In one week, a bipartisan group of lawmakers dubbed the “Super Committee” must release a plan that cuts federal spending by $1.2 trillion over the next decade. If they don’t come up with something, or if Congress fails to approve the plan they release, you can expect automatic across-the-board federal cuts, including a 2% cut to your Medicare physician pay starting in 2013. This amount would be on top of the 27.4% pay cut set to hit Jan. 1, 2012.

There has been much confusion surrounding the HIPAA 5010 requirements for anesthesia services. The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) has released guidance on the matter.

IMPORTANT: Surgical code is not required for anesthesia claims. “The new standards allow anesthesiologists to submit surgical codes if they want to do so, but does not require this,” the ASA writes on its website. “The ASA is working with X12 and payers to clarify these new requirements and the limits to which payers can require additional information on claim forms.”

You’ve barely had time to process the new material in the 2012 Physician Fee Schedule final rule, but some of your peers are already blasting CMS for making annual wellness visits (AWVs) tougher to bill. The new component to the AWV is called the health risk assessment (HRA). Problem is, the AWV was already confusing to patients because it’s too restricting, includes no physical exam and is different from what patients and providers are used to as far as a “physical,” one angry caller told CMS during the agency’s latest open door call Nov. 7.

Your peers have fallen behind the ICD-10 timeline and are in danger of not being ready for the drop-dead Oct. 1, 2013 implementation date, according to a recent survey conducted by the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) (PBN 10/3/11).

The study, which was released in August and compiled responses from providers, vendors, payers and clearinghouses, suggests that despite progress is being made toward compliance, the “industry is not keeping up with milestones,” the study says, meaning providers; payers and vendors alike are at risk for not being able to test before October 2013.

As a DecisionHealth customer, we’re inviting you to become part of the daily conversation surrounding health care. Beginning November 15th, you’ll get a daily email in your inbox early each morning at no cost to you. It’s the perfect way to quickly keep up with news affecting reimbursement, regulatory compliance and operating costs for health services providers.