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Moderate Sedation Codes

Moderate Sedation Codes in 2017 Easier and No More Bulls-Eyes

If you bill for moderate sedation, things just got a little easier for you next year. CPT® 2017 has changed how you code these services for more than 400 procedures. You’ll notice there’s something missing in your 2017 CPT manual. All those bulls-eyes that indicated a code could include moderate sedation are gone. And the […]
Published Date: November 29, 2016
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Incident to and 15% Payup

Proximity Unlocks Incident to and 15% Payup

We recently held a webinar on billing nonphysician practitioner (NPP) services incident to the physician. And you wouldn’t believe the number of questions that came out of that session. This is certainly not a new topic, but there continues to be a great deal of confusion surrounding it. And many of the questions had to […]
Published Date: November 22, 2016
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NPs/PAs Overtime Exempt

Are Your NPs/PAs Overtime Exempt? Better Check Before Dec. 1

If you pay your mid-level providers a salary and think they’re automatically exempt from the overtime rules under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), you had better make sure they meet the new labor law salary requirement that takes effect Dec. 1 — or you might be in for a rude surprise. In fact, an […]
Published Date: November 15, 2016
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Unspecified Code Denials

4 Steps to Head Off Unspecified Code Denials

As if diagnosis coding isn’t hard enough, ICD-10-CM includes a whole group of unspecified codes that will almost ensure your claims end up in the denial pile. But there are a few steps you can take early on that can prevent this from happening. ICD-10 offers a great deal more specificity, and payers expect you […]
Published Date: November 8, 2016
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Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule

2017 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule Released

The Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) 2017 Final Rule offers some big updates related to global periods, non-face-to-face services, telehealth, and moderate sedation coding, among others, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) when it released the rule Nov. 2. For instance, the MPFS rule addresses the agency’s efforts to collect data […]
Published Date: November 3, 2016
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Group or Individual Reporting

MIPS Payments: Group or Individual Reporting?

Although reporting under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) is supposedly optional, not adhering to this new rule gets you a guaranteed Medicare reimbursement cut. The only way to head it off is to report at least some data in 2017. The question is, how should you report it? This is no small […]
Published Date: November 1, 2016
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Front Desk Collections, Expert Tips

Improve Front Desk Collections, Expert Tips Empower Your Team

Almost every practice I speak with has issues with collecting payments from patients. There are so many things that can happen, and the last thing you want is for your patients to leave your practice confused or angry because they aren’t clear about their bill. When I was chatting with one of our speakers, Rhonda […]
Published Date: October 25, 2016
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CMS Gives You More APM Options Under MACRA

You now have one more Advanced Alternative Payment Model (APM) for which you can qualify in 2017 and two more for 2018, according to an Oct. 25 press release from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). In particular, the CMS Innovation Center’s Oncology Care Model with two-sided risk will be available in 2017, […]
Published Date: October 25, 2016
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Denial Tracking

With Grace Period Over, Denial Tracking Is the Answer

On Oct. 1, you lost the ICD-10 reporting grace period that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) granted to help ease you into complying with the new diagnosis coding system. So, why should you care? For the past year, you’ve been receiving payments for claims that were coded close to the target.  All […]
Published Date: October 18, 2016
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MACRA Final Rule

MACRA Final Rule Dissection – What it Really Means to You

Oct. 17, 2016 — On Friday, Oct. 14, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the final reporting requirements for its new MACRA rule going into effect Jan. 2017. This new program is about to turn how you are paid completely upside down.   Based on MACRA, your Medicare reimbursement will be increased or […]
Published Date: October 17, 2016
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