Coding Resources
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Debridement Codes
April 11, 2019 Question: My plastic surgeon debrided an open burn wound that was 45 sq cm then placed a…
Sentinel Node Identification
March 28, 2019 Question: We have a new plastic surgeon and he’s doing a procedure my other guys don’t perform. …
Botox for Migraine Headaches
March 14, 2019 Question: When you inject Botox for migraine headaches, can you bill the injection code more than one…
Skin Biopsy Codes
February 28, 2019 Question: What happened to the skin biopsy codes? I submitted a claim for 11101 (skin biopsy) and…
Consultation Request
February 14, 2019 Question: Would you mind giving your two cents? I saw a patient from urgent care yesterday with…
Diagnosis Code for Post Op Visits
January 31, 2019 Question: What’s the best way to do the diagnosis coding for postop visits? I mean, does it…
Post Op Hemorrhage Repair: Is it Billable?
January 17, 2019 Question: Can I bill for taking the patient back to the OR to explore and repair post-op…
Documenting Codes in the Operative Note
December 13, 2018 Question: I’ve been dictating CPT codes in the operative note so that my coder knows what to…
Code Submission Order on Claims
November 29, 2018 Question: When we are submitting multiple procedures on a claim, should we submit the CPT codes in…
Diagnosis Code for Wound Care Dressing Change
November 15, 2018 Question: What diagnosis code should I report for a change of a nonsurgical wound dressing when this…
Indications for Surgery Paragraph
October 18, 2018 Question: I recently attended a coding course you taught and learned a lot – thank you! I…
Diagnosis Coding for Suspicious Skin Lesion
October 4, 2018 Question: My billing service is waiting for the pathology report and assigning the diagnosis and procedure code…
Care of Tissue Expander Outside the Global Period
September 20, 2018 Question: We are still expanding the TE outside of the global period from the breast reconstruction with…
Cosmetic Rhinoplasty and a Functional Septoplasty
September 6, 2018 Question: If I do a cosmetic rhinoplasty and a functional septoplasty on a patient, should I document…
Tissue Grafting
August 23, 2018 Question: What code do I report when a patient has a previous breast reconstruction (4 months ago)…
Diagnosis Code for a Scar Contracture
August 9, 2018 Question: What ICD-10-CM diagnosis code do I report for a patient seen for a release of scar…
Discontinued Procedure
July 26, 2018 Question: I was excising a 2.5cm lipoma on the patient’s back in the office. One the skin…
Excision with ATT
June 28, 2018 Question: My physician wants to code 14021 and 11606 for an excision and rotation flap to close…
Coding a Composite Graft with Harvested Cartilage
June 14, 2018 Question: I performed a composite graft (CPT 15760), and harvested cartilage from the ear. Can I report…
Surgical Coding after Excessive Weight Loss after Gastric Bypass
May 31, 2018 Question: How do I code an abdominoplasty with a panniculectomy? I am reporting 15830 for the excision…
Soft Tissue Tumors
May 17, 2018 Question: I performed a soft tissue tumor of the neck 5cm with an intermediate repair on a…
Incident-to Billing
May 3, 2018 Question: We have added a PA to the practice and want to make sure we are using…
Removal of Mandibular Implant
April 19, 2018 Question: We are removing old plates from the right and left mandible. It is ok to use…
Reporting Nerve Blocks with Free Flap Breast Reconstruction
March 29, 2018 Question: Can I report 19364 (breast reconstruction) and CPT 64421-59 (nerve block) on the same breast for…
Fat Grafting with a Breast Revision
March 15, 2018 Question: My doctor reports a breast revision with CPT codes 19380 and 20926 on the same breast. …
Multiple Procedure Payment Formula
March 1, 2018 Question: What is Medicare’s multiple procedure payment formula? When I do more than one procedure, I know…
Malignant Skin Lesion Re-Excision
February 15, 2018 Question: We excised a skin lesion and the margins came back positive so I had to re-excise.…
Breast Reconstruction with Tissue Expander and Latissimus Dorsi Flap
February 1, 2018 Question: Can you tell me if the CPT code 19361 would include placement of a tissue expander?…
Removal of Tissue Expander in the Office
January 18, 2018 Question: I have a question on tissue expander coding. How would I code for an in office…
Articles
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 Its not enough to make more than you spendpractices must also…
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…
Webinars
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…