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NPP Report: Document physician face-to-face time to back split/shared billing

12/17/2009

Your carriers report that initial and subsequent hospital services billed as split/shared visits are on the rise. An NPP Report analysis of CMS billing data shows the number of initial hospital care (99221-99223) and subsequent hospital care (99231-99233) services is on a downswing (collectively down to 16.4 million times billed in 2008 from 26.5 million in 2000), but carriers say the services being billed as split/shared is increasing.

NPP Report: Teaching anesthesiology will be more profitable in 2010

12/17/2009

Starting Jan. 1, your teaching anesthesiologists will get 100% of the Medicare fee schedule payment instead of 50% when working with two residents on overlapping anesthesia cases. The change, long-sought by anesthesiologists, also helps out certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) by upping their payments in teaching scenarios as well, according to the final 2010 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS).

NPP Benchmark: Projected 2010 payment changes for NPP specialties

12/17/2009

Most non-physician practitioners (NPPs) will see modest payment increases across the board in 2010, according to an NPP Report analysis of payment projections from the final 2010 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. NOTE: It's assumed in this chart that Congress stops the 21.4% Medicare physician cut and that the conversion factor remains steady at $36.0666, which seems likely at least in the short term (see PBN story).

NPP Report: New PECOS requirement will affect NPPs who order or refer

12/17/2009

Your non-physician practitioners (NPPs) will be affected in the same way as physicians by a tough new CMS rule on provider enrollment, NPP Report has learned. The new rule requires providers who order services and/or supplies, including NPPs, to have all their enrollment information up-to-date in CMS's online Provider Enrollment Chain Ownership System (PECOS) by April 5, 2010.

Ask a NPP Report expert

12/17/2009

We're going to offer the Welcome to Medicare visit next year and we planned to have our two NPs perform the services. However, the doctor says we should bill the NPs' work incident-to. Is it possible to bill this service that way?

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