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Suture Removal
February 14, 2019 Question: We had a patient come into our office to have their sutures removed from a hand…
Joint Injection
January 31, 2019 Question: We have a non-Medicare patient that brings in her own Viscosupplement drug that she purchases through…
New or Established Patient
January 17, 2019 Question: I am new to Orthopaedics. I am in a practice that employs a joint specialist, spine…
I&D in the Office during the Global Period
December 13, 2018 Question: Our surgeon saw a patient in the office for a routine post-op check during the global…
ED Treatment of Fracture by Advanced Practice Provider
November 29, 2018 Question: Our physicians are asking us to report closed treatment without manipulation codes when their Advanced-Practice Provider…
Fracture Treatment and Teaching Physician Requirements
November 15, 2018 Question: Our physicians teach residents in an academic medical center. Often the residents see fracture patients in…
CPT Code 20610 or 20611?
November 1, 2018 Question: Our physician performed a shoulder joint injection with ultrasound guidance. The physician’s procedure note does not…
New patient or not?
October 18, 2018 Question: One of our providers serves as a team physician for a local high school. I was…
CERT Reviews for Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repairs
October 4, 2018 Question: We recently heard about Medicare doing CERT reviews for CPT code 29827 (arthroscopic rotator cuff repair). …
Answers to Five Common Coding Questions
Answers to Five Common Coding Questions AAOS Now – October 2018 by Margaret M. Maley, BSN, MS and Sarah Wiskerchen What…
Don't Be the Next Victim of Billing Fraud and Abuse
Don’t Be the Next Victim of Billing Fraud and Abuse AAOS Now- October 2018 By: Michael R. Marks, MD, MBA…
Viscosupplementation Injections
September 20, 2018 Question: There is a lot of confusion in our office when the doctor injects viscosupplementation and it…
Modifier 56
September 6, 2018 Question: Why would we receive a Medicare denial when reporting a major surgical procedure with a modifier…
Reasons Why Diagnostic Coding Matters in Value-based Care
Reasons Why Diagnostic Coding Matters in Value-based Care AAOS Now – September 2018 by Margaret M. Maley, BSN, MS Payers…
27095 vs 20610
August 23, 2018 Question: I read with interest your recent Coding Coach on anesthesia related services and CPT codes 27093…
Refresh your Referral Building
Physicians Practice – August 22, 2018 by Karen Zupko Years ago, a “good referral” was described using the Three A’s…
Bone Marrow Aspirate
August 9, 2018 Question: Our surgeon aspirated bone marrow for a subtalar fusion. We are unsure how to report this.…
Multiple Fasciotomies Same Hand for Dupuytren’s
July 26, 2018 Question: Our hand surgeon, not infrequently, will perform multiple fasciotomies in the hand for the treatment of…
Physical Therapy and NPI Numbers
July 12, 2018 Question: We have multiple practice locations and have therapy departments at several of the locations. Our question…
NPP Reporting and Claim Form Line 24J
June 28, 2018 Question: How do we know whether to put the NPP (PA or NP) or physician NPI number…
Total Hip Arthroplasty Question
June 14, 2018 Question: We have a patient who underwent an open fixation of a femoral neck fracture five years…
Have You Heard the Latest Professional Liability Risk?
Have You Heard the Latest Professional Liability Risk? AAOS Now- June 2018 By: Michael R. Marks, MD, MBA HIPAA allows…
Tips for Utilizing ICD-10-CM
Tips for Utilizing ICD-10-CM – June 2018 AAOSNow by Sarah Wiskerchen, MBA, CPC In May 2015, most orthopaedic surgeons and…
Confused about CPT Code 26600
May 31, 2018 Question: I am confused on how to report the closed treatment of multiple metacarpal fractures (26600) that…
Thoracolumbar Spinal Abscess
May 17, 2018 Question: Our surgeon returned a patient to the OR for an I&D of a subfascial abscess after…
Joint Injection during the Global Period
May 3, 2018 Question: Our physicians want to report 20610-79 when they perform a joint injection for pain following arthroscopic…
Diagnostic Ultrasound and Ultrasound Guided Injections
April 19, 2018 Question: Our sports medicine physicians are reporting diagnostic ultrasounds (76881) and ultrasound guided injections at the same…
Anesthesia Related Codes in Orthopaedics
March 29, 2018 Question: We have a question about codes in orthopaedics that include references about anesthesia. Specifically, we are…
Incident-To or Direct Billing to Medicare?
March 15, 2018 Question: Our physician performed an evaluation on a patient and made a decision to start the patient on…
My patient’s fallen on the ice and smashed their elbow. Help me select the proper code.
