Part B News | Part B News

01/23/2017

Take a closer look at the more than 150,000 edits contained in the Correct Coding Initiative's version 23.0 update, including 99,000 new code pairs.

Don’t hide behind HIPAA: Know when you can share patient info

01/23/2017

by: Richard Scott

You can share a patient’s health information with a friend, relative or other person — not just the patient’s spouse — provided you exercise due judgment in relaying the information.

If NPP’s not yet enrolled in Medicare, only do incident-to billing

01/23/2017

by: Roy Edroso

Question: We have a nurse practitioner (NP) starting who is not yet credentialed but is shadowing our doctors for both her and them to get comfortable with her and the process of the office. One of our doctors is letting her do procedures while she is in the room with her and the NP is dictating the visit, but we will be billing under the doctor. Is this allowed?

Brief: Social media quiz helps nurses avoid HIPAA violations

01/23/2017

by: DecisionHealth Staff

The National Council of State Boards of Nursing created a social media quiz to help nurses understand the scope of patient privacy and nurses’ obligations when using social and electronic media.

Brief: Employers move to new I-9 form

01/23/2017

by: DecisionHealth Staff

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has updated the employment eligibility verification form, known as the I-9 form.

Brief: Quest Diagnostics’ patient portal is the door to a massive breach

01/23/2017

by: DecisionHealth Staff

The international lab company announced Dec. 12 that an unauthorized third party accessed the MyQuest by Care360® patient portal and “obtained protected health information (PHI) of approximately 34,000 individuals” on Nov. 26, 2016.

Lab tests without proper documentation, undercoded E/M cause improper payments

01/23/2017

by: Roy Edroso

The list of Part B services with the most improper payments estimated by CMS for 2016 includes some of your most-billed services, according to data from the Comprehensive Error Rate Testing (CERT) program and other sources and published annually in the Medicare Fee-for-Service Improper Payments Report. Note that failure to establish medical necessity isn’t usually a factor; the mistake is more likely due to a coding error or a shortfall in documentation.

Physicians optimistic about digital health

01/20/2017

Physicians are showing more of an interest in digital health technologies, but they are still on the fence when it comes to actually adopting things like telemedicine and remote patient monitoring as part of their practice.

MACRA final rules draw mixed response

01/17/2017

The release of the final rules for the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) in October drew a range of responses from physician groups and health policy experts who weighed in on the potential impact of the law’s proposed reforms.

Meaningful use attestation deadline looms Feb. 28; prepare as if for an audit

01/16/2017

by: Roy Edroso

Review your meaningful use data to make sure you haven’t misplaced reportable data such as patient smoking status, and get ready not only to attest but also to testify should Figliozzi and Company pick you for a meaningful use audit.

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