November 24, 2023 | By Brenda Edwards, CPC, CDEO, CPB, CPC-I, CEMC, CRC, CMRS, CMCS If you are like me and have been coding for over half of your life, we have seen many changes. I remember the 1980s when all we had were the code books without the illustrations or descriptive additions that…
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November 17, 2023 | By Amanda Waesch This past September 2023, the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (OIG) issued Advisory Opinion 23-06 (AO).1 The Opinion involved a proposed arrangement between an independent pathology laboratory and third-party physician laboratories for the purchase of the technical component of…
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November 10, 2023 | By Toni Elhoms, CCS, CPC, CPMA, CRC On countless occasions, I have heard physicians and healthcare providers balk at the notion of learning how to level their E/M services based on medical-decision-making (MDM), and some will even go as far as to say things like “I don’t have time…
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November 1, 2023 | By Shannon O. DeConda We conducted a comprehensive survey to gain a better understanding of the ongoing debate in the industry about whether the E/M level of services is increasing or decreasing with the latest guidelines implemented in 2021. While we acknowledge that the survey isn’t scientifically conclusive, we urge organizations…
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November 3, 2023 | By Sonal Patel, BA, CPMA, CPC, CMC, ICDCM Fresh insights from the American Medical Association (AMA) are always welcome when it comes to medical coding policy. Although they have provided previous guidance on the appropriate use of modifier -25, the AMA’s Smart Brief on August 17, 2023, also provides…
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