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…
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 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…
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…
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…
January 24, 2020 | By Frank Cohen, Director of Analytics and Busines Intelligence The first thing to note is that I am not an auditor. So, for me to write an article on auditing tips might seem a bit out of place. But this is not an article on auditing compliance but rather…
March 6, 2020 | By Paul Spencer, CPC, COC Something of a preemptive celebration is currently going on in the world of physician documentation. As we know, beginning in January 2021, CMS will modify documentation guidelines for evaluation & management services to put more of an emphasis on medical decision making, rather than…
March 20, 2020 | By Shannon DeConda, CPC, CPC-1, CPMA, CEMC, CMSCS Step 1: Telehealth Consent In order to conduct a patient encounter as a telehealth service, the patient must consent to this modality. The consent should include the patient’s explicit agreement to being treated via telehealth rather than in a face-to-face encounter. Each…
March 27, 2020 | By Grant Huang, CPC, CPMA The recent coronavirus crisis has brought non-face-to-face services to the forefront of coding and billing conversations. With the entire healthcare industry focused on caring for patients during an unprecedented and fast-moving pandemic, the goal of increasing patient access while reducing the risk of spreading infection…