Many physician-owned multispecialty groups and practices find it to their advantage to use nonphysician providers (NPPs). According to 2013 MGMA report, practices with NPPs perform better financially and generate higher physician income. NPPs include registered nurse...
CT Colonography included in 2017 HEDIS Quality Measures
With the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) proposing several new Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) quality measures in 2017, payers and physicians need to focus on improving their quality scores and reimbursement with precise...
When is Nurse-led Hospital Discharge Valid?
A complex process, discharging patients from the hospital comes with many challenges, including liability risks. Nurse-led discharge, however, has gained wide acceptance in many developed countries as it has the potential to ensure that the patient receives the same...
Dental Medical Billing – Know the 2017 CDT Code Updates
Code on Dental Procedures and Nomenclature (CDT) is a valuable resource for dental practices and is used by providers of dental billing services to ensure accuracy of the codes used. CDT codes are developed and maintained by the American Dental Association. These...
Improved Documentation for Drug-related Disorders with ICD-10 Medical Codes
When it comes to psychiatry medical billing, addiction to any drugs can be documented using ICD-10 codes. While these drugs are necessary to treat psychiatric conditions, the sad truth is that they are often abused leading to adverse events including death....
Get Set for Physical Therapy Code Changes in 2017
Physical therapists (PTs) have an integral role in helping to diagnose and treat many common ailments and musculoskeletal disorders, and in providing postoperative care to patients who undergo hip and knee replacement surgery. PTs are set to see coding changes in 2017...
How Physicians can Optimize Revenue from Wellness Visits
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) encourages patients to be much more active participants in their own healthcare and learn about their covered medical services. Medicare beneficiaries now get coverage for an Annual Wellness Visit (AWV) - a yearly office visit that...
AAFP’s 2016 Congress of Delegates highlights Prior Authorization Concerns
The annual meeting of the Congress of Delegates (COD), the American Academy of Family Physicians' (AAFP) policy-making body, was held Sept. 19-21 in Orlando. The Reference Committee on Practice Enhancement discussed 17 resolutions. Family physicians aired various...
Dental Medical Coding – Essentials of Reporting Code D4381
The American Dental Association (ADA) CDT describes Code D4381 - localized delivery of antimicrobial agents (LDAA) via a controlled release vehicle into diseased crevicular tissue, per tooth, as “FDA approved subgingival delivery devices containing antimicrobial...
Ensure Proper Medical Record Documentation for Risk Adjustment Data Validation (RADV) Compliance
Medicare adjusts payments to Medicare Advantage (MA) organizations for cost variations in providing health care to beneficiaries based on various risk factors, including health status. The goal of risk adjustment is to see that plans are properly reimbursed for the...