Get free
resources
practice alerts
Coding Coaches
.
By Specialty
coding Coaches
Incident to Services
April 1, 2021 Question: One of our physician assistants’ saw one of our established Medicare in the emergency room for…
Number of Units for ADM Code (+15777)
April 1, 2021 Question: I use two ADMs on each breast during a tissue expander reconstruction. Can I bill +15777…
Lesion Crossing Two Territories
April 1, 2021 Question: Our vascular surgeon did a single intervention on a lesion that was at the juncture of…
Reading an MRI Performed at Outside Institution
April 1, 2021 Question: A new patient presents with a CD of an MRI that was performed at an outside…
Problems Addressed for New E/M Guidelines
April 1, 2021 Question: Would bilateral recurrent acute otitis media, on a patient that will need tympanostomy tubes, count as…
Coding an Epidermal Inclusion Cyst
April 1, 2021 Question: I excised an EIC lesion on the chest. I coded this as D48.5 but my coder…
Port Placement within a Global Period
April 1, 2021 Question: Our general surgeon performed a radical mastectomy and is now performing a port placement, at a…
Documenting Time and Medical Decision Making in the 2021 E/M Code Revisions
April 1, 2021 Question: Under the new E/M coding revisions for office visits, should we document time AND medical decision…
E/M Guidelines for 2021
March 18, 2021 Question: My physicians have decided they would prefer to continue to use the E/M 1995/1997 guidelines for…
Oncoplastic Reconstruction
March 18, 2021 Question: I just realized CPT 19366 was deleted in 2021. Now what code do I use for…
Venogram and Catheterization
March 18, 2021 Question: During a catheterization the surgeon performed a venogram. I don’t see that these procedures are bundled,…
Medication Documentation
March 18, 2021 Question: We are switching to a new EHR system. We have not always had great compliance with…
In-House CT and “Counting” Data for New E/M Guidelines
March 18, 2021 Question: We have an in-house CT which has made me confused about how to count the data…
Diagnosis Code Help for a Malignant Lesion
March 18, 2021 Question: A 74-year-old male Medicare patient came into our office and was treated for two malignant lesions,…
Modifier 58 vs. Modifier 78
March 18, 2021 Question: Do some insurance carriers want modifier 58 and others want 78? What is the difference in…
Wound Debridement with VNS Battery Removal
March 18, 2021 Question: Can I bill a wound debridement code such as 11043 when I debride an infected wound…
Bone Filler Allograft
March 4, 2021 Question: We have a surgeon who performed an ORIF of an open tibia fracture and placed bone…
In-House X-rays and “Counting” Data for New E/M Guidelines
March 4, 2021 Question: We do a lot of hand surgery and have an x-ray machine in the office. This…
Catheterization and Intervention Billing
March 4, 2021 Question: Does TEVAR allow for billing of catheterization and intervention? Would a 59 modifier be needed? Answer:…
New 2021 E/M Coding Guidelines
March 4, 2021 Question: In the new guidelines, how does Time affect billing for a teaching physician’s E/M service when…
Procedure with Spine Surgeon
March 4, 2021 Question: I was asked, by a new spine surgeon in town, to do the cervical approach for…
Confirmation with Pathology
March 4, 2021 Question: My physician excised a lesion the was 1.5cm on the trunk. He documented it as a…
Billing for Intraoperative Injury
March 4, 2021 Question: A major blood vessel was accidentally nicked while a general surgeon was performing a complex case.…
Problems Addressed for New E/M Guidelines
March 4, 2021 Question: Would bilateral L4-L5 herniated discs count as 2 problems in the new E/M guidelines for office…
Problems Addressed for New E/M Guidelines
February 18, 2021 Question: Would bilateral large breasts, on a patient that we are recommending breast reduction, count as 2…
Documenting Family History for New Patient Visits
February 18, 2021 Question: I’ve heard that all you need to document for family history is the word “none”, and…
Nonselective or Selective
February 18, 2021 Question: When does a nonselective catheterization become a selective catheterization? Answer: If the catheter (not just the…
Injection of Blood to a Tendon
February 18, 2021 Question: Our orthopaedic sports medicine physician recently injected blood at a tendon insertion site for treatment of…
New 2021 E/M Coding Guidelines
February 18, 2021 Question: In the new guidelines, how does Time affect billing for a teaching physician’s E/M service when…
Mohs Surgery Performed the Same Day as a Biopsy
February 18, 2021 Question: A patient was referred to our Mohs surgery for a lesion on the cheek. The family…
Articles
Is Time on Your Side in 2021?
