Coding Resources
GENERAL SURGERY
Get free
resources
practice alerts
Coding Coaches
.
coding Coaches
Billing for Intraoperative Injury
March 4, 2021 Question: A major blood vessel was accidentally nicked while a general surgeon was performing a complex case.…
Use of Modifier 52
February 18, 2021 Question: My surgeon was called into a laparoscopic operation that was already underway, to perform extensive lysis…
Separate Procedure Billing
February 4, 2021 Question: The surgeon performed an open colectomy and found a tear in the mesentery close to the…
New 2021 E/M Coding Guidelines
January 21, 2021 Question: In the new guidelines, how does Time affect billing for a teaching physician’s E/M service when…
Documenting Family History for New Patient Visits
December 17, 2020 Question: I’ve heard that all you need to document for family history is the word “none”, and…
Billing for Reopening of Recent Laparotomy
December 3, 2020 Question: Our surgeon insists on billing for 49002 reopening of a recent laparotomy and a 44005 lysis…
2021 Evaluation and Management Codes: Is a History Required?
November 12, 2020 Question: My coder just told me about the new guidelines for 2021 office visit codes. She said…
Billing for Intestinal Tear During Enterostomy Closure
October 29, 2020 Question: While performing an enterostomy closure (44626) a tear in the small bowel was made during extensive…
Billing for "Icy Green" Dye
October 15, 2020 Question: The surgeon did a robotic/laparoscopic cholecystectomy and cholangiogram with icy green and firefly identification of biliary anatomy.…
Confusion About New 2021 E/M Guidelines
October 1, 2020 Question: The new guidelines that are coming out in 2021 for all types of E/M services, right?…
Abdominal Fat Pad Core Biopsy
September 17, 2020 Question: We did an abdominal fat pad biopsy for primary cutaneous Amyloidosis. Would 49180 or 11104 be…
Coding a Hand Assisted Laparoscopy
September 3, 2020 Question: The surgeon described the procedure as a ‘hand assisted laparoscopy” He brought part of the bowel…
2021 EM Guidelines: Only for Medicare?
August 20, 2020 Question: I work with a surgeon and we see just a few Medicare patients. The surgeon believes…
Hartmann or Partial Colectomy
August 6, 2020 Question: My surgeon performed all the components of a Hartmann procedure 44143 but did not create a…
Using Modifier -22 for Adhesiolysis
July 23, 2020 Question: My provider indicated that it took her an additional 80 minutes during a surgery to perform…
Documenting Family History in New Visits
July 9, 2020 Question: I’ve heard that all you need to document for family history is the word “none”, and…
Billing E/M Visits During the Global Period
June 25, 2020 Question: Can I bill for different diagnosis codes for conditions/problems when seeing a patient in the hospital…
Coding a Diverting Ileostomy with a Low Anterior Resection/Low Pelvic Anastomosis Partial Colectomy
June 11, 2020 Question: Instead of a colostomy as described in the laparoscopic CPT codes 44208 or the open code,…
Intraoperative ICG Dye Angiography
May 28, 2020 Question: Can we bill the 92242 for the indocyanine green injection intraoperatively, for example to assess perfusion…
Billing Additional Pre-op Visit
May 14, 2020 Question: Since we have to bring the patients back in for COVID testing and H&P for Joint Commission,…
Billing Telehealth Post Op Visits
April 30, 2020 Question: I am trying to find a resource that addresses telehealth billing in the post-operative period. Is…
Billing Telehealth by Time
April 16, 2020 Question: Can we bill telehealth visits by time alone? Answer: Telehealth visits can now be billed according…
Waiving Medicare Cost-share for Telehealth Visits
April 2, 2020 Question: I heard that Medicare patients don’t have to pay their deductible or coinsurance if they have…
LCDs and Vein Procedures: Should We Know About These?
March 19, 2020 Question: We have an office-based vein center and have heard that something called LCDs should be followed…
Wound Vac Billing
March 5, 2020 Question: I’m a general surgeon. Some of my team are reporting the negative pressure wound therapy codes…
Total Thyroidectomy with Re-Implant of a Parathyroid Gland
February 20, 2020 Question: In the past, when I did a total thyroidectomy and I needed to re-implant a parathyroid…
Laparoscopic or Open, How can you tell?
February 6, 2020 Question: If a code does not specify whether the procedure described is laparoscopic or open, is it…
Coding for Non-Biological Mesh Placement
January 23, 2020 Question: How do I report placement of a mesh implant in the abdomen that is not a…
Documenting Codes In the Procedure Report
January 9, 2020 Question: I’ve been dictating CPT and ICD-10-CM codes in my procedure note so that my coder knows…
Coding for ICG Imaging
December 19, 2019 Question: Can you give guidance on CPT 15860 as it pertains to colorectal surgery? My surgeons have…
Articles
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…
Is Your Practice Not Getting Paid?