March 1, 2018 Question: We received an inquiry from a client where the surgeon wanted to report the repair of the…
Articles
Are Physicians Required to Return Overpayments?
Articles Are Physicians Required to Return Overpayments? Michael R. Marks, MD, MBA Michael Sacopulos, JD AAOS Now – May 2018…
Arthroscopy Coding for Major Joint - Shoulder
Articles Arthroscopy Coding for Major Joints – Shoulder Michael R. Marks, MD, MBA AAOS Now – March 2018 An accurate understanding…
Arthroscopy Coding for Major Joints - Knee
Arthroscopy Coding for Major Joints – Knee AAOS Now – February 2018 By: Michael R. Marks, MD, MBA When the…
What is in that alphabet soup? Deciphering coding acronyms to support reimbursement
Articles What is in that alphabet soup? Deciphering Coding Acronyms to Support Reimbursement Sarah Wiskerchen, MBA, CPC Healio Orthopedics •…
Have You Heard the Latest Medical Liability Risk?
Have You Heard the Latest Medical Liability Risk? AAOS Now – January 2018 By: Michael R. Marks, MD, MBA and Daniel R.…
Dispensing DME in Orthopaedics for Medicare
Dispensing DME in Orthopaedics for Medicare – November 2017 AAOSNow by Sarah Wiskerchen, MBA, CPC Answers to key coding questions…
Medical Imaging and HIPAA Compliance
Medical Imaging and HIPAA Compliance AAOS Now – October 2017 By: Michael R. Marks, MD, MBA What orthopaedic surgeons need…
Six Steps for Conducting an Internal Evaluation & Management Audit
Six Steps for Conducting an Internal Evaluation & Management Audit Healio Orthopedics • Orthopedics Today – September 2017 by Sarah Wiskerchen,…
Work RVU compensation formulas and surgery modifiers: To discount RVUs or not
Work RVU compensation formulas and surgery modifiers: To discount RVUs or not Orthopedics Today – September 2017 by Sarah Wiskerchen,…
Telehealth at a Tipping Point
Telehealth at a Tipping Point – September 2017 By: Betty A. Hovey, CCS-P, CPC, CPMA, CPCD, and Cheryl Toth, MBA…
Top 10 HIPAA Mistakes for Practices to Avoid
Top 10 HIPAA Mistakes for Practices to Avoid – September 2017 By: Michael R. Marks, MD, MBA, and Michael Sacopulos,…
Documentation Guidelines for Medical Decision Making
Documentation Guidelines for Medical Decision Making – August 2017 by Margaret M. Maley, BSN, MS With a brief history of…
Got a Good Governance Agreement? Use This 12-Point Checklist to Find Out
Healio Orthopedics Today – August 2017 by Karen Zupko A governance agreement is a written directive for how a practice’s…
Medicare Sharpens Focus on the Global Surgical Package
Medicare Sharpens Focus on the Global Surgical Package – June 2017 by Margaret M. Maley, BSN, MS The Centers for…
Pain Management In Orthopaedic Practices
AAOSNow – April 2017 by Karen Zupko Frequently Asked Questions – Pain Management In Orthopaedic Practices Increasingly, pain management specialists—physical medicine…
2017 Medicare Guidelines for Imaging
2017 Medicare Guidelines for Imaging – March 2017 by Margaret M. Maley, BSN, MS Effective Jan. 1, 2017, “FX” is a…
CPT 2017 for Foot and Toes
AAOS Now – January 2017 by Michael R. Marks, MD, MBA Every autumn, the American Medical Association’s (AMA) Current Procedural…
7 Golden Rules for Reducing Hip Arthroscopy Denials
AAOS Now – December 2016 by Michael R. Marks, MD, MBA If a constant stream of denials for hip arthroscopy…
2017 Spine CPT Code Changes
AAOS Now – November 2016 by Kim Pollock, RN, MBA, CPC, CMDP Spine surgeons face a multitude of Current Procedural…
Don't Be Intimidated by ICD-10-CM Changes
Don’t Be Intimidated by ICD-10-CM Changes – October 2016 by Margaret M. Maley, BSN, MS A systematic look at the code…
Spine Practices May Lose Money When They Do Not Bill for Consults
Healio- October 2016 by Kim Pollock, RN, MBA, CPC, CMDP and Teri Romano, BSN, MBA, CPC, CMDP Medicare eliminated payment…
Are CMS and Other Payers Requiring –X{EPSU} Modifiers?
