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Think Your ASC Coding Skills Are Top-Notch? Take This Quiz

Some practices code for services performed in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) every day, while others are just getting started. To determine how much you know about coding and billing for ASC procedures, take this quick quiz. Then, click the ‘Full Article’ button to find out how you fared.
Question 1: Physician Performed A Non-Approved Service?
We recently learned that […]

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15% More Pay Awaits Coders Who Can Max Out NPP Benefit

Correctly code NPP’s hospital services, or you’ll sell the practice short.
If you don’t take advantage of all the E/M services a nonphysician practitioner (NPP) can provide, you are missing out on a serious revenue stream, as these providers can simultaneously lighten physicians’ loads and fatten the practice’s bottom line.
Check out these FAQs to get the […]

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Spinal Surgery Coding Challenge: Tethered Cord Release & Dural Tag Removal

Question: My neurosurgeon released a tethered cord under the microscope, then excised a dural tag and sent it to pathology. Can we be reimbursed for both services, or are they inclusive?
Answer: The procedure removes adhesions (tags) from the dura to correct any neurological deficits. Physicians often remove a specimen to send for lab review, but […]

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Laceration Repair Documentation Checklist

Sew Up Laceration Repair Coding With These 8 Elements
Unless you want to grapple with denials, the procedure notes that support your physicians’ laceration repair claims should contain these 8 elements. How do the physicians in your practice measure up?
• location
• length
AUDIO EXTRA: Secrets to optimal reimbursement for lesion excision, repair.
• layers
[…]

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ICD-9 2010: More Coding Options for Brain Injury

Check out V80.01 and V80.09 for special screenings.
The newest edition of ICD-9 changes goes into effect Oct. 1, so adjust your system to reflect some new diagnosis codes for special neurological screenings — and one that’s about to become invalid — to be sure your claims stay on par.
Extend ‘Other Conditions’ Dx From 348.8 to 348.89
Diagnosis 348.8 (Other conditions […]

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Medicare Will Pay for Some Telehealth Services: The Lowdown on How to Report Them

If you’re confused about whether Medicare covers telehealth services, look no further. CMS recently released a MLN Matters fact sheet on the topic that can help guide the way.
Keep in mind: CMS notes that Medicare beneficiaries “are eligible for telehealth services only if they are presented from an originating sitelocated in a rural health professional shortage area or in a county outside of a […]

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Shave Duplicate Lesion Excision Denials

Question: Our dermatologist shaved three epidermal lesions that the patient chose not to have submitted to pathology: a 0.4 cm lesion from the patient’s chest, a 0.3 lesion from the patient’s back, and a 0.2 lesion from the patient’s stomach. Will I need to include modifiers?
Answer: Because CPT classifies the shaves with the same anatomic […]

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Solve Op Note Mysteries With This Fracture Glossary

CPT code selection is easier if you know your fracture anatomy. Illustrations included!
Fractures are defined as a disruption in the integrity of a living bone, bone marrow, periosteum, and adjacent soft tissues. Fractures occur when a bone cannot withstand outside forces, the integrity of the bone has been lost, and the bone structure fails. Fracture […]

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Sort Out This ER, Then Assumed Care Scenario

Question: My orthopedist treated a patient who was first seen in the ER for an open fracture with laceration overlying the distal finger phalanx. The ER physician sutured the wound. When the patient arrives in our office, the orthopedist does an E/M service and assumes the care of the wound in addition to the fracture […]

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