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For ‘Welcome to Medicare’ exam, do your own vision screen or don’t bill
05/18/2020
by: Roy Edroso
Question: The initial preventive physical examination (IPPE) requires a “visual acuity” exam that we cannot request separate payment for. Some of our providers forget this simple step, and that prevents us from getting payment for the service they have performed other than that step. If a patient wears glasses and goes regularly to ophthalmologist for their routine eye exams, can we use this to meet the requirement?
Practices see 48% jump in ‘Welcome to Medicare’ payments over 5-year stretch
05/18/2020
by: Richard Scott
The trends behind the initial preventive physical exam (IPPE), commonly referred to as the “Welcome to Medicare” visit, underscore a boon to medical practices in recent years, with more dollars pouring in and fewer denials striking down claims.
How one Pennsylvania primary care practice is planning its comeback
05/11/2020
by: Roy Edroso
Hatboro Medical Associates in Hatboro, Pa., has been around since the 1950s, serving as “a pillar of the community,” says Harris B. Cohen, M.D., a family medicine physician with the practice. It’s also in Montgomery County near Philadelphia, one of the “red” zones in Governor Tom Wolf’s reopening plan, and has had no physical appointments since the state started its lockdown on April 1.
Whether reopening now or later, communicate to patients with rules and compassion
05/11/2020
by: Roy Edroso
Keeping patients informed is always a good idea — especially so when you’re closed in a pandemic shutdown or emerging from one. Be sure you not only let your patients know you’re still there for them, but also specifically how you’ll be there for them in the future.
How one Pennsylvania primary care practice is planning its comeback
05/11/2020
by: Roy Edroso
Hatboro Medical Associates in Hatboro, Pa., has been around since the 1950s, serving as “a pillar of the community,” says Harris B. Cohen, M.D., a family medicine physician with the practice. It’s also in Montgomery County near Philadelphia, one of the “red” zones in Governor Tom Wolf’s reopening plan, and has had no physical appointments since the state started its lockdown on April 1.
4 coding scenarios to help you report COVID-19 encounters, follow-up care and more
05/11/2020
by: Julia Kyles
You don’t need a positive test result to report COVID-19 with ICD-10-CM code U07.1. Doctors may use their medical judgment to conclude that the patient has COVID-19. However, if the doctor uses terms such as “suspected” or “probable,” you should instead code based on the reason for the encounter, such as fever or suspected exposure to COVID-19
CMS cements fresh round of COVID waivers, upping payments, expanding telehealth
05/11/2020
by: Decision Health Staff
A second wave of policy and payment changes that CMS released April 30 is reshaping — yet again — how the medical community can conduct care during the COVID-19 crisis and, critically, how much providers can expect to get paid.
Capture payments for uninsured COVID patients, but act fast to get a slice
05/11/2020
by: Richard Scott
Providers now have a way to capture reimbursement for the treatment of uninsured patients during the COVID-19 emergency. But bear in mind that funds are limited, and you’ll have to wade through various registration steps to get set up.
COVID-hit providers increased patient messaging 37-fold in early crisis response
05/11/2020
by: Roy Edroso
A major patient communication vendor’s records show a massive spike in provider-to-patient interactions during the early days of America’s COVID-19 shutdown — an indicator of the importance of appropriate patient messaging in handling the COVID crisis.
Put modifier CR on waiver-related claims – but not telehealth
05/04/2020
by: Roy Edroso
A Bush-era modifier has been revived to let contractors know when you’ve posted a claim for a service that’s only allowed because of waivers employed for the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE).
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