Part B News
Spruce up insurance verification to speed processing, prevent post-encounter billing
09/18/2017
by: Roy Edroso
With Medicare open enrollment starting Oct. 15 and Obamacare open enrollment starting Nov. 1, it’s a good time to tighten up your insurance verification by using tech tools and alternative patient interview options.
Watch new bundled codes impacting critical care, drug screening, obesity counseling
09/18/2017
by: Richard Scott and Laura Evans

Take stock of the latest code bundles from CMS in the Correct Coding Initiative version 23.3 update — you’ll find new edits affecting how to bill critical care services in the emergency department, drug-testing codes, obesity counseling and more.

Look to law if payer’s recoupment process is flawed
09/18/2017
by: Roy Edroso

If a payer is threatening to recoup alleged overpayments and doesn’t have an appeals process (or has only a shell of one), make sure you get the protection to which you’re entitled — and use state or federal law to get them to pay attention.

CCI version 23.3 scorecard: Watch out for 1,500 new code pairs
09/18/2017
by: Richard Scott
Find out which code ranges are subject to the Correct Coding Initiative (CCI) version 23.3 edits, which go into effect Oct. 1. The latest edits add 1,534 new code pairs, delete 18 pairs and apply medically unlikely edits (MUEs) to 181 services.
Sanders unveils single payer Senate bill
09/18/2017
by: Roy Edroso

On September 13 on Capitol Hill in Washington, Senator Bernie Sanders (I.-Vt.) announced that he would put a “Medicare for All Act of 2017” single payer health care bill before the Senate.

Some soon-to-be-bundled eye exam codes easily accepted — a few, much less so
09/18/2017
by: Roy Edroso

Of the six eye exam codes eye that will be bundled in new CCI code pairs, four had relatively stable denial rates between 2011 and 2015 — but two of them had remarkably high and much less stable denial rates.

MAC tightens supervision policy for apheresis, diverging from CMS’ stance
09/11/2017
by: Richard Scott
Providers in some states may soon discover a big hurdle to clear when seeking to report a set of apheresis services after one Medicare administrative contractor (MAC) tightened up physician supervision requirements.
On opioids, go beyond the law to make prescribing less dangerous
09/11/2017
by: Roy Edroso

Institute a policy on opioid prescribing to relieve your providers of some decision-making pressure in an age of addiction awareness – and, if you do it right, your providers should still be able to give patients the pain relief they need.

4 reasons to do messaging ‘e-visits’ even if they don’t cut back on office visits
09/11/2017
by: Roy Edroso
If you’re expecting secure messaging with patients to reduce their reliance on face-to-face visits, a new study suggests you’re mistaken, but other benefits make portal and app communications worthwhile.
ICD-10 coding not increasing denials but also not being put to optimal use
09/11/2017
by: Doug Desjardins
In nearly two years since practices adopted the ICD-10 code set, billing and coding experts say the transition has been fairly smooth but that, in most cases, the codes are not being put to their intended use.
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