High hopes for a bipartisan health reform bill by summer's end that would mean huge changes for how you bill and get paid for Medicare and other services (PBN 6/8/09) are shrinking rapidly thanks to intense debate on whether the package should include government-backed insurance, Part B News has learned.

You probably don't have a written contract defining your role at the practice. Most administrators and support staff at medical practices don't. But you should do as much as possible to make sure your incentives are outlined in writing, experts tell Part B News.

July 1 signals the beginning of the third quarter, and the latest round of quarterly Medicare policy changes. There are relatively few changes for the quarter; here are five you need to know about.

Adopt health information technology (HIT) such as electronic medical records (EMRs) to ensure your practice runs as smoothly and efficiently as possible as a patient-centered medical home.

As the countdown to the permanent recovery audit contractor (RAC) program continues, you need to be on the lookout for "full denial" situations - cases where you'll be forced to return every dollar paid, even when the services performed were legitimate.

This week's question is answered by John Burns CPC, senior consultant for DecisionHealth Professional Services.

Q.   If a Nurse Practitioner sees a patient, can we bill under the NPI of a doctor who was in the office, even if he never saw the patient and didn't sign off on the chart? We'd like to get the higher payment but we don't want to get audited.

This chart shows how the number of non-physician practitioners (NPPs) enrolled in Medicare compares to the approximate amount earned per NPP over a recent four-year period.

Your speech language pathologists now have a two-digit specialty code to specifically designate them as a provider type. 

Physical and occupational therapists take note: Enforcement officials may already have your claims under the microscope.

You and your peers are billing consultations rendered by physician assistants (PAs) and nurse practitioners (NPs) in increasing numbers every year, a Part B News analysis has found. In fact, the number of consults billed by NPs and PAs is up 874.3% since 2000. It's a trend that could mean additional money for your practice.