Will Telehealth Fraud Grow Amid the COVID-19 Crisis

Published: Tue, 04/21/20

The use of telehealth is ramping up as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic because fewer patients are visiting a doctor's office for treatment of various conditions. Now, the latest arrest in connection with an alleged $410 million healthcare fraud scheme serves as...

What Providers Need to Know About COVID-19 Coding and Billing

The healthcare system is facing an unprecedented crisis, but accurate COVID-19 coding and billing can help providers weather the storm and prepare for future outbreaks.

You Have COVID-19 Questions, We Have Answers

During the Talk Ten Tuesdays weekly Internet radio broadcast last week, we received many questions which we never got to answer. I am going to share some of those answers with you now.

Attorney General Frosh Warns Providers Against Billing Patients for COVID-19 Testing

Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh today warned health care providers against collecting or billing for patient copays, coinsurance, or deductibles for costs related to COVID-19 testing. In a letter to the Maryland Board of Physicians and MedChi, the state medical society, Attorney General Frosh reminds...

CMS Clarifies Patient Financial Responsibility for COVID-19 Testing

When the first guidance on COVID-19 testing was released on March 13, CMS made it clear that there would be no beneficiary cost obligations for the COVID-19 test. This, though, was simply a basic tenet of the Medicare payment system; there is never beneficiary coinsurance or deductibles on approved lab tests.

ACP survey shows increase in telehealth usage by physicians

Telehealth usage was on the rise even before the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey from the American College of Physicians (ACP).

COVID-19 Therapies As A Test Case For Coverage, Coding, And Payment Reforms

Biomedical innovators have mobilized across the world to address COVID-19, from the initiation of clinical trials for potential vaccines to ongoing studies of repurposed medications for potential therapeutic and prophylactic benefit. Most policy commentary for therapeutic development has focused on issues such the availability of master...

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

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.