Discover the must-watch list for coding bug bites, poison ivy, and heatstroke! Get ICD-10 pointers. Can you believe it’s already mid-August? While the buzz around 2020 code updates is in the air, let’s not forget about the remaining summer of 2019. How many of these common warm-weather diagnoses have you encountered and coded this year […]
An overview of the proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule: The proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) rule for 2020 was officially released on Aug. 14, 2019, encompassing various elements. Among these are proposals such as adjusting the PFS conversion factor to $36.09, introducing new HCPCS codes for bundled episode-of-care treatment for opioid use disorders, revising […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed changes to the payment structure for sinus endoscopy services in the 2020 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) proposed rule (page 53). Specifically, CMS intends to apply multiple endoscopy rules, similar to those used for colonoscopies, to sinus endoscopy reimbursements. This approach is detailed in MLN Matters […]
In the crowded healthcare market, smart healthcare leaders must find patient satisfaction advantages everywhere they can. When it comes to patient satisfaction, providing excellent clinical care is a no-brainer. But in a crowded and competitive healthcare market, smart healthcare leaders know that they need an edge everywhere, including an efficient revenue cycle. That’s the case […]
Final rules will impact nearly every type of healthcare provider. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) presented us with quite a number of Medicare payment rules in the last week or so, referencing almost every type of provider in the program. The final rules included the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Medicare Hospital Inpatient […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is proposing changes to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and the Quality Payment Program as part of its effort to reduce provider burden. “Clinicians are drowning in paperwork and reporting requirements caused by cumbersome government rules and regulations,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma in a press […]
Multiple Surgeries Multiple surgeries are separate procedures performed by a physician on the same patient at the same operative session or on the same day. Multiple surgeries are distinguished from procedures that are components of or incidental to a primary procedure. Intraoperative services, incidental surgeries or components of surgeries will not be separately reimbursed. Reimbursement […]
An Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment System (ASC PS) update that took effect July 1, 2019, changes billing instructions for various payment policies and codes. Here is what you need to know to properly bill Medicare for these services and supplies. New CPT Category III Codes Effective July 1, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid […]
For some coders, confusion exists when Critical Care Coding for critical care services. Code 99291 is used for critical care, evaluation, and management of a critically ill or critically injured patient, specifically for the first 30-74 minutes of treatment. It is to be reported only once per day, per physician or group member of the same specialty. […]
Chronic care management (CCM) has an overarching clinical goal—improving the health of Medicare patients with multiple chronic conditions. Besides knowing the service parameters, pay rates and usage requirements for CCM codes, physicians must understand how to effectively bill for CCM in order to profitably achieve that goal. Medicare pays for CCM (typically, non-face-to-face) services to […]









