July 3, 2020 | By Stephanie Allard, CPC, CEMA, RHIT As we move towards implementing the 2021 E/M changes, we need to evaluate areas of bad habits within E/M encounter documentation. I have noticed in my current reviews that many providers are in the habit of documenting the same exact amount of…
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July 10, 2020 | By Paul Spencer, CPC, COC Regular readers of this unique space in the auditing universe have more than likely begun to prepare for 2021 outpatient E/M changes. These planned adaptations have focused mainly on documentation regarding medical decision making, as well as the total time element that is fundamental…
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July 23, 2020 | By Sean Weiss, CHC, CEMA, CMCO, CPMA, CPC-P, CMPE, CPC As you all know the Public Health Emergency (PHE) is due to expire on Saturday the 25th of July unless the Secretary of HHS issues a declaration extending the PHE under what is referred to as the Public Health Services…
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July 24, 2020 | By Sean Weiss, CHC, CEMA, CMCO, CPMA, CPC-P, CMPE, CPC Here we are, nearly at the end of July 2020 and we are neck deep in the process of trying to determine the true impact of the 2021 Evaluation and Management (E&M) Services changes. Here’s the deal from my perspective:…
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August 7, 2020 | By By Rachel Rose, JD, MBA The Health Information Portability and Accountability Act, Pub. L. 104-191 (Aug. 1996) (“HIPAA”) is often times misapplied. Take the COVID-19 pandemic for example. Despite the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) and the Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) reiterating the exceptions present…
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August 15, 2020 | By Shannon DeConda, CPC, CPC-1, CPMA, CEMC, CMSCS As we migrate to the new AMA CPT Guidelines for Outpatient Office E&M visits, we mourn the loss of what has been our cozy wearing of the 1995 & 1997 Documentation Guidelines. Out of sentimental respect for the Documentation Guidelines for E&M…
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August 21, 2020 | By Jesse Overbay, JD On March 13, 2020, the President of the United States issued an emergency declaration under the Stafford Act to declare a national health emergency, setting in motion a chain of events for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) and our entire healthcare system that…
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September 11, 2020 | By Shannon DeConda, CPC, CPC-1, CPMA, CEMC, CMSCS Living in the “Florida’s Space Coast” we are quite attuned to hearing launch references- and we can certainly relate as we wind down to the 3-2-1 months before the new AMA E&M Guidelines are effective. Kennedy Space Center lists valuable tips for…
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September 25, 2020 | By Grant Huang, CPC, CPMA With two key components of E/M level selection – the history and physical exam – being eliminated as factors for choosing a code level, medical decision making (MDM) will take center stage in 2021. As we begin the final quarter of 2020, coders and auditors…
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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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