Following substantial changes to the current procedural terminology (CPT) psychiatry codes, the American Psychiatric Association updated its frequently asked questions (FAQs) about coding and reimbursement for psychiatrists. The update occurred in March. If your organization performs mental health billing and coding, these FAQs may be a valuable resource to review. The following are the questions […]
ICD-10 Allergy and Immunology Coding Resources
The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) offers a robust collection of information and resources to designed to help practicing allergists/immunologists properly follow ICD-10 rules. As the AAAAI notes, if your practice performs allergy billing and coding, the conversion from ICD-9 to ICD-10 was rather seamless for some diagnoses but more complicated for […]
17 FAQs About Billing Medicare for Chronic Care Management Services
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a new, special MLN Matters article (pdf) on chronic care management (CCM) services frequently asked questions. Here are the 17 FAQs — and their answers provided by CMS — regarding billing CCM services to the physician fee schedule (PFS) under CPT code 99490. 1. CPT […]
Free ICD-10 Coding Resources: ICD-10 Conversion Tool and Practice Quizzes
The conversion to ICD-10 is less than five months away. With the start date for ICD-10 set for Oct. 1, 2015, it is imperative for coding professionals using ICD-9 to begin practicing the new ICD-10 coding conventions. There are approximately 68,000 ICD-10 codes, compared to 14,000 ICD-9 codes. The good news is that approximately 78% […]
Medicare Identifies Most Common Causes of Improper Payments for ESRD-Related Services
Medicare has determined that the majority of the improper payments for end stage renal disease (ESRD)-related services were due to insufficient documentation. This is according to a recent issue of Medicare Quarterly Provider Compliance Newsletter (pdf), a newsletter from CMS developed to help providers to avoid common billing errors and other erroneous activities when dealing […]
13 ICD-10 Facts and Myths – ICD-10 Information
The compliance date for implementation of ICD-10 is approaching fast. On October 1, 2015, ICD-10 will replace ICD-9 for all Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-covered entities. Here are 13 myths and misconceptions — and the facts — about the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition, Clinical Modification/Procedure Coding System (ICD-10-CM/PCS), according to the […]
American Chiropractic Association Publishes New PQRS Reporting Resources
The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) has published several new resources intended to help doctors of chiropractic (DCs) with proper implementation of Medicare’s Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS). Eligible professionals who do not satisfactorily report data on quality measures for covered professional services will be subject to a PQRS negative payment adjustment (pdf) beginning in 2015. […]
Understanding How to Code and Bill for Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair
In August 2014, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a National Coverage Determination (NCD) for transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR). This decision memo stated CMS would cover TMVR for mitral regurgitation (MR) under Coverage with Evidence Development (CED) for the treatment of MR when furnished for an FDA-approved indication with an FDA-approved device […]
Medicare Issues Reminder on Submission of Duplicate Claims
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a reminder about submitting duplicate claims to Medicare in a recent issue of the Medicare Quarterly Provider Compliance Newsletter (pdf). As Medicare notes, submitting duplicate claims for the same service encounter is inappropriate. Medicare does not make payment for duplicate claims that a provider may […]
Certified Medical Coder Salaries Now Average More Than $50,000
Salaries for certified medical coding professionals increased an average of 8.4% in 2014 to $50,775 annually, according to the results of the 2014 annual coder salary survey conducted by AAPC. More than 14,000 medical coders responded to the survey. Other highlights include the following: Coders with a bachelor’s degree earned an average of $54,522 in […]