B97.29 What in the World? A COVID-19 Coding Guide for Surgeons

Published: Thu, 04/09/20

We are living through an unprecedented time in society today. It has been discussed for years with many predicting cataclysmic results. SARS-CoV-2 has seemingly stopped the world from spinning. There are many resources available describing individual responses to the crisis; however, I will discuss this from a general surgery perspective.

Creating a Contingency Plan in the COVID-19 Era

In any crisis, emergency, or pandemic, which do happen from time to time, like the one the world is experiencing right now with COVID-19, it is vital that you have a preparedness plan (or what is better referred to as a contingency plan) in place.

National Uniform Billing Committee Releases New Condition Code for COVID-19 Claims

We are in a state of flux with information, details, instructions, and changes impacting the revenue cycle in healthcare, due to the 2019 novel coronavirus (or COVID-19) pandemic and crisis. One such change is the release by the National Uniform Billing Committee (NUBC) of a new condition code for COVID-19 healthcare claims.

President Trump Expands Telehealth Benefits for Medicare Beneficiaries During COVID-19 Outbreak

The Trump Administration today announced expanded Medicare telehealth coverage that will enable beneficiaries to receive a wider range of healthcare services from their doctors without having to travel to a healthcare facility. Beginning on March...

13 reasons your practice should have a medical record audit

As unpleasant as the task may seem, a medical record audit of your physician practice is akin to the best kind of medicine.

7 Top Tips for Mastering ICD-10-CM 7th Characters

Diagnosis coding brings the unique challenge of knowing when to use a 7^th character on your ICD-10-CM code and then determining which character applies. These tips will help you refine your diagnosis coding skills.

CMS Final Price Transparency Rule: Take Heed in 2020

Effective Jan. 1, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) required that hospitals publish their chargemasters online for consumers. At the time, it was made clear by CMS that this would be the first of potentially many initiatives geared toward increasing...

E&M Changes: How Will They Affect Your Practice?

As many of you have heard, there are major changes coming to evaluation and management (E&M) codes in 2021. The changes were finalized in the 2020 Physician Final Rule.

4 Medical Billing Errors Preventing a Healthy Patient-Provider Relationship

A healthy patient-provider relationship that develops in the office can quickly be affected negatively if after the treatment the patient receives a medical bill that contains errors.To avoid this from happening, it is important that physicians and staff keep in mind the following...