Category Archives: Coding & Billing
Is your practice utilizing the Advanced Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN) correctly?
The Advanced Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage, or ABN for short, is a waiver of liability that is provided to all Medicare patients if the provider believes an item/service may not be covered by Medicare or considered medically necessary. Now that … Read Full Post
What We’re Reading – Sometimes physician query is imperative
A staff member’s role is one of supporting the clinician. However, in the area of coding and billing, the perspective is more of collaboration as the employee must appropriately transfer the practitioner’s documentation into correct codes, advise him/her on the … Read Full Post
Electronic Prescribing: the Double-Edged Sword
In these days of information overload, it’s easy to overlook things that affect a provider’s bottom line. One such item is the Electronic Prescribing (eRx) Incentive Program. Established in 2009, eRx encourages eligible professionals (EPs) who render services to Medicare … Read Full Post
What We’re Reading – Top Five Rejections Related to HIPAA Version 5010
The conversion to 5010 on January 1st has been relatively smooth one, but there has been some hiccups along the way that have caused denials and associated cash flow disruptions. Ken Bradley researched the reasons that claims were being denied … Read Full Post
CMS Provides Guidance on 5010 Discretionary Enforcement Period for Medicare Fee for Service
Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) issued an announcement on December 14th regarding its plan for the 90 Day Discretionary Enforcement Period for non-compliant HIPAA covered entities. According to that announcement, CMS provided a 90 day discretionary period for compliance with planned January … Read Full Post
5010 – Much Ado about Nothing?
It seems like not a day goes by in healthcare without some gloomy prediction about the changes lurking on the horizon. The one causing the most stir at the moment is 5010. To understand “5010,” we first need to take … Read Full Post
How are Depression and Major Depression Different?
According to Barron’s Medical guide Dictionary of Medical Terms, Fifth Edition by Mike A. Rothenberg, M.D., and Charles F. Chapman, depression (ICD-9-CM code 311) is a dejected state of mind with feelings of sadness, discouragement, and hopelessness, often accompanied by … Read Full Post
What We’re Reading – Solving Your 9 Biggest Billing Blunders
The author of this article consulted with several coding professionals to come up with a list of the nine most common mistakes physicians make when it comes to documentation and coding. The coding professionals also weighed in on what they … Read Full Post
Coding Cancers: A Common Charting Error
One of the most common provider charting errors occurs in the area of cancer diagnoses. Practitioners routinely document and code cancers when the patient’s disease has been treated and is no longer evident. For risk adjusted practices, this means the … Read Full Post
What We’re Reading – Preparing for the ICD – 10 Transition
With only 37 months left before the healthcare world transitions to the ICD-10-CM, the author of this article suggests taking a systematic approach, in order to make the transition as smooth as possible. The key elements in making this transition … Read Full Post