AAOSNow – July 2017 by Michael R. Marks, MD, MBA, and Cheryl Toth, MBA Coding May Not Be the Reason…
Liability Management 101
Liability Management 101 – August 2016 by Michael R. Marks, MD, MBA Why Malpractice Insurance Is Not Enough Today’s orthopaedic practices…
OIG Says "No Bonus Points" for Having a Compliance Plan
AAOS Now – July 2016 by Cheryl Toth, MBA New announcements and guidance push providers toward an active program If your…
The Revenue Engine that Could “Think You Can” by Refining the Revenue Cycle with the Right People, Processes, and Tools
Greenbranch – May/June 2013 Kim Pollock, RN, MBA, CPC Many physicians continue to wrestle with an economy-in-recovery and declining reimbursements. In…
8 Things Your Medical Billing Service Should Be Doing
Physicians Practice – 2016 by Karen Zupko What has your billing service done for you lately? A good vendor does more than just…
Is Your Bariatric Practice Ready for Retail?
Mystery Shopping Results Indicate a Need for Improvement – April 2016 by Karen Zupko and Samantha Lappe After the news of a…
The Impact of ICD-10 Implementation
by Kyle M. Lee Survey finds a smooth road so far On Oct. 1, 2015, the 10th revision of the…
Surviving in an ICD-10 World
by Deborah Grider, CPC, COC, CPC-I, CPC-P, CEMC, CPMA, CCS-P, CDIP Certified AHIMA Clinical Documentation Improvement Practitioner AHIMA-Approved ICD-10-CM/PCS Trainer…
Practice Transition Planning: When Is the Right Time?
The American Journal of Orthopedics – December 2015 by Karen Zupko, BSJ If you are a solo orthopedic surgeon or…
The Only Safe SMS Texting Is No SMS Texting
Greenbranch – Nov/Dec 2015 by Cheryl Toth, MBA, and Michael J. Sacopulos, JD Many physicians and practice staff use short messaging…
Reduce Medical Practice Embezzlement Risk by Implementing Cash Controls
Physicians Practice – September 2013 by Karen Zupko and Cheryl Toth, MBA Several years ago, we visited a practice in…
21st-Century Patient Collections: Implement a Point-of-Service Collections Program Now
The American Journal of Orthopedics – May 2015 by Cheryl Toth, MBA An 8-surgeon group in the Southeast had a…
Seven Surefire Ways to Start a Nonphysician Practitioner Off Right
The Journal of Medical Practice Management – January/February 2015 by Cheryl Toth, MBA With the proper planning and preparation, nonphysician…
The Patient Relations and Service Recovery Guide: A Colorful Approach to Handling Upset and Angry Patients
The American Journal of Orthopedics – January 2015 by Jennifer A. O’Brien, MSOD Tearful breakdowns and loud outbursts—they happen with…
Patient Portal in Your Orthopedic Surgery Practice: You Can So Do This
The American Journal of Orthopedics – September 2014 by Jennifer A. O’Brien, MSOD On initial consideration, the patient portal portion…
Banking: Shop and Compare
Journal of Medical Practice Management – May/June 2014 by Jennifer A. O’Brien, MSOD, and Sherry DeJarnette, CPA There are many reasons to…
Avoid Billing Service Nightmares: Issues to consider before partnering with independent and hospital-based billing services
AAOS Now – April 2014 by Jennifer A. O’Brien, MSOD In addition to the compliance and security issues highlighted in…
What To Expect from the Orthopaedic Surgery Practice Manager
AAOS Now – April 2014 by Jennifer A. O’Brien, MSOD When a physician gives an order to a nurse, technician,…
Avoid Billing Service Nightmares: Use Business Rigor to Reduce Your Risk: Part I
AAOS Now – February 2014 by Cheryl L. Toth, MBA Recently, an orthopaedic surgeon remarked that he was thinking about…
Are Your Business Associate Agreements HIPAA (Omnibus) Compliant?
Plastic Surgery News Connection – 2013 by Karen Zupko If you’ve been “too busy” to update your Business Associate Agreements…
The Employment Agreement: What Every Doctor (Junior and Senior) Needs to Know, Parts 1, 2, and 3
Journal of Practice Management – May/June 2000; July/August 2000; September/October 2000 by James G. Stuart J.D. This is the first…
