Take a second look at the requirements for billing medical nutrition therapy (MNT) services (97802-97804). Nearly one in every three medical nutrition therapy codes billed by you and your peers were denied in 2009 (PBN 1/17/11).

Patient presents to an NPP prior to a screening colonoscopy and it is discovered the patient has gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The NPP bills an E/M visit with GERD as the primary diagnosis and then screening code (V76.51) second. The reason for the visit was not GERD but a screening colonoscopy. Do you have any reference material I can refer to for the reason for the visit not trying to find something to turn the screening visit into diagnostic?

Do non-physician practitioners (NPPs) order the same lab services as physicians? How frequently do they order them compared to physicians? The answers to these questions help give you an idea of how much your NPPs will be impacted by CMS’s clinical lab signature rule, set to be enforced starting April 1 (PBN 1/17/11)

You and your peers may see improper, automatic denials on claims for the new annual wellness visit (AWV) as a direct result of claims processing errors that affected “a few contractors,” a CMS official tells Part B News. “This is not a national problem,” she says. Following a tip from Part B News readers, agency officials took immediate action to investigate the problem and notify the Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) that were affected.

You must have your physicians personally register and attest for bonus payments under the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program, using CMS’s new online website, an agency official tells Part B News. However, by preventing third parties such as practice managers and office staff from doing the job, physicians will see work flow disruptions, according to your peers.

CMS won’t reduce your pay by making you bill CPT’s new subsequent observation codes when your doctor evaluates a patient that someone else placed under observation. But CPT has made it clear that its intention was for the new codes (99224-99226) to be used in this situation, despite the fact they pay about 40% less than the codes CMS instructs you to use for Medicare claims.