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Transgender patient

4 Tips Help You Collect for Transgender Patient Services

Nearly 2 million Americans identify as transgender, meaning their gender identity is different from what they were assigned at birth. If your practice sees a transgender patient — even if the visit isn’t related to gender transition services — you may need to know which diagnosis codes apply to the visit, and that’s not always […]
Published Date: January 17, 2024
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Outsourced medical billing

Why This Part B MAC Cautions Practices About Outsourcing Billing

Working with an outsourced medical billing company can improve the workflow in your practice, allow you to take some of the work off of your team members and help bring in reimbursement faster. And according to one Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC), it can also put you at risk of reputational harm and HIPAA violations. Background: […]
Published Date: January 16, 2024
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Inpatient coding

3 FAQs About Inpatient E/M Coding — With Official Answers

Coding for evaluation and management (E/​M) services has gotten a lot more complicated over the past few years. From descriptor changes to code deletions, you may take longer than usual to code a hospital encounter. Your best bet in these situations is to consult the inpatient coding guidance straight from payers. Check out three common […]
Published Date: January 9, 2024
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Medical records request

How Many Records Can Auditors Request? You May Be Surprised

It happens almost every day: Practices already stretched thin with their existing responsibilities are asked to send hundreds of medical records to auditors for “review.” The additional work and stress from the medical records request pushes practices to their limits and seems excessive to most practice managers. What recourse do you have for these voluminous […]
Published Date: January 8, 2024
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RT and LT modifiers

Real-World Examples Guide When to Use RT and LT Modifiers

If you’ve ever coded a patient chart, you know about the LT (Left side) and RT (Right side) modifiers. Together, the RT and LT modifiers are used to show laterality — in other words, they describe which side of the body was addressed during a procedure or surgery, or if supplies are being prescribed. Check […]
Published Date: January 2, 2024
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HIPAA breaches

3 Recent HIPAA Breaches — And How You Can Avoid Them

Patient privacy may be at top of mind when you’re faxing and emailing medical records, but breaches can (and do) still occur every day. With 2023 in the rear-view mirror, it’s a good time to take a look at the HIPAA breaches that struck healthcare entities over the past 12 months. Check out three HIPAA […]
Published Date: January 1, 2024
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Physician contracts

4 Tips for New Stark Provisions Affecting Physician Contracts

It’s more important than ever to create your physician contracts to the letter of the law. A brand-new OIG ruling released in November could muddy the waters if you aren’t on top of the rules, and penalties could be huge if you are in violation of the Stark and anti-kickback laws. Check out a few […]
Published Date: December 27, 2023
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Compliance program

Does Your Compliance Program Meet the New OIG Guidelines?

When the OIG released its updated healthcare compliance program guidelines in November, it became clear that if you don’t have a well-designed program, you could be in violation of the regulations. Your best bet is to familiarize yourself with every detail of the new compliance program guidance so you enter 2024 with your i’s dotted […]
Published Date: December 26, 2023
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OSHA rule

3 Ways to Log Injuries to Comply With New 2024 OSHA Rule

Even if you don’t think of healthcare as a high-hazard industry, the reality is that the government does — and that means you must be ready to comply with a new OSHA rule effective in 2024. If you want to avoid fines, audits and investigations, you’ll need to electronically submit injury and illness information to […]
Published Date: December 19, 2023
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Medicare coding errors

Check the Biggest Medicare Coding Errors of 2023: E/M & More

Every coder knows that although most providers perform evaluation and management (E/​M) services nearly every day, coding these visits aren’t necessarily straightforward. That fact is backed up by data in the latest CMS report, which notes that established patient E/​M codes 99211-99215 were riddled with errors, most of which were due to upcoding. The facts: CMS published […]
Published Date: December 18, 2023
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