The 28th Annual National Cancer Survivors Day (NCSD) was celebrated on June 7, 2015 in the United States. Observed worldwide on the first Sunday of June each year, this campaign aims to honor the hundreds of cancer survivors and their families and friends who have...
Coding and Billing for Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT)
It is very important to remain vigilant while coding and billing for Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT) since private payers and Medicare pay for this procedure differently. This procedure may be considered medically necessary with three or more recurrences of...
Slight Cuts Proposed for Medicare Advantage Payments for 2016
This February, the U.S. government proposed a 0.9 percent cut in payments to insurers for Medicare Advantage (MA) plans for the year 2016. The proposal came as part of a notice issued by a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that sets premium...
How to Distinguish Good Medical Billing Companies from Bad Medical Billing Companies
Outsourcing medical billing tasks to a professional medical billing company is a great way for health care providers to ensure proper reimbursement and devote more time to patient care. However, to choose the right medical billing company, you need to compare service...
CMS Proposes Modifications to MU in 2015 Through 2017
This April, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed a rule that would bring significant modifications to meaningful use (MU) in 2015 through 2017. As per CMS, the proposed rule aims at reducing reporting requirements and enabling participants to...
Fundamentals of Coding Vaccine Administration
Coding and billing vaccine administration in an outpatient setting is challenging because vaccine codes are based on several factors, with different codes for Medicare and private health plans. Medicare coverage on a routine basis is available only for a few vaccines....
ICD-10 Changes for Primary Care and its Benefits
ICD-10 with its increased specificity ensures more accurate data and better patient care as a result. The new coding system will allow primary care physicians to document chronic conditions and other common diagnoses more accurately. Here we examine some of the major...
EHRs Can Predict the Risk of Sepsis at an Early Stage, Says UC Davis Researchers
As per the National Institute of Health (NIH), around 750, 000 Americans are affected by severe sepsis every year and around 210, 000 of these people die. The major impediment to providing treatment for sepsis is that it is very hard to distinguish the disease in its...
Autism Screening and Diagnosis – Early Intervention Is Important
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a range of intricate neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by difficulties in communication, social impairments, and repetitive stereotyped behavioral patterns. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that...
National Walk for Epilepsy 2015 – An Initiative to Raise Funds for Epilepsy Research
Epilepsy (also referred to as "fits”) is a serious neurological disorder in which the central nerve cells in the brain work abnormally causing seizures. According to 2014 statistics, approximately 2.2 million people have this condition in the United States. It is...