The extended unemployment benefits and $1,400 direct payments that are part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 signed into law by President Biden on March 11 have gained much attention. But the new law contains several other provisions aimed at making health insurance more affordable for millions of people with lower and moderate incomes, […]
Below is a listing of questions and answers regarding some of the nuances of billing Evaluation and Management office visits based on time. The new 2021 E/M coding guidelines for office visits (99202-99205, 99212-99215) allow physicians and qualified health professionals (QHP) to choose whether their documentation and code-selection level for E/M services provided is based […]
This new law is set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2022. In the closing days of 2020, Congress enacted and the President signed into law the “No Surprises Act.” But what does that mean for providers and patients exactly? The Act contains key protections to hold consumers harmless from the cost of unanticipated […]
An ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee virtual meeting is scheduled for March 9–10, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics (CDC NCHS) have posted tentative agendas on their websites. Stakeholders will present on a […]
For several, it is hard to envision the future of Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) era. How does this technology accelerate the business cycle and affect healthcare back-office day-to-day work? It is unknown when AI will be the industry norm at this stage, but there is some speculation about potential advantages […]
Typical CDI programs are intended to drive reimbursement through diagnosis securement, contributing to improved case mix index. The COVID-19 pandemic is placing monumental financial stressors upon hospitals, with added costs to treat patients with high acuity and long length of stays, coupled with significant revenue loss associated with postponement of more profitable elective surgeries, […]
The NCTAP was finalized as part of CMS’ fourth COVID-19 interim final rule. CMS on January 27 updated coding and billing instructions to hospitals for new COVID-19 treatments add-on payment (NCTAP). The NCTAP was finalized as part of CMS’ fourth COVID-19 interim final rule with comment period (IFC-4) and is effective November 2, 2020 through the end of the public health […]
The application of this code will not result in additional payment for a billed E/M visit service. In its February MLN Connects newsletter, CMS reminds providers that HCPCS add-on code G2211 (visit complexity inherent to E/M associated with medical care services that serve as the continuing focal point for all needed healthcare services and/or with medical care […]
Today, data breaches, ransomware attacks, and identity theft are endangering privacy and well-being. This is true for medical data because if malicious hackers get access to it, human lives and health could be at stake. Scammers may also attempt to benefit from ongoing events to disrupt the data gathering process for healthcare corporations. Medical […]
On December 1, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) introduced revisions to the ICD-10-PCS codes, while the most recent batch of CPT® codes was unveiled on January 25, 2021. The American Medical Association (AMA) has been consistently updating CPT codes in response to the release of vaccines, while CMS has been progressively […]