Medicare Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) comprise groups of doctors, hospitals and other healthcare providers and suppliers who work collaboratively to provide coordinated, high-quality care and chronic disease management at lower costs to their Original...
Articles
Modifier -59 Reporting Change – A Detailed View
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has made a significant change in the reporting of modifier -59, which will have considerable impact on medical coding in 2015. A new set of specific HCPCS modifiers has been introduced to selectively identify subsets of...
U.S. House Subcommittee Reviewed ICD-10 Transition Readiness
The Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health discussed the ICD-10 coding system implementation date, October 1, 2015 with the representatives of the healthcare industry during a hearing held on February 11, 2015. One of the major facts raised was that implementing...
Billing for Testosterone Shot
A study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism at the beginning of this year points out that an increasing number of older and middle-aged men in the United States are being tested for low testosterone levels and being prescribed...
How to Remain Productive during the ICD-10 Transition
With the latest deferment of ICD-10 codes implementation to October 1, 2015, healthcare facilities and systems have additional time for the adoption of the new system. There must be a good strategy to retain and encourage the coders, as money has been invested for the...
Diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and Medical Billing
According to the American Parkinson's Disease Association, approximately 60,000 people are newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) each year. Accurate diagnosis of this disease is very important as researches have shown there is higher morbidity rate for this...
ICD-10 Coding and Documentation for Asthma
With the ICD-10 implementation date drawing near, it is very important to have a thorough understanding of ICD-10 coding and documentation for asthma as it is a chronic condition common among the general population. Two axes of classification rarely documented by...
Durable Medical Equipment (DME) Billing – A Detailed View
Durable Medical Equipment (DME) billing is quite different from other types of medical billing and coding procedures. It requires an in-depth, specialized knowledge of all HCPCS Level II codes. All DME is classified under HCPCS Level II. The complex nature of...
How OIG 2015 Work Plan Impacts Physician Practices
To ensure accurate medical billing in the coming year, physician practices should review the 2015 OIG Work Plan for both new and continuing topics that may involve the services they are providing. This annual publication describes the review activities of the OIG...
Coding for Otitis Externa in ICD-10 – A Detailed View
The medical coding for otitis externa or "swimmer's ear" is quite different in ICD-10 compared to that in ICD-9. In the new coding system, ears get their own chapter while earlier they were included along with the eyes. There are several additional codes for otitis...