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Doc getting too old? Address the impairment, not the age, experts say

09/30/2019

If you suspect an aging provider is no longer competent to perform, experts suggest you lean on the “no longer competent” rather than the “aging” angle. Also, document the issue and try to reach a reasonable accommodation with the provider.

Without ICD-10-CM recourse, turn to coding alternatives for vaping sicknesses, injuries

09/30/2019

by: Jim Dresbach

The increase of vaping and the use of e-cigarettes should have you brushing up on coding approaches as related health risks increase throughout the country. ICD-10-CM carries no medical coding guidelines or classifications for e-cigarette use or vaping, but you have several avenues to sufficiently report such diagnoses.

Stakeholders seek expedited process for vaping codes to gain ICD-10-CM approval

09/30/2019

by: James Dresbach

Coding the variety of vaping-related illnesses and injuries that you may encounter can prove challenging without dedicated ICD-10-CM code sets To gain further clarity on recent efforts to create dedicated code sets for these types of encounters, Part B News reached out to Scott Manaker, M.D., MPH, vice chair of regulatory affairs in the department of medicine at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia and an advocate for adopting ICD-10 codes related to electronic nicotine delivery devices (ENDS).

Anthem’s new prepay review policy will target Correct Coding Initiative bundles

09/30/2019

by: Julia Kyles, CPC

Review your practice’s use of modifiers that break edit pairs and check the policies for using those modifiers if Anthem is in your payer mix. Anthem BlueCross BlueShield, the nation’s second largest private health insurer, rolled out a prepayment review of claims reported with common Correct Coding Initiative (CCI) modifiers starting Sept. 1.

CCI follows AMA coding policy fix for bone allograft codes in October update

09/30/2019

by: Laura Evans, CPC

The Oct. 1 update of Medicare’s National Correct Coding Initiative (CCI) code pairs actually brings a bit of good news for orthopedic practices. It is following up on a significant correction that the AMA made to its coding policy for two new 2019 bone allograft codes 20933 (Hemicortical intercalary, partial) and 20934 (Intercalary, complete).

A tale of two sides: Practices report more right- than left-side modifiers

09/30/2019

by: Richard Scott

When delivering common injection and procedure services, providers tend to veer to the right side of the body more often than the left. That’s what an inspection of claims with RT (Right side) and LT (Left side) modifiers reveals.

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