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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…
Documenting Family History for New Patient Visits
October 29, 2020 Question: I’ve heard that all you need to document for family history is the word “none”, and…
Burn Debridements
October 15, 2020 Question: Our patient had full thickness burn of foot and has been having serial debridements to the…
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?…
Evaluation and Management Codes 2021 – Do I Have to Use the Revised Guidelines?
September 17, 2020 Question: I work with a plastic surgeon and we don’t see many Medicare patients. The plastic surgeon…
Tissue Expander Exchange with Breast Reconstruction Revision
September 3, 2020 Question: At the time of the second stage tissue expander exchange, my plastic surgeon wants to bill…
DIEP Flap – Co-surgeon or Assistant Surgeon
August 20, 2020 Question: My Plastic Surgeon is asking about breast reconstruction coding. We use either S2068 and or 19364…
Significant Undermining of Free Flap Donor Site
August 6, 2020 Question: My doctor documents “significant undermining” to the free flap donor site (radial forearm) for an advancement…
Carotid Artery Exploration with Free Flap to Oral Cavity
July 23, 2020 Question: Can we report 35701 for the carotid vessel exploration in the recipient site when doing a…
Complex Closure of Free Flap Donor Site
July 9, 2020 Question: I did a right anterolateral thigh free flap and had to close the right thigh wound…
Excision External Ear
June 25, 2020 Question: I did a partial excision of the left ear wedge with a layered closure. Can I…
Seroma after Breast Reconstruction
June 11, 2020 Question: During the post-operative global period following breast reconstruction the patient presents with a seroma. Can I…
DIEP Co-Surgery
May 28, 2020 Question: Hello! I have a plastic surgery question. I perform DIEP surgeries and when I do a…
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…
Billing Telephone Calls Longer than 30 Minutes
April 30, 2020 Question: We cannot locate a response from any reliable coding resource about how to bill telephone calls…
Place of Service For Telehealth Visits
April 16, 2020 Question: What is the place of service for telehealth visits? Answer: For Medicare, on all claims for…
Documenting Time for Telehealth
April 2, 2020 Question: Do we have to use start and stop times or can we use minutes when billing…
Breast Biopsy
March 19, 2020 Question: I did a biopsy of the breast defect before doing the reconstruction. Can I also code…
Modifier 58 and Fat Grafting
March 5, 2020 Question: We have a patient who is a year status post breast reconstruction and not we are…
Are Pre-Op Visits Billable?
February 20, 2020 Question: For patients that are having surgery that day, I’ve been doing pre-op visits that morning (coming…
Overreading a Diagnostic Imaging Study
February 6, 2020 Question: I sent a patient out to the hospital for a CT scan and the patient brought…
Laceration and Fracture Repair
January 23, 2020 Question: My physician is utilizing an open laceration on the patient’s chin for open reduction of a…
Unspecified vs. Uncertain Behavior Skin Lesion Diagnosis Code
January 9, 2020 Question: Can you refresh my memory on when to use the diagnosis code for skin lesion “uncertain…
Implantation of Biologic Implants
December 19, 2019 Question: Can we use 15777 Implantation of biologic implant (e.g. acellular dermal matrix) for soft tissue reinforcement…
Tattoo Redo After Reconstruction
December 5, 2019 Question: A patient came to us for a redo of nipple micropigmentation, as she was not pleased…
Modifiers for Free Flap Breast Reconstruction
November 14, 2019 Question: Do the free flap breast reconstruction codes, 19364 and S2068, allow billing for surgeon, co-surgeon and…
Postoperative Incision Drainage
October 31, 2019 Question: A patient had bilateral breast augmentation 5 weeks ago. She developed some drainage out of…
Removal of Breast Implant with Capsulectomy
October 17, 2019 Question: My doctor specializes in breast reconstruction and has been asking me to bill 19328 (removal of…
Nerve Block for Postoperative Pain Management
October 3, 2019 Question: My doctor has introduced us to a code he would like to bill. I have researched…
Muscle Transfer Coding with DIEP Flap
September 19, 2019 Question: Someone told me we can bill CPT 23395 (Muscle transfer, any type, shoulder or upper arm;…
Articles
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…
Evidence Based Pricing Strategy for Plastic Surgeons — Winning the Price Wars
Aesthetic Society News – March 2018 by Karen Zupko, President One area of practice administration where most plastic surgery practices…
Put Your Best Face (and Breasts and Body) Forward How to Showcase Your Surgical Results with Clinical Photography
Aesthetic Society News – Winter 2018 by Amy Boyer, MBA Every plastic surgeon knows that photography is an essential part…
High Deductible Health Plans: Take Accounts Receivable Action Now
High Deductible Health Plans: Take Accounts Receivable Action Now The American Journal of Orthopedics® – November/December 2017 by Karen Zupko,…
Going From Free to Fee Consultations. Yes, You Can. Here's How.
