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Don’t expect a payment for IV chemotherapy administration in a facility

04/25/2016

Question: We have a two-part question about billing for intravenous chemotherapy administration services such as 96416 (Chemotherapy administration, intravenous infusion technique; initiation of prolonged chemotherapy infusion (more than 8 hours), requiring use of a portable or implantable pump.)

Ensure employee protections on hazardous drugs align with new USP standard

04/25/2016

by: A.J. Plunkett

A new U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) standard will dictate how you protect employees from unnecessary exposure to hazardous drugs, and though its effective date is in 2018, you need to start now with training and education.

New CMS primary care program promotes push to pay-for-performance

04/25/2016

by: Roy Edroso

The Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPCP) program announced April 11 by CMS is yet another sign that the agency is moving aggressively toward pay-for-performance, and Medicare providers will have to adjust sooner than later, experts tell Part B News.

Get providers comfortable with advance directives to encourage ACP use

04/25/2016

by: Roy Edroso

Give your clinical team the confidence to suggest and perform advance care planning (ACP) for their patients by increasing their understanding of advance directive forms.

Let the situation dictate your advance care planning diagnosis codes

04/25/2016

by: Richard Scott

Question: Our billers were wondering if you can lend some insight on the new advance care planning codes, specifically in a situation where a patient is still relatively young — say, 65 years old — is being seen for an annual comprehensive examination and has no major risk factors at the time. The doctor wants to start the discussion regarding their advance care directive. Do you know of a diagnosis code that exists that would cover this CPT code?

Brief: Office for Civil Rights (OCR) launches phase two of HIPAA audit program

04/25/2016

OCR has initiated the long-awaited second phase of its audit program, which will include covered entities and business associates, said OCR Director Joyce Samuels at the 24th National HIPAA Summit on March 21.

Brief: CMS relents on payment cuts tied to the two-midnight rule

04/25/2016

by: Richard Scott

Light broke on hospital providers as CMS relented on payment cuts tied to the controversial two-midnight rule. Instead of continuing a 0.2% pay cut for hospital services, CMS absolved the decrease and plans to issue a 0.8% increase to make up for the two-midnight cuts.

Survey: M.D.s find lack of time, patient-family conflict obstacles to ACP

04/25/2016

by: Roy Edroso

A new survey of physicians who regularly see older patients finds many of these M.D.s feel underprepared and undereducated for advance care planning encounters. But those are hardly the only factors keeping them from proposing and performing ACP.

Training opportunities

04/25/2016

Live events include Q&A with the experts and on-demand access includes CEUs where noted.

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