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Medicare age drop, adding millions, on hold, but its favor grows among lawmakers

05/03/2021

A number of prominent Democrats, including President Joe Biden, have advocated for a drop in the Medicare eligibility age, a move that would add millions to the program. But since Biden left this proposal out of his April 28 Congressional address, there seems little chance that it will happen this year.

5 E/M FAQs: Help clinicians catch up with coders to attain consistency

05/03/2021

by: Julia Kyles, CPC

With new rules in place and edits arriving in real time, you should ensure that your clinicians are up to speed with E/M coding and documentation.

Watch 3 basic errors, frequency to beat high denial rates on diabetes training

05/03/2021

by: Roy Edroso

Medicare’s two biggest educational services for diabetic patients have dismal denial rates, and experts say that providers who bill them have to be extra attentive to documentation details to beat the spread.

E/M coding scenario: Achieving a Level 5 established visit with MDM

05/03/2021

by: Nancy Enos, FACMPE, CPC-I, CPMA, CEMC, CPC emeritus

For the first time in more than two decades, the E/M office visit code set (99202-99215) is subject to a coding and documentation overhaul. As of Jan. 1, 2021, previously vital components of code level selection — the history and exam components — no longer factor into your level of decision-making. Instead, determining a level of service will come down to one of two components: Medical decision-making (MDM) or time.

Data access expands: Be prepared to share clinical notes with patients

05/03/2021

by: Marla Durben Hirsch

Your practice should take a look at how its clinicians document patient encounters and procedures. The new interoperability rule that bars information blocking requires providers to share electronic patient health information (ePHI) with patients who request it, and that includes clinical notes.

Coverage waivers continue as PHE gains another extension

05/03/2021

by: Richard Scott

The COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) will last at least until July 2021 after HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra declared another extension.

Diabetes training, education codes up slightly, but no relief from denials

05/03/2021

by: Roy Edroso

Though CMS estimates that one in five Americans aged 65 years and over has either type 1 or type 2 diabetes, Medicare’s codes for services that help diabetic patients cope with their disease have not performed very strongly in recent years, and are beset with high denial rates.

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