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Study says physician rating websites not useful to consumers

08/21/2017

A new study has found that physician rating websites are popular with consumers but offer little clinical value to help prospective patients choose the highest-quality physician.

Take 6 steps to deal with fallout of eClinicalWorks’ fraud settlement

08/21/2017

by: Marla Durben Hirsch

eClinicalWorks is the first electronic health record (EHR) vendor to get into legal trouble for falsifying certification compliance, but it won’t be the last. The HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC), the agency in charge of EHR certification, will likely take an increased interest in whether EHR products meet the requirements or should be decertified.

Avoid denials: Don’t bill prolonged services with a nursing home encounter

08/21/2017

by: Richard Scott

Question: Prolonged service code 99358 (Prolonged evaluation and management service before and/or after direct patient care; first hour) is now bundled into all the nursing facility codes (99304-99318). This doesn't make sense to me. Anybody know why?

Cardio, pulmonary docs among specialists who frequently report flu vaccines

08/21/2017

by: Richard Scott

As a new flu vaccine debuts in 2017, the vaccine’s billing rules hold cross-specialty appeal because primary care providers are not the only ones to report flu claims.

Heed CMS’ ‘call to action’ for therapy providers to avoid claims disruptions

08/14/2017

by: Richard Scott

Ensure you’re compliant with billing rules for dozens of therapy services and proceed with an extra dose of caution when submitting your claims, or you may be staring down the barrel of lost revenue.

Two PTs can ‘reciprocate’ summer vacation coverage – if they’re in the right areas

08/14/2017

by: Roy Edroso

Question: We have a physical therapist who wants to go on vacation and have her friend, another Medicare-enrolled physical therapist who works freelance, fill in for her. She tells us this is permissible under Medicare rules. I thought only M.D.s could do this. Who’s right? And if she’s right, how do we bill?

Whitelisting can protect your EHR — but may hobble your employees

08/14/2017

by: Roy Edroso

If you’re worried about the ransomware attacks that have been hitting medical offices lately — and who would blame you — you should consider application whitelisting as a security measure, if you can justify the potential hassle to your users.

CMS opens up hardship exception period for 2017 MIPS reporting

08/14/2017

by: Richard Scott

If you switch to a new electronic health record (EHR) in 2017 or experience another kind of technology-based disruption, you can gain a small reprieve from the reporting requirements of the merit-based incentive payment system (MIPS) — but you’re not totally excused from reporting.

Confusion over doc ‘data bank’ reigns as reports against doctors increase

08/14/2017

by: Marla Durben Hirsch

More hospitals, health plans and other entities are reporting adverse actions against doctors to the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB). However, there’s considerable uncertainty about reporting, which can create a mess — particularly for the doctor who is the subject of the report.

Don’t use the wrong therapy modifier — especially if you’re a therapist

08/14/2017

by: Roy Edroso

The use of therapy modifiers — GO (Services delivered under an outpatient speech language pathology plan of care); GN (Services delivered under an outpatient occupational therapy plan of care); or GP (Services delivered under an outpatient physical therapy plan of care) — changes the billing results on always- and sometimes-therapy codes, especially if you’re a therapy provider using the wrong one.

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