Part B News | Part B News

Proposed rule would loosen HIPAA to collect gun info

05/14/2013

An advanced notice of proposed rulemaking from HHS suggests the agency open to using HIPAA as an avenue to change regulations to allow the federal government to collect gun information from states – information that may be in your patient medical records – but quick pushback from critics suggests it won’t happen.

4 steps to develop a contingency plan if vendors won’t be ready for ICD-10

05/13/2013

by: Karen Long

Practices need back-up plans if their vendors say they won’t be ready for ICD-10, give vague answers about their preparedness or don’t respond at all (PBN 5/13/13), advises Robert Tennant, senior policy advisor, Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), Washington, D.C.

“Hope for the best but assume the worst and prepare accordingly,” he adds.

10 questions to get your practice answers about your vendors’ ICD-10 readiness

05/13/2013

by: Karen Long

Asking your practice management software (PMS) vendor whether it is ready for ICD-10 is not enough to ensure you’ll avoid revenue disruptions when your practice switches to the new code set Oct. 1, 2014.

HHS aims to extend EHR subsidy protections in two proposed rules

05/13/2013

by: Marla Durben Hirsch and Lauren Williams

Practices that haven’t taken the leap into adopting an electronic health records (EHR) systems, or are looking to upgrade, may get even more incentive to do so thanks to two HHS proposed rules.

Voluntary self-disclosure protocol gets streamlined revamp from the OIG

05/13/2013

by: Marla Durben Hirsch

It’s now easier and faster to report and resolve potential fraud concerns related to federal health programs after HHS’ Office of Inspector General (OIG) updated its self-disclosure protocols (SDP) last month.

8 tips for accurate billing of new psychiatric, psychotherapy codes

05/13/2013

by: Karen Long

With the host of new psych codes introduced in 2013, you risk denials and payment delays if you don’t know how to bill the codes correctly. Follow this guidance provided by Betsy Nicoletti, consultant with Medical Practice Consulting, Springfield, Vt., to ensure timely payments.

OIG focuses on PODs; distributor docs should batten down hatches

05/13/2013

by: Roy Edroso

In you’re involved with a physician-owned distributorship (POD) or have been thinking about investing in one, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) just gave you a big heads-up in the form of a Special Fraud Report. And, our experts say, its significance may be greater than it looks.

Use denial rates from 2011’s psych codes to map 2013 billing

05/13/2013

by: Lauren C. Williams

The following graph illustrates the denial rates for 2011 psychotherapy codes. Even though those codes have been deleted, you can use the CMS claims data and Part B News’ analysis to get an idea of what to expect when using the new 2013 codes (see crosswalk, below and related story). For most services, denial rates were low — under 10% — but providers struggled most when billing interactive therapy (90810) and the initial psychiatric exam (90802). And while psychologists, clinical social workers and psychiatrists billed these codes the most, primary care providers, such as family practitioners, suffered overall denial rates above 30%.

Login

User Name:
Password:
Remember me Forgot password
Welcome to the new Part B News Online. If you are a returning user having trouble logging in, please click here.