Part B News
01/17/2014

Prepare your practice for new scrutiny as the Office of Inspector General (OIG) pushes CMS contractors to look more carefully at suspected cloned notes and overdocumentation caused by electronic health record (EHR) workarounds.

01/17/2014

A relatively minor change to the code description for 69210, the code for removal of impacted cerumen, means you’ll need modifiers to bill for this service correctly in 2014, experts tell Part B News.

01/17/2014

Now that some Medicare contractors require smoking patients to quit before major joint replacements, it might make sense for practices to offer — and get reimbursed for — tobacco cessation counseling. If you decide to provide this service, make sure to document and code the counseling sessions correctly to ensure proper reimbursement.

01/17/2014

If CMS finalizes a new proposed rule, covered entities, including health care providers, could feel more confident that they won’t violate HIPAA when they report someone who is legally prohibited on mental health grounds from purchasing a gun to a federal database.

01/17/2014
Need expert answers to your most pressing physician practice questions? Part B News will find them for you. Email your questions to askpbn@decisionhealth.com.
01/17/2014

Otolaryngologists bill by far the most claims for impacted cerumen removal using code 69210, according to a Part B News analysis of Medicare billing data from 2012, the most recent year available.

01/13/2014
Use customer service innovations such as scheduling and payment features to get patients to cooperate with the “patient-portal” measure of stage 2 meaningful use.
01/13/2014
If you or your boss is thinking of selling the practice, opportunities will persist a while longer, experts tell Part B News. But remember: You’re not the only one looking to sell.
01/13/2014
New language about incident-to services from the final 2014 Medicare physician fee schedule could be a sign that contractors will focus their audits on those services.
01/13/2014
Be careful with modifier 59 (Distinct procedural service) now that several Medicare administrative contractors (MACs) are tightening up on its use, and consider using alternative codes when billing distinct but similar procedures to avoid denials.
 

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