December 4, 2020 | By Sean Weiss, CHC, CEMA, CMCO, CPMA, CPC-P, CMPE, CPC Last month, Paul Spencer, Senior Compliance Consultant of DoctorsManagement (DM) and I had the privilege of presenting to NAMAS members a course on performing a “gap” analysis in order to build a corporate compliance program that works in practice and is…
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November 27, 2020 | By Grant Huang, CPC, CPMA Auditing evaluation and management (E/M) services furnished by resident physicians under the Medicare Primary Exception (PCE) already required a firm grasp of attestation and coding rules – but now COVID-19 throws another wrench into the works. In this audit tip, we will review the rules…
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November 20, 2020 | By Brenda Edwards, CPC, CDEO, CPB, CPC-I, CEMC, CRC, CMRS, CMCS The days of 2020 are winding down and I don’t know that any of us are going to be sad to see it go. While saying goodbye to 2020 and hello to 2021, we also say hello to the…
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November 13, 2020 | By Bryan Meek, Esq., Brennan, Manna, and Diamond As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc globally, routine COVID-19 testing of employees, patients, and the general population have become more common. However, issues regarding coverage for this testing are starting to emerge. In recent weeks, major payers and insurers have…
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November 6, 2020 | By Pam Vanderbilt, CPC, CPMA, CPPM, CPC-I, CEMC, CEMA, CEMA-O Pumpkin spiced lattes are back at Starbucks, the days are getting shorter, there is a crispness in the air (in some parts of the country, anyway), and the 2021 ICD-10-CM guidelines have gone into effect. These are all signs we…
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October 30, 2020 | By Edward Townley, Founder, Cogent9 Consulting We use relative value units (RVUs) in many aspects of our practices. Some physician compensation arrangements are based on RVUs; other practices use them for staffing models and productivity measurements. Where did RVUs come from and how have they evolved over time? Beginning in…
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October 23, 2020 | By Grant Huang, CPC, CPMA It’s not even 2021 yet, but gray areas have already surfaced in the 2021 E/M documentation guidelines, as more and more coders and auditors read the fine print. The 2021 guidelines, which will apply only to outpatient/office visit codes 99202-99215, are being implemented in part…
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October 16, 2020 | By Scott Kraft, CPMA, CPC It’s fair to say the 2021 changes to the E/M documentation guidelines ease the documentation burden on the rendering provider for certain aspects of the note. These welcome changes give more heft to the clinical relevance of the patient’s case and the provider’s treatment, rather…
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October 9, 2020 | Aimee L. Wilcox, CPMA, CCS-P, CST, MA, MT, Director of Content, innoviHealth If you are an active coder or auditor, you are likely keenly aware of the abundant changes to healthcare laws, regulations, policies, and guidelines surrounding HIPAA, coding, reimbursement, and especially to the integration and rapid expansion of telemedicine…
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October 2, 2020 | By Nicholas Goodwin, Esq. “How did that meeting go with the bank?” John asked, stopping by Dan’s door on his way to his office down the hall. “What meeting?”, Dan responded. Confused, John said “The meeting about the line of credit. You sent me an email about it this morning…
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