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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…
Skin Biopsy Codes
December 5, 2019 Question: What happened to the skin biopsy codes? I submitted a claim for 11101 (skin biopsy) and…
Use of a Scribe
November 14, 2019 Question: We are hiring a scribe for the doctor because it will help improve his documentation. Is…
How do you define “No Qualified Resident Available”?
October 31, 2019 Question: Our physicians utilize residents during surgery but we have a discrepancy in what is considered a…
PTH Blood Draw with a Parathyroidectomy
October 17, 2019 Question: Can you code a PTH (blood draw, during a parathyroidectomy? Answer: Monitoring the Parathyroid hormone (PTH),…
Coding for FAST Exams
October 3, 2019 Question: I was told I cannot bill for FAST exams done in the ED for a trauma…
Coding for Percutaneous Tracheostomy
September 19, 2019 Question: What code is used for percutaneous tracheostomy? Answer: Code 31600 is reported for “percutaneous” tracheostomy. This…
Coding for REBOA
September 5, 2019 Question: What is REBOA and how is it coded? Answer: REBOA is used in trauma for patients…
Code +15777 for placement of a non-biologic implant. Is this the correct code?
August 22, 2019 Question: I placed a non-biological implant for abdominal soft tissue reinforcement. Can this be coded as +15777?…
Reporting a Cholecystectomy and an Umbilical Hernia at the Same Operative Session
August 8, 2019 Question: If a patient undergoes an open cholecystectomy and has a reducible umbilical hernia repaired during the…
Reporting a Cholecystectomy with a Cholangiogram
July 25, 2019 Question: If a cholangiogram was performed by the surgeon during a cholecystectomy, but the radiologist interprets it,…
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…