Commonly Asked Coding Questions – September 2016 by Sarah Wiskerchen, MBA, CPC Q: Are the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services…
Setting Up Your New Physician for Success
The American Journal of Orthopedics – September/October 2016 by Cheryl Toth, MBA Practices and hospitals invest significant time and money…
PA and NP Billing: Are You Doing It Correctly?
PA and NP Billing: Are You Doing It Correctly? – May 2016 by Sarah Wiskerchen, MBA, CPC The effective use of…
“Clean Up” Diagnosis Coding for Staged Revisions
“Clean Up” Diagnosis Coding for Staged Revisions – July 2015 by Margaret M. Maley, BSN, MS Assigning diagnosis codes for joint…
Don’t Let Sprain and Strain Drain Your Brain
Don’t Let Sprain and Strain Drain Your Brain – April 2015 by Margaret M. Maley, BSN, MS Reporting sprains and strains…
Billing Essentials for Using a PA or NP in Orthopaedics
AAOS Now – February 2015 by Sarah Wiskerchen, MBA, CPC In last month’s AAOS Now roundtable, “Making the Most of…
Measuring Up: What An Orthopaedic Group Should Expect In A Practice Manager/CEO
AAOS Now – May 2014 by Jennifer A. O’Brien, MSOD On any given issue within a group practice—whether operational or organizational—it…
Coding Boards or Confessionals? Use Online Coding Discussion Tools With Caution
The American Journal of Orthopedics – March 2014 by Cheryl Toth, MBA Author’s Note: The content of the e-mail examples…
Therapy Billing for Beginners
AAOS Now (Volume 4, Number 12) – November 2010 by Sarah Wiskerchen, MBA, CPC How to bill for physical, occupational therapy Orthopaedic surgeons…
Webinars
2017 Update for Vascular Surgery
2017 Update for Vascular Surgery Teri Romano, BSN, MBA, CPC, CMDPConsultant and Speaker Vascular coding just got a lot more complicated! Interventions…
2017 Updates in General Surgery
2017 Updates in General SurgeryEndoscopy Reimbursement Reductions: What You Need to Know Teri Romano, BSN, MBA, CPC, CMDPConsultant and Speaker…
Audits and the Modifier 25 for Pain Physicians
About The Zipinar Will Answer What is the 25 modifier and what is all the fuss about? What do CPT…
Therapy Functional Limitation Reporting
Join Sarah Wiskerchen in this 38 minute webinar as she steps through Medicare’s Mandatory Functional Limitation Reporting. If your physician practice…
Coding and Coverage of Bariatric Procedures
Coding and Coverage of Bariatric Procedures Teri Romano, BSN, MBA, CPC, CMDPConsultant and Speaker Getting paid for open and laparoscopic…
Navigating Coverage Policies in Varicose Vein Treatment
Navigating Coverage Policies in Varicose Vein Treatment Teri Romano, BSN, MBA, CPC, CMDPConsultant and Speaker The treatment of varicose veins,…
Hand Coding II
Build on your knowledge of hand coding. This course addresses the granular nature of coding and documenting hand fractures and…
Hand Coding I
Staff and managers new to hand coding who want to code correctly for common hand procedures will find good value…
Documenting and Coding for Mohs Micrographic Surgery in 7 Steps
Join Deb Grider in this 24 minute Zipinar as she reviews these important aspects of correctly coding Mohs surgery. Do…
Arthroscopy Coding Bundle - Hip, Knee and Shoulder
$179 Hip, Knee, and Shoulder included! (Best Value) Buy Now Hip Arthroscopy The hip is one of the newer joints…
2018 Update in Otolaryngology Coding and Reimbursement
More Info What’s Discussed There are many important CPT code changes for otolaryngology in 2018! We will discuss the following:…
2018 Coding Update for Vascular Surgery
2018 Coding Update for Vascular Surgery Teri Romano, BSN, MBA, CPC, CMDPConsultant and Speaker Once again, vascular surgery has undergone…
How to Prepare for a Payment Audit: Tactical Strategies for Defense
Whether you’ve already received an audit notice or you’d like to prepare for the inevitable, this fast and tactical webinar…
Telehealth: Are You Ready for the New Frontier of Medicine?
Considering offering telehealth services to patients? Already offering telehealth but wondering if you’re in compliance with current laws, as well…
MIPS Made Easier for Surgeons
More Info You Will Learn MIPS enters its second year and the penalty for not participating rises to 5%. KZA…
2017 Coding Update for Spine Surgery
More Info Who Should Watch? Orthopaedic surgeons Neurosurgeons Practice managers Billing managers Coders Billing staff What’s Discussed: What’s new for…