Mammography is a common service, but radiology coders need to learn some not-so-common rules. Take your know-how to the next level by getting to the truth about these myths. Myth 1: Mammography Is for Women Only Medicare’s National Coverage Determination (NCD) for Mammograms states that “diagnostic mammography is a radiologic procedure furnished to a man […]
Continue reading...16. July 2019
Modifiers are the key to overriding Correct Coding Initiative (CCI) edits, so let’s give them the attention they deserve. We’ll start with a recent rule update and move on to helpful hints about CCI-associated modifiers in general. Which CCI edits? Our focus here will be Medicare CCI Procedure-to-Procedure (PTP) edits for physicians and practitioners. Do […]
Continue reading...13. June 2019
There are nine different Multiple Procedure indicators on the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS), meaning there are a lot of payment adjustment possibilities you need to know. Here’s each indicator, an example of a code with that indicator, and a quick look at where modifier 51 comes into play. What Is Modifier 51? The basic […]
Continue reading...21. May 2019
Keeping up with modifier 25 rules can be intimidating, so let’s add a little fun by seeing if you can unearth the answers to these questions at the locations provided. Ready, set, go! 1. Is This a Separate E/M? You may have the descriptor memorized for modifier 25 (Significant, separately identifiable evaluation and management service […]
Continue reading...6. May 2019
Let’s take Medicare’s list of services included in global surgery payment up a notch. If you remember each added tip below, you’ll be more likely to avoid reporting both too many and too few codes. Read This Booklet to Dive Deeper The source of the straight-from-Medicare bullet points quoted below is Medicare’s Global Surgery Booklet. […]
Continue reading...2. May 2019
Determining date of service (DOS) can be harder than it seems. Once you dive into the world of professional/technical components, monitoring services, and other non-obvious DOS possibilities, things get complicated fast. You can use the Medicare rules below as a starting point. Apply Different Dates for Radiology Components For many radiology codes, the Medicare Physician […]
Continue reading...22. April 2019
For E/M, there has been a lot of attention on how the role of time will change in 2021. But what about right now? After this skill sharpener on time in the AMA CPT® E/M guidelines, you’ll have a better understanding of time’s current role in E/M coding. Where to Find AMA CPT® E/M Guidelines […]
Continue reading...11. April 2019
Time for an arthrocentesis refresher! Today we’re digging into the details of 20610 and 20611 with four questions and answers. 1. What Are the Major Components of These Codes? Let’s start by working our way through the code descriptors: 20610 (Arthrocentesis, aspiration and/or injection, major joint or bursa (eg, shoulder, hip, knee, subacromial bursa); without […]
Continue reading...8. April 2019
Audit discussions often focus on the fear of upcoding and having to hope that repaying the extra amount is the worst of the consequences. But downcoding is another problem area affecting your payments and more. Here’s why you should never purposely downcode your services. Start With a CERT Story Wondering about the $325 million in […]
Continue reading...4. April 2019
There’s been a lot of buzz about what Medicare has planned for E/M in 2021. One question all that raises is how it will mesh with AMA CPT® coding rules. Here are some hints from the February 2019 CPT® Editorial Summary of Panel Actions about what is in store for the code descriptors and guidelines. […]
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18. July 2019
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