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,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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March 5, 2021 | By Stephanie Allard, CPC, CEMA, RHIT When I begin to work with a new client on an auditing project, I like to set up a meeting with them before we begin, to talk through the steps that I take as an auditor and to discuss their reason for the audit…
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December 31, 2019 | By Stephanie Allard, CPC, CEMA, RHIT As of January 1, 2020, CPT made changes to the health and behavior assessment and intervention codes (96150-96155) and therapeutic interventions that focus on cognitive function (97127). If you code and audit services in this category, you must pay close attention to…
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January 8, 2020 | By Shannon DeConda, CPC, CPC-I, CEMC, CMSCS, CPMA It is truly amazing to finally begin to see new reimbursement opportunities for services that providers have given for years without compensation. One such area is in a new code set this year for Behavior Assessment & Intervention. This code…
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