Ready to Pay Recoupment Requests?

More than Medicare is on to the profitability of auditing level four new patient and consultation codes. We know because panicked doctors call us after BCBS sends a letter requesting charts. Get your E&M codes aligned with the guidelines before CERT, OIG, or Medicare RAC representatives contact you and request charts.  These government-sponsored agencies are not alone in their pursuit of coding accuracy – private payers are also watching your coding patterns. They compare the frequency of your use of level four codes against national and state benchmarks. If you’ve fallen in love with level four, you’re sending an invitation to the auditors.

What can you do now?
Read the AAOS Now article http://www.aaos.org/news/aaosnow/aug09/managing4.asp  or on the KZA site for strategies on how to determine if you’re coding methods are tipping off the auditors. Reduce your risks by coding and documenting correctly.

How can you avoid a letter from an auditor?
For $150 you can analyze your own audit risk. KZA’s E&M Profile Analyzer allows you to see how your coding compares to national and state benchmarks for orthopaedic practices.  Avoid a letter in the mail by knowing what’s going on in your practice. 

For more information visit www.karenzupko.com or call (312) 642-5616.