Aesthetic Society News – Fall 2017 by Karen Zupko, President To charge or not to charge? That is the question…
Practice Management: Unique Selling Points
Practice Management: Unique Selling Points MedEsthetics – October 2017 by Karen Zupko, President Help your practice stand out by recognizing…
Profiles in Plastic Surgeons' Practice Transitions
Aesthetic Society News – Spring 2017 by Karen Zupko, President “Sorry, I didn’t call you back last week, Karen. I…
10 Things a Billing Service Should Provide Your Practice
Aesthetic Society News – Summer 2016 by Karen Zupko, President Last week, a plastic surgeon from Tennessee called. He outsources…
Maximize Your Practice Management System
We frequently visit practices that have spent the equivalent of a Mercedes convertible on a practice management system (PMS).
10 Non-Financial Reasons Patients Don't Schedule
There is a common perception among aesthetic surgeons that the primary reason a patient doesn’t schedule surgery is because of…
Dropped Leads, Why They Happen and What to Do About Them
Aesthetic Society News – Winter 2016 by Karen Zupko, President After mystery shopping over 150 aesthetic plastic surgery practices through…
The 5th P: "Personnel" is Essential to Your Practice's Marketing Mix
Price. Product (or Service). Promotion. Place. These "4 Ps" comprise the classic Marketing Mix and are foundational components of any…
Financial Reports and Data Aesthetic Surgeons Need to See
Aesthetic Society News – Winter 2015 by Cheryl Toth, MBA We frequently find that aesthetic surgeons make expensive business decisions…
Rewarding Everyone: Creating Team Bonuses That Work
Aesthetic Society News – Summer 2015 by Glenn Morley Rewarding a Patient Care Coordinator (PPC) with a financial bonus can…
Going Cosmetic? Part 1
The Association of Dermatology Administrators & Managers Newsletter by Glenn Morley If you’ve decided to make the strategic change toward…
Managing Cash Flow
MedEsthetics Magazine – March 2015 Cheyenne Brinson, MBA, CPA It’s not enough to make more than you spend practices must…
Going Cosmetic? Part 2
The Association of Dermatology Administrators & Managers Newsletter by Glenn Morley For physicians who have decided to incorporate cosmetic services…
Going Cosmetic: Keep Patients for Life!
The Association of Dermatology Administrators & Managers Newsletter by Glenn Morley You’ve made the strategic shift toward increasing cosmetic lines…
Employee Verification
MedEsthetics – November/December 2014 by Karen Zupko Because employees of medical practices and medspas have easy access to patient information,…
Build Better Patient Relationships, Faster, Using the FORD Method
Aesthetic Society News – Fall 2014 by Karen Zupko, President “How long will I have to stop running after surgery?”…
Tighten Cash Handling & Audit Controls: 9 Best Practices That Reduce Embezzlement Risk
Aesthetic Society News – Summer 2014 by Karen Zupko, President A few years ago, we worked with an aesthetic practice…
Make Your Last Impression as Good as Your First: Fine-Tune the Fee Quote
Aesthetic Society News – Spring 2014 by Karen Zupko, President You’ve spent thousands on attractive branding and Web design. You’ve…
Don't Get Burned by the Billing Company: Avoid These Revenue, Reputation, & Regulatory Risks
Plastic Surgery News Connection – October 2013 by Cheryl Toth, MBA “It’s a total nightmare!” The physician’s voice was a…
Hiring Right Makes Your Practice More Profitable and Pleasant
Aesthetic Society News – Winter 2011 by Karen Zupko, President When Lucy showed up for the interview, you thought your…
Practice Tips: Why Patients Don't Schedule Surgery - Try These Reasons On For Size and Take Action
Facial Plastic Times – May/June 2011 by Karen Zupko Potential patients don’t schedule surgery for dozens of reasons. You’ll find…
