Part B News | Part B News

Create guidelines, agreements to streamline use of scribes with EHRs

09/30/2013

by: Jennifer Clampet

Having a clinician act as scribe won’t always protect you from billing errors and legal issues, say experts.

Current flu vaccine codes for Medicare as of August 1, 2013

09/30/2013

The most recent prices and codes.

Some big drugs see big changes in Q4, but most stay stable

09/30/2013

by: Roy Edroso

CMS describes Q4 ASP drug prices as being “relatively stable,” and said prices for the top Part B drugs decreased by 0.4%. But some of the most utilized drugs saw big fluctuations.

Benchmark of the Week: Biggest increases, decreases in ASP drug utilization rate, 2011-2012

09/30/2013

by: Roy Edroso

Comparing utilization rates for drugs billed to Medicare between 2011 and 2012 reveals a couple of trends and suggest some cautions.

6 tips to avoid patient pushback when billing E/Ms with preventive services

09/24/2013

by: Jennifer Clampet

Avoid a post-visit explanation to patients about billing them for both preventive and sick visits during the same encounter by handing out a simple letter that clearly outlines what a routine physical or annual wellness visit (AWV) includes and what the visit doesn’t cover.

How to comply with language interpreter rules set by HHS

09/24/2013

by: Roy Edroso

Take the “blueprint” issued recently by HHS’ Office of Minority Health (OMH) as a cue to assess your minority patient policy, especially when it comes to language issues. Since 2000, OMH has maintained National Standards on Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) as “a framework for all health care organizations to best serve the nation’s increasingly diverse communities,” OMH says.

New data: High-level E/Ms still growing, more new patient visits billed

09/19/2013

by: Roy Edroso

CMS’ 2012 E/M utilization and denial numbers are out. They show that utilization is still climbing, though not as much as in the previous year, and new patient codes are growing faster than established patient codes. But billing higher-level E/Ms comes with new risks — after a long decline, denial rates are rising again, and certain popular coding gambits may draw the scrutiny of CMS.

Cash-saving budgeting strategies go unused, survey shows

09/19/2013

by: Roy Edroso

A recent Part B News survey shows many practices skip basic budget functions that, if they were followed, would save practices money. Respondents were good about reviewing their basic finances, but they were less conscientious about using other budget tools; about half said they didn’t use financial dashboards, and only 35% said they did regular audits designed to track spending or collection patterns.

Ensure your EHR vendor’s readiness for dual compliance deadlines to avoid delays, penalties

09/19/2013

by: Jennifer Clampet

Find out now whether your electronic health records (EHR) vendor will be ready for ICD-10 and stage 2 meaningful use in 2014, or risk claim submission delays and penalties. Vendors will need to increase their available resources if they plan to roll out ICD-10 and stage 2 meaningful use update software at the same time, experts say.

New RAC issue: Drug screening claims face audit scrutiny

09/19/2013

by: Lauren C.Williams and Laura Evans

Your revenue is at risk if your practice regularly bills urine drug tests thanks to a new recovery auditor (RAC) target. HealthDataInsights, the RAC for Region D — Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming — is going after G0431 (High complexity test) and G0434 (CLIA-waived or moderate-complexity test) for excessive billing. In particular, HDI is concerned with billing the G-codes per drug that is tested.

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