AAOSNow – November 2020 by Margaret M. Maley In 2021, medical decision making (MDM) or time can be used to select the…
Five Coding Tips for Dealing with Third-party Billing Entities
Five Coding Tips for Dealing with Third-party Billing Entities AAOSNow – February 2020 by Sarah Wiskerchen, MBA, CPC Whether due…
Prior Authorization Chaos is the New Normal for Spine Surgery
ORTHOWORLD – December 11, 2019 In 2017, the American Medical Association surveyed physicians across all specialties about the amount of…
All Work (RVUs) and No Pay?: Eight Questions to Ask the Hospital about Its Work RVU Compensation Formula
GreenBranch.Com – Jan/Feb 2013 by Sarah Wiskerchen As more surgeons and specialists are offered hospital employment, work RVU-based compensation agreements…
Therapy Billing: Be Sure Your Team Is Doing Things Right
Therapy Billing: Be Sure Your Team Is Doing Things Right AAOSNow – October 2019 by Sarah Wiskerchen, MBA, CPC Many…
Coding Errors Can Cost You Money and Potentially a Sale
Coding Errors Can Cost You Money and Potentially a Sale Healio Orthopedics – October 2019 by Karen Zupko As more…
4 Reasons You Should Prepare a Physician Rights and Responsibilities Document
4 Reasons You Should Prepare a Physician Rights and Responsibilities Document Physicians Practice – September 2019 by Karen Zupko It’s…
7 Things to Include in Your Practice's Governance Agreement
7 Things to Include in Your Practice’s Governance Agreement Physicians Practice – September 2019 by Karen Zupko and Michael R.…
How to Bill and Get Paid for Unlisted Procedures
How to Bill and Get Paid for Unlisted Procedures AAOSNow – September 2019 by Cheryl Toth Orthopaedic surgeons often perform…
5 Questions Every Older Physician Should Ask Themselves
5 Questions Every Older Physician Should Ask Themselves Physicians Practice – August 2019 by Karen Zupko 1. Realistically, how long…
Does My Documentation Tell the Story in Critical Care?
Does My Documentation Tell the Story in Critical Care? SCCM Critical Connections – August 2019 by Deborah Grider The initial and…
Does Your Practice Treat Pain?
Does Your Practice Treat Pain? AAOSNow – August 2019 by Cheryl Toth Interventional pain management is a growing specialty, and…
Practice Acquisition: How to be Easy to Do Business With
Practice Acquisition: How to be Easy to Do Business With Healio Orthopedics – August 2019 by Karen Zupko When was…
Seven Common Questions in Foot and Ankle Coding
AAOS Now – July 2019 by Sarah Wiskerchen A previous article published in AAOS Now (“How to Avoid Common Mistakes…
Four Proven Post-Consult Follow Up Techniques
Aesthetic Society News – Summer 2019 by Karen Zupko Turning callers and prospects into scheduled consults is a subject that…
5 Questions to Ask About wRVU Compensation
Physicians Practice – June 2019 by Amy Boyer, MBA Physicians employed by a medical group, hospital or academic institution are…
Develop a Data and Device Destruction Policy in Five Easy Steps
Develop a Data and Device Destruction Policy in Five Easy Steps American Association for Physician Leadership – June 2019 by…
Tips and Best Practices for Using Code-X
Tips and Best Practices for Using Code-X AAOS Now – June 2019 by Cheryl Toth After speaking with Michael Marks,…
Get Your House in Order: Prepare for Private Equity Acquisition
Orthopaedics Today – May 2019 by Wathen Strong With ever-increasing amounts of private equity flowing into health care, orthopedic surgeons are…
Clean Up the A/R Before Putting the Practice on the Market
Clean Up the A/R Before Putting the Practice on the Market Physicians Practice – May 2019 by Cheyenne Brinson Thinking…
Coding Experts Weigh in on the Value of Code-X
Coding Experts Weigh in on the Value of Code-X AAOS Now – May 2019 by Cheryl Toth If you are…
NEW: Solve Your Practice Pain Points with Practice Solutions Online
NEW: Solve Your Practice Pain Points with Practice Solutions Online Aesthetic Society News – Spring 2019 by Cheryl Toth Is…
Strategies and Scripts for 4 Common Objections
Strategies and Scripts for 4 Common Objections Aesthetic Society News – Spring 2019 by Karen Zupko After decades of educating…
Cost Saving Strategies to Save Your Practice Money
Cost Saving Strategies to Save Your Practice Money Doctors Direct Insurance – Winter 2013 by Cheyenne Brinson Like most practices,…
7 Ways to Modernize Business Writing Mechanics
7 Ways to Modernize Business Writing Mechanics Medical Office Manager – 2019 by Cheryl Toth You don’t need a degree…
Four Tips for Avoiding Data Breaches
Four Tips for Avoiding Data Breaches AAOSNow – April 2019 by Michael R. Marks, MD According to a new report by Radware,…
Selling your practice? Clean up the coding first.
Selling your practice? Clean up the coding first. Physicians Practice Pearls – March 2019 by Karen Zupko As more and…
Anatomy of a Lessons Learned Summary
Anatomy of a Lessons Learned Summary Medical Office Manager – March 2019 by Cheryl Toth What do you call the…