emergency, and we watched as individual states began implementing laws and regulations to limit social interaction ...
by Aimee L. Wilcox, CPMA, CCS-P, CST, MA, MT
Question: I am in an ENT office as part of a large clinic with separate practices including audiology, CT, and allergy, all billing under the same TAX ID. Sometimes tests are ordered which are done in other departments that my office does not bill for, would those be considered an outside source?
Answer: This is a great question and one that has been asked by many coders and auditors.
Mar 18th, 2021
How Reporting E/M Based on Time May Lose Money
by Aimee L. Wilcox, CPMA, CCS-P, CST, MA, MT
Just like math teachers who require students to show their work so they can see how the student reached their answer, providers are also required to "show their work" through the documentation process in the medical record. By the time a provider has reviewed the patient's subjective complaints (i.e., patient's ...
by Aimee L. Wilcox, CPMA, CCS-P, CST, MA, MT
When Medicare determined that providers could follow EITHER the 1995 OR the 1997 Documentation Guidelines for Evaluation and Management Services to determine which level of E/M service to report, because CMS had not clarified that portions of the 1995 and 1997 guidelines could be used together to determine the level of ...
Aug 24th, 2020
2021 Brings Another Risk Adjustment Calculation Change
by Aimee L. Wilcox, CPMA, CCS-P, CST, MA, MT
In 2021, a big change in Risk Adjustment score calculations will take place, which will affect payments to Medicare Advantage (MA) plans for the coming year and take us closer to quality and value-based programs instead of fee-for-service (FFS) or risk-adjusted (RA). Currently, CMS pays a per-enrollee capitated...
by Aimee L. Wilcox, CPMA, CCS-P, CST, MA, MT
On April 10th, CMS released a memo with the subject line, “Applicability of diagnoses from telehealth services for risk adjustment,” suggesting there may be some telehealth services that might not qualify for risk adjustment. However, in the memo CMS states:
“Diagnoses resulting from telehealth services can meet the risk adjustment face-to-face ...
May 4th, 2020
Additional Telehealth Changes Announced by CMS
by Wyn Staheli, Director of Content - innoviHealth
On April 30, 2020, CMS announced additional sweeping changes to meet the challenges of providing adequate healthcare during this pandemic. These changes expand the March 31st changes. The article covers some of the key changes. See the official announcement in the references below.
Apr 20th, 2020
Dismal OIG Report on Telemedicine
by Wyn Staheli, Director of Content - innoviHealth
Providers need to understand the rules for reporting telemedicine services. A recent OIG report shows that this is not the case. What problems are being found in documentation claims? As providers are expanding their telehealth offerings, now is the time to understand the potential pitfalls since disallowed amounts will be taken back.
Apr 15th, 2020
CMS Temporarily Suspends Contract-Level RADV Audits
by Aimee L. Wilcox, CPMA, CCS-P, CST, MA, MT
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is suspending contract-level RADV audits, related to the payment year 2015 and will not initiate any new ones until after the public health emergency has ended. Any documentation already submitted will be reviewed as usual.
Apr 15th, 2020
New CPT® Codes Approved for COVID-19 Antibody Identification
by Aimee L. Wilcox, CPMA, CCS-P, CST, MA, MT
On April 10, 2020, the American Medical Association approved and published a revision of code 86318 and added two new codes 86328 and 86769 for reporting Coronavirus [COVID-19] antibody testing.
Apr 13th, 2020
CMS Announces Final 2021 HCC Risk Adjustment Changes
by Wyn Staheli, Director of Content - innoviHealth
On April 6, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published their final Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D payment methodologies for CY 2021. Read more to be prepared for these upcoming changes.
by Aimee L. Wilcox, CPMA, CCS-P, CST, MA, MT
Do you still find yourself searching the internet for an ICD10 code? Medical coders often type into their search engine, what is the ICD10 code for ... and a specific diagnosis code, to avoid repeatedly dragging out the incredibly large ICD10 codebook. Ironically, some of the most commonly searched ICD10 diagnoses include: ...
by Aubrie Rowley
The current coronavirus pandemic refers to COVID-19, a novel or new type of coronavirus known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first victim of the virus was identified in Wuhan, Hubei, China at the end of 2019. There is no immunization available to prevent it from spreading and ...
Feb 10th, 2020
A 2020 Radiology Coding Change You Need To Know
by Aimee L. Wilcox, CPMA, CCS-P, CST, MA, MT
The radiology section of the 2020 CPT© has 1 new, 18 revised, and 14 deleted codes. Interestingly, six of the 14 deleted codes were specific to reporting single-photon computerized tomographic (SPECT) imaging services of the brain, heart, liver, bladder, and others. If your organization reports radiology services, it is...
Jan 30th, 2020
Medicare Announces Coverage of Acupuncture Services
by Aimee L. Wilcox, CPMA, CCS-P, CST, MA, MT
On January 21, 2020, a CMS Newsroom press-release read,
This new announcement is both exciting and refreshing. Acupuncture, a key component of traditional Chinese medicine and most commonly used to treat pain, is now being officially recognized by Medicare and several other large payers as a covered, alternative treatment option for ...
Dec 9th, 2019
Regence: Dental Procedures Under The BlueCard Program?
by Christine Woolstenhulme, QMC QCC CMCS CPC CMRS
This information can be found on Regence/Blue Cross Dental procedures explaining additional benefits for dental procedures. Regence currently does not offer dental benefits, however, there are times a patient can receive treatment with a Blue Cross provider and qualify under their medical benefits. In addition, Regence informs the providers to file these claims ...
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