Implement a compliance process in your practice for querying providers for outpatient services. Querying providers about their documentation may seem inappropriate, but it is an important part of the medical coding process. A physician query allows a medical coder to formally ask a healthcare provider a question about something they wrote (or didn’t write) in […]
How to avoid medical necessity denials and ensure timely payment. Sick visit on the same day as an annual wellness visit (AWV) Reason for denial: Lack of clear clinical documentation regarding why the physician had to go above and beyond what is normally addressed during an AWV. How to avoid it:“I often tell doctors to […]
Opponents of the loosened interstate telehealth restrictions that were instituted at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic argued that it would result in out-of-state doctors luring patients away from their current physicians. But a new study finds that most out-of-state telehealth is used for continuity of care, not acquiring new patients. The study compares interstate […]
Exactly 1,468 new diagnosis codes will be added to the ICD-10-CM code set for fiscal year (FY) 2023. Moreover, 251 codes will be deleted, 35 code descriptors will be revised, and 36 codes will be converted to parent codes. The changes go into effect Oct. 1. Review the Latest Files The diagnosis code files and […]
CMS issued a proposed rule to update payment rates and policies under the End-Stage Renal Disease Prospective Payment System for renal dialysis services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries on or after Jan. 1, 2023. Here are four takeaways from the proposed rule: Under the proposed rule, Medicare expects to pay $8.2 billion to approximately 7,800 facilities […]
Question: Can you please tell us what the new codes are for principal care management and chronic care management? Answer: There are three new codes in the care management section of the CPT codebook. Care Management Services Principal Care Management Services New CPT codes have been added in 2022 to describe “Principal Care Management Services.” […]
Observation, outpatient outlier payments, and the Inpatient-only List: Getting it right is not always easy. On this week’s Monitor Mondays we had a robust discussion about Condition Code 44. And on June 9, I will be presenting a webinar on the nebulous concept of “outpatient” service in a bed. Both of these have one thing […]
Medicare’s trustees have issued a report (PDF) that reckons with the consequences that patients could face as a result of the physician payment system’s long-term unsustainability. Your Powerful Ally The AMA helps physicians build a better future for medicine, advocating in the courts and on the Hill to remove obstacles to patient care and confront […]
Diverse medical software — EHRs, billing software, patient relations tools — has already become essential for the efficient operation of any healthcare provider, be it a cross-state healthcare network or a small private practice. Though providers can probably make use of any type of medical software, the financial resources they can invest in medical solutions […]
More than two years into the pandemic, the healthcare industry has been altered tremendously. The future of healthcare will need to be convenient and designed around a patient’s unique needs. As major retail outlets and pharmacy chains continue to disrupt traditional care delivery, the race is on to transform care, reduce costs, and improve access […]










