April 19, 2012 According to Michigan State University, the occurrence of twin births has increased dramatically in the past several decades. Consider this remarkable statistic: in 1980, one in every 53 babies was a twin; in 2009, that number rose to one in every 30 births. These findings were presented in early April 2012 at […]
Maternal-Fetal Specialists May See Increase in Twin Pregnancies Read More »
April 09, 2012 In a press release issued today, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebilius announced a proposed rule that will delay the compliance date for ICD-10 from October 1, 2013 to October 1, 2014. In February, the Secretary stated that the compliance date would be delayed; however, no firm date on the extension was provided until
HHS Announces ICD-10 Delay Until October 1, 2014 Read More »
March 16, 2012 Effective January 1, 2012, Highmark Medicare Services (HMS) was acquired by Diversified Service Options, Inc. (DSO). Consequently, the HMS name has changed to Novitas Solutions, Inc. Novitas (pronounced NO-vih-tas) will now be the Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) for Jurisdiction 12 (J12) and Section 1011. The states included in J12 include Delaware, District
Highmark Medicare Services is now Novitas Solutions Read More »
February 16, 2012 On February 16, 2012, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that HHS intends to delay the compliance date for ICD-10. Currently, the compliance deadline stands at October 1, 2013 (which is already a two-year delay from the original date outlined in the January 2009 final rule).
HHS Press Release: HHS Announces Intent to Delay ICD-10 Compliance Date Read More »
February 15, 2012 As the March 1, 2012 deadline approaches, all physicians, healthcare providers, and medical billing companies are keeping a watchful eye on Congress to make sure that the staggering 27% reduction in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule is blocked. The bill, often referred to as the “doc fix,” is wrapped up in a
Deadline for “Doc Fix” Approaching Read More »
February 4, 2012 Worried about under-coding or over-coding your patients’ Evaluation & Management (E/M) services? Not sure of whether to bill for a level 3, 4, or 5 exam? Many physicians experience confusion when deciphering what level of care is appropriate to bill. On one hand, under-coding can result in a decrease in reimbursement that
Medical Billing Basics: How to Code E/M Visits in the Hospital & Office Setting Read More »
February 2, 2012 The state of Maryland is considering a proposal for the creation of “health enterprise zones.” These “health enterprise zones” would consist of rural and urban regions in Maryland in which the population has notably underserved medical needs; primary care physicians and healthcare providers who practice in these regions would then be eligible
Incentive Payments for Maryland Physicians that Practice in Underserved Areas Read More »
January 31, 2012 On January 30, 2012 Medicare amended its Not-Otherwise-Classified (NOC) code set to remove unspecified anesthesia codes (CPT’s 00100 through 01996) from the list of codes that require a specific description to be supplied in order to pass 5010 edits. While this change may seem minor, it is indeed good news for medical
Billing Update for Anesthesia Providers: Not-Otherwise-Classified (NOC) Codes Read More »
January 23, 2012 Medicare’s recent policy changes reflect a heightened awareness of the value of preventive care. The newest changes include reimbursement to providers that offer alcohol misuse counseling, cardiovascular screenings, depressions screenings, and obesity screening and counseling. Additional preventive services that Medicare currently covers include annual wellness visits, abdominal aortic aneurysm screenings, bone mass
Medicare continues to expand preventive services Read More »
January 19, 2012 While our medical billing team keeps on the cutting edge of technology developments on our end of the healthcare reimbursement cycle, we also want our physicians to share in the wealth of available technological resources. Smart phones and tablets are becoming widely used in healthcare, and many applications are being designed specifically
iPad apps for Physicians Read More »
