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Specialty winners and losers: Who’s up, who’s down under 2020 fee schedule

11/18/2019

Ophthalmology and vascular surgery are among the specialty groups expected to take a payment hit in 2020, while clinical social workers, clinical psychologists and podiatrists are slated for a reimbursement bump.

Chart your course for 2021: E/M add- on codes add revenue opportunity

11/14/2019

by: Julia Kyles, CPC

You’ll have two add-on codes to go with the new descriptors, documentation standards and coding guidelines for codes 99202-99215 taking effect Jan. 1, 2021. But that may come as a relief: CMS was considering the creation of three add-on codes, some of which would have been reported based on specialty.

Make a ‘wokeplace’ to attract and keep up-and-coming female providers

11/11/2019

by: Roy Edroso

As evidence accrues that general attitudes toward female providers are not advancing as quickly as are women themselves in the profession, you can steal a march on other practices by offering a more women-friendly workplace.

2020 fee schedule confirms E/M overhaul, updated rates, new codes and more

11/11/2019

by: DecisionHealth staff

The vast reshaping of E/M documentation standards and payment changes took a significant step closer to reality as CMS put a stamp of approval on its previous proposals to overhaul how medical practices report office and outpatient E/M services in 2021.

Clouds clearing: CDC issues official coding guidance for vaping injuries, illness

11/11/2019

by: James Dresbach

Now that some of the smoke has cleared, you’ll discover new coding guidance from the CDC on how to track and report illnesses, injuries and deaths linked to the emerging public health crisis of e-cigarette use, or vaping. Altogether, you’ll find 30 ICD-10-CM codes and additional guidance to fill in previous gaps when coding such encounters.

Smoking cessation codes use grows – and so do denials

11/11/2019

by: Roy Edroso

As new coding guidelines emerge for vaping and e-cigarette use, you may find it instructive to look at how the codes for treatment for non-electronic smoking have fared over the years. In short, practices have ramped up activity but denial rates have increased, too.

As regulations pile up, practices demand burden reduction, simplification

11/04/2019

by: Jim Dresbach

Your colleagues are sharing their dissatisfaction with a range of regulatory burdens, including insurance approval measures and federal quality programs, that cost medical practices time and money and equate to less attention and care they can provide to patients.

Watch for signs that malpractice, or the threat of it, has your providers on edge

11/04/2019

by: Roy Edroso

Stay on guard against the emerging condition known as medical malpractice stress syndrome (MMSS), which can reduce providers’ self-esteem and boost their use of wasteful defensive medicine.

Capture the most specific ICD-10-CM codes to report opioid use disorders

11/04/2019

by: Lori-Lynne A. Webb, CPC, CCS-P, CCP, CHDA, COBGC

Understanding how to document and code for opioid use and abuse is critical to ensure accurate provider reimbursement. Also, remember that clinical data on opioid use is collected by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and other medical agencies to support research on strategies for preventing opioid misuse, treating opioid use disorders and managing pain.

Treating patients in the parking lot: You can, but proceed with caution

11/04/2019

by: Roy Edroso

Question: I saw a TV news story recently about how a doctor in Massachusetts treated patients in a parking lot when a power outage made her office unusable. “One patient, I saw in the car,” the doctor said. Was that a good idea? Shouldn’t they have sent their patients to another practice or rescheduled?

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