Barbara’s News – Page 8 – CRN Healthcare Solutions

Bundled Payments Reduce Care Cost

September 7, 2018September 26, 2018Barbara Cobuzzi, MBA, CPC, CPC-H, CPC-P, CPC-I, CENTC, CPCONo Comments

Bundled payments seem to be cutting healthcare costs. One of the salient goals of the Affordable Care Act was to bring down the cost of care. As a result, the federal government attempted to assist in reducing the cost of care by implementing a progra… For more, read here: AAPC Blog

Analysis: AMA Responds to E/M Proposal

September 6, 2018September 7, 2018Barbara Cobuzzi, MBA, CPC, CPC-H, CPC-P, CPC-I, CENTC, CPCONo Comments

The AMA sent a letter to the Administrator of CMS on August 27, 2018 with signatures from most of the medical societies and state medical societies with comments on the CMS proposal for the “Patients Over Paperwork” initiative. AMA Loves Paperwork Red… For more, read here: AAPC Blog

Recognize the New MBI

September 4, 2018September 7, 2018Barbara Cobuzzi, MBA, CPC, CPC-H, CPC-P, CPC-I, CENTC, CPCONo Comments

MLN Matters issued an article on July 11, 2018 to clarify that the Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) format does not use the letters S, L, O, I, B, and Z. This was done so that there will never be a confusion between the numbers 5, 1, 0, 3, and … For more, read here: AAPC Blog

E/M Changes May Hit Podiatry and Teaching Attestation

August 22, 2018August 29, 2018Barbara Cobuzzi, MBA, CPC, CPC-H, CPC-P, CPC-I, CENTC, CPCONo Comments

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) physician fee schedule proposed rule has some new Part B specific codes for Podiatry Evaluation and Management (E/M) services as well as some modification to Teaching Physician Attestation Rules f… For more, read here: AAPC Blog

CMS Proposes Add-on Codes for E/M Services

August 20, 2018August 29, 2018Barbara Cobuzzi, MBA, CPC, CPC-H, CPC-P, CPC-I, CENTC, CPCONo Comments

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is proposing three new HCPCS Level II add-on codes to be used specifically with evaluation and management (E/M) codes, which would also be revised to create a single rate of $93 for established patients (99212-99215) and a single rate of $135 for new pa… For more, read here: AAPC Blog

Changing the Way Medicare Pays Doctors

August 6, 2018August 28, 2018Barbara Cobuzzi, MBA, CPC, CPC-H, CPC-P, CPC-I, CENTC, CPCONo Comments

Besides taking a machete to E/M reimbursement and the way Medicare looks at E/M services, the current administration has proposed some large changes in the way Medicare pays doctors. They have also proposed ways that hospital facilities disclose prices to patients, providing more transpa… For more, read here: AAPC Blog

MD Anderson Pays $4.3 Million HIPAA Fine

August 5, 2018August 28, 2018Barbara Cobuzzi, MBA, CPC, CPC-H, CPC-P, CPC-I, CENTC, CPCONo Comments

In a time when many scoff at the potential of being levied steep penalties for violation of HIPAA rules, a judge just upheld a fine that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued in 2017 for Texas-based MD Anderson’s use of unencrypted … For more, read here: AAPC Blog

E/M: 2019 Proposed Physician Fee Schedule – Next Steps

July 17, 2018August 28, 2018Barbara Cobuzzi, MBA, CPC, CPC-H, CPC-P, CPC-I, CENTC, CPCONo Comments

Proposed changes in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) for 2019 will change proposed reimbursement single evaluation and management (E/M) rates. Here’s a way for medical coders to see how much the new routes may affect your workplace’s … For more, read here: AAPC Blog

CMS Proposes a Single E/M Payment, Streamlined Doc Requirements

July 13, 2018August 28, 2018Barbara Cobuzzi, MBA, CPC, CPC-H, CPC-P, CPC-I, CENTC, CPCONo Comments

The Federal Register scheduled for publication on July 27, 2018 will include a proposal for a single E/M payment for new outpatient services, and a different single E/M payment for established outpatient E/M services, regardless of the E/M level subm… For more, read here: AAPC Blog

When Non-Covered and Covered Procedures Are Performed

July 10, 2018August 28, 2018Barbara Cobuzzi, MBA, CPC, CPC-H, CPC-P, CPC-I, CENTC, CPCONo Comments

There are times when a physician will be performing both covered and non-covered procedures at the same operative session. For example, the surgeon may be performing a septoplasty for a deviated septum (J34.2) and nasal obstruction (J34.89), which is … For more, read here: AAPC Blog