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Your software vendor needs you — to prepare for 2021 E/M office visit changes

09/14/2020

Dig into the new guidelines that the AMA has published for E/M office visits (99202-99215) and work with your electronic health record (EHR), electronic medical record (EMR) and other software vendors to ensure a smooth transition to the new rules that will go into effect a few months from now.

You don’t need a ‘Refusal of Care’ form — but when patients refuse care, record it

09/14/2020

by: Roy Edroso

Question: I saw a recent report on telehealth that addresses a situation in which the telehealth patient refuses follow-up care. In the scenario, the patient is determined by the provider to require an office visit or a trip to the emergency room, but the patient refuses the follow-up. The authors say a “Refusal of Care” form should be filled out. We have never used such a form. Should we be doing this?

Eight CMS ‘Compare’ sites, including Physician Compare, merged into one, upgraded

09/14/2020

by: Roy Edroso

On September 3, CMS launched a new interface that combines its eight “Compare” tools for helping patients find appropriate medical care and facilities online.

New patient E/M codes a hard lift for many specialties, psychiatry especially

09/14/2020

by: Roy Edroso

With the Level 1 new patient office E/M code 99201 going away next year, it’s worth considering how your specialty performs with the other new patient office visit codes.

Select E/M-influenced services get swept into rising fee stream in 2021

08/31/2020

by: Richard Scott

Set your sights on updated fees across a series of CPT and HCPCS codes in 2021. Along with new valuations for E/M office visit codes (99202-99215), CMS also plans to boost the relative value units (RVU) for a number of services, from obstetrical care and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) to emergency department and other E/M codes.

Consider revenue, risk, reputation before your practice recommends cannabis

08/31/2020

by: Marla Durben Hirsch

Make sure that your practice is familiar with the rules for medical cannabis. The number of states that have legalized medical cannabis — also known as medical marijuana — is increasing quickly, and you should be prepared if patients ask for advice.

Work in creative ways to continue provider education during COVID-19

08/31/2020

by: Cathy Farraher Nakhoul, RN

While the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has changed our lives for the foreseeable future and possibly for years to come, it has also shined a light on some changes that we need to consider in our professional behavior and practices during this, and any other crises that may lie ahead

A guide to determining when to report individual, famly psychotherapy in CPT

08/31/2020

by: Sarah Gould

Question: Would it be appropriate to use family psychotherapy CPT codes 90846-90849 to report therapy for the benefit of one person that involves input from family members?

Big gains for phone E/M codes, immunizations part of select few with 2021 increases

08/31/2020

by: Richard Scott

You can welcome a handful of triple-digit gainers among codes taking a fee increase in 2021. But such pay gains project to be something of an anomaly next year, according to code valuations CMS released alongside the proposed 2021 Medicare physician fee schedule.

CMS considers nixing bulk of telehealth services added during the PHE

08/24/2020

by: Julia Kyles, CPC

Practices that want to maintain a telehealth presence when the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) ends should manage their expectations about enduring coverage and policies in a post-PHE world. That’s one of the key takeaways from the proposed 2021 Medicare physician fee schedule, released Aug. 4.

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