• 209-337-5705

Factor Location and Depth into Foreign-Body Removals

Explore these three “what if” scenarios to perfect your FBR claims.
Your foreign-body removal (FBR) coding can vary greatly depending on the type of foreign body, its anatomic location, and the depth from which the physician must remove it. Here are three case studies to help you find your way.
Case 1: No Incision Means No Separate […]

Related articles:

  1. Coding Challenge: Foot Foreign Body Removal Vs. Soft-Tissue FBRQuestion: Our physician performed a foreign-body removal (FBR) on a…
  2. Know What Separates FBR From E/M or Lose $80 in Pay Here’s why ‘incision’ with non-scalpel instrument could be an…
  3. Burn Coding: Calculate Total Body Surface Area (TBSA)Investigate your physician’s documentation to determine the body area percentage…
Read More »

Pick the Right ICD-9, ICD-10 Code for Postmenopausal Abnormalities

Do N95.0 and N95.2 look foreign? Get your ob-gyn ICD-10 equivalents now.
Spare yourself denial hot flashes by taking this three-part postmenopausal abnormality scenario challenge.
Fill In These Blanks Using Your ICD-9 Book
Question 1: Your ob-gyn sees a post menopausal patient with an inflamed vagina because the tissues are thinning and shrinking. The ob-gyn notes decreased vaginal […]

Related articles:

  1. Coder’s Anatomy: Cardiac Cath & Congenital AbnormalitiesTime Saver: Before you start assigning cardiac catherization codes, make…
  2. Nuclear Medicine Code Crosswalk: Bone Scans If your practice has trouble following which bone scan…
  3. What Diagnosis Code Do I Use for a Fern Test?Ob-Gyn Coding Tip: Scan for leukorrhea signs when fluid is…
Read More »

Time Your Surgical Collections Right by Referencing Payer Contracts

Find out if you’re legal in collecting patient portion before providing the surgical service.
Don’t be too hasty in collecting a patient’s copay and deductible up front.
“While in theory, the practice of collecting deductibles up front may sound good, you should check your carrier contracts to be sure you are allowed to do this before requesting […]

Related articles:

  1. Checklist: Collect Surgical Deductibles Up Front to Improve A/RThis 3-step checklist will boost your bottom line. With fewer…
  2. Medical Billers: Test Your Collections Know-How Here This nifty tool tells you if collections cluelessness is…
  3. 10 Carrier Contract Negotiation Tips Carrier contract negotiation is often a long, difficult process….
Read More »

Cataract Surgery Coding Skill Builder

Determine ‘planned or unplanned’ before separately coding vitrectomy.
With several possible surgical treatments for cataract procedures, which you probably code more often than any other surgery, there’s a lot of room for error – with over $890 at stake for complex cataract procedures in 2009.
Use these tricky scenarios as a guide through some of the most […]

Related articles:

  1. Ophthalmology Coding: See Your Way to Clear Reimbursement for Eye Exams and Cataract SurgeryChoose the Right E/M or Eye Code to Optimize Reimbursement…
  2. Cataract Surgery Coding: When Optometrist Provides Postop CareWe’ve got the modifier you need when the ophthalmic surgeon…
  3. Optometry Coding: Eye Exams, Cataract Surgery and Co-ManagementE/M or Eye Code? Choose Wisely With These Documentation Tips…
Read More »

A Medical Coder’s ICD-10 Resource Guide

We’ve got the link to a nifty ICD-9 to ICD-10 code translator.
Maybe I’m getting old, but I just can’t believe we’re about to ring in the second decade of the 21st century. It seems like just yesterday I was toasting the new millennium and breathing a sigh of relief that “Y2K” wasn’t the big catastrophe […]

Related articles:

  1. The ASC Coder’s Resource Guide for 2010 Here’s a quick, handy way to get to all…
  2. A Coder’s Guide to Health Care ReformQuick way to show your practice you’re prepared for the…
  3. Medical Coder’s Modifier 25 Checklist Append 25 with the greatest of ease … Appending…
Read More »

The ASC Coder’s Resource Guide for 2010

Here’s a quick, handy way to get to all of Medicare’s new rules and reimbursement rates
Ambulatory surgery center coders have a lot to learn for 2010, stressed Joanne Schade-Boyce at the ASC 2010 Coding & Reimbursement Update in Orlando.
It’s absolutely essential that ASC coders study the AMA’s CPT Changes this year, Schade-Boyce recommended. Why? […]

Related articles:

  1. Coder’s Anatomy: ‘Dorsal’Da Dum. Da Dum. DaDumDaDumDaDum. If you can’t always remember…
  2. A Coder’s Guide to Health Care ReformQuick way to show your practice you’re prepared for the…
  3. Op Note Decoder Ring: Red Flags for Multiple ProceduresNever rely on an op note’s “procedure performed” line for…
Read More »

Nonphysician Providers & Incident To Checklist

Check state laws PLUS this crucial document.
In last week’s Coder’s Cranium, we started a checklist of 3 things you should know to correctly bill for a nonphysician practitioner’s services — and stay compliant. This week, we complete the checklist with advice for items 4, 5 & 6.
4. Have You Distinguished Auxiliary Personnel From NPP Services?
NPPs can […]

Related articles:

  1. Nonphysician Providers and Incident-To: Your Coding Questions AnsweredHere’s why you should keep your physicians’ work schedules on…
  2. Use This Incident-To Checklist to Breathe Easy During an Audit You don’t need to second-guess the way you bill…
  3. Steer Your Incident-To Coding Using These 4 Questions 100 percent pay possible if NPP follows internist’s care…
Read More »

Nonphysician Providers and Incident-To: Your Coding Questions Answered

Here’s why you should keep your physicians’ work schedules on file.
Correctly billing your nonphysician practitioners (NPPs) incident-to services means the difference between 85 and 100 percent reimbursement. But if you bill incident-to haphazardly, you’re just waving a red flag at auditors.
And those auditors are jonesin’ to find incident to billing problems. Just check out this […]

Related articles:

  1. Nonphysician Providers & Incident To ChecklistCheck state laws PLUS this crucial document. In last week’s…
  2. Steer Your Incident-To Coding Using These 4 Questions 100 percent pay possible if NPP follows internist’s care…
  3. Use This Incident-To Checklist to Breathe Easy During an Audit You don’t need to second-guess the way you bill…
Read More »

ASC Coding Education: Knee Diagnoses & Procedures

Choose this ICD-9 code if you see ‘jumper’s knee’ in the orthopedic surgeon’s note.
Here’s a handy introduction to common ICD-9 codes related to the knee, along with examples of CPT codes for procedures physicians perform to treat knee diagnoses.
Chondromalacia Patella
Chondromalacia patella (717.7) is also known as “patellofemoral syndrome” or “runner’s knee.” This condition results when […]

Related articles:

  1. Orthopedic Coding Quick Start Guide: ASC Shoulder ProceduresShoulder ICD-9 and CPT codes you’ll most likely see in…
  2. Test Yourself: Total Knee Replacement (TKR) Coding Can you tackle an op note like this one…
  3. Anesthesia Coding Education: Sciatic Nerve Block & Same-Day General AnesthesiaQuestion: My anesthesiologist performed a sciatic nerve block for a…
Read More »
Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on whatsapp

Most Popular: