May 21, 2021 | By Stanley Nachimson, Nachimson Advisors April 5th 2021 was a major day in the history of patient data access. On that day, providers, vendors, and health information networks were required, under federal regulation, to make patient data available electronically to patients. The federal rule, 21st Century Cures Act: Interoperability, Information Blocking,…
May 14, 2021 | By Jill Young, CPC, CEDC, CIMC The time has come for you to consider the “new time” method to determine the evaluation and management (E&M) coding for your office and other outpatient services. I use the phrase “new time” to differentiate it from the “old time” concept you are accustomed…
May 7, 2021 | By Frank Cohen, Director of Analytics and Busines Intelligence It looks like the feds are moving quickly into recoupment audit mode in regards to telehealth and other services reported during the COVID-19 declared Public Health Emergency (PHE). Starting sometime the end of the first quarter of 2020, HHS came out…
November 20, 2020 | By Brenda Edwards, CPC, CDEO, CPB, CPC-I, CEMC, CRC, CMRS, CMCS COVID-19 has been disrupting the healthcare environment for over a year now. Massive changes and evolutions have been introduced for how to code for services during COVID-19 including virtual visits, lab testing, and vaccinations. This article will cover COVID-19…
April 23, 2021 | By By Rachel Rose, JD, MBA Early in 2019, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office for Civil Rights (HHS-OCR) announced the creation of an initiative to target violations of 45 CFR §164.524(b)(2) for not providing an individual with his/her requested protected health information (PHI) within…
April 16, 2021 | By Jesse Overbay, JD No matter who you are (auditor, physician-owner, or practice administrator), independent contractor agreements and employment agreements can be a major thorn in the side for you and your organization. Many contractual agreements are simply set aside after finally being signed and are not thought about again until…
April 9, 2021 | By Amanda Waesch In December 2016, Congress passed the 21st Century Cures Act (often simply called the “Cures Act”). Woven within the Cures Act is Section 4004 titled “Information Blocking.”[1] The purpose of this section is to prohibit any action or practice that interferes with or prevents access to electronic…
April 2, 2021 | By J. Paul Spencer, CPC, COC We now collectively find ourselves one calendar quarter into the new frontier of 2021 outpatient E/M services. Since January 1, I have fielded many questions from my professional contacts regarding how best to look at the newly-engineered medical decision making (MDM) component. As might…
March 26, 2021 | By Grant Huang, CPC, CPMA If you thought some of the language in the 2021 E/M guidelines was confusing, you’re not the only one: The AMA has gotten enough questions about its new guidelines to issue a six-page document packed with clarifications and corrections. The document also includes an additional three pages…
March 19, 2021 | By Jeannie Cagle, RN, BSN, CPC, Senior Manager, The Coker Group As is often the case, large organizations have teams of people who have particular expertise to benefit everyone. Health care is no exception. As coders and auditors, it is easy for us to be sequestered behind closed doors with…