Nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) have similar denial rates for the ten codes most frequently billed by both specialties, an NPP Report analysis of CMS claims data shows. NOTE: The bold numbers above the bars show the difference in denial rates between NPs and PAs. A blue number shows NPs have the higher denial rate while a red number shows PAs have a higher rate.

When you're hiring a non-physician practitioner (NPP), chances are the decision is between a nurse practitioner (NP) and a physician assistant (PA). There's often a lot of overlap between the roles each of these specialties can fill, and it may not be readily apparent to you which is the better choice for your practice, experts say.

Be aware of co-signature requirements for physician supervision of mid levels at your practice. Your state likely has requirements mandating how often a physician must countersign patient charts. Non-physician practitioners, such as physician assistants (PAs), are probably already aware of state co-signature rules, says Ann Davis, head of the state government affairs unit for the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) in Alexandria, Va.

Can you explain the difference between an "excisional biopsy" and a "plain biopsy?"

Reimbursement for seven of the 10 top oncology drugs billed to Medicare have increased over the last three years under CMS's average sales price (ASP) lists, a Part B News analysis shows. However, the overall positive trend for most of these codes hasn't been consistent. NOTE: These codes were selected based on their overall utilization and on how frequently they were billed by a high-volume oncology practice in California. Remember: The 2010 pricing is based on the latest Q2 ASP list from CMS.

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A recent investigative report by the CBS Evening News revealed a little known secret about many digital copiers: The black box on the back is a hard drive that captures a copy of every document you run through it. The CBS story revealed that it is very easy to pick up a used copier and access that data.

Use modifier JW (Drug Amount Discarded/Not Administered to Any Patient) to get paid for leftover or unused drugs and biologicals discarded by the physician during a patient visit. CMS updated its Claims Processing Manual chapter on billing discarded drugs and biological with Transmittal 1962, which is effective July 30. The agency clarifies that you append JW to the service line noting the discarded amount and it will be reimbursed by the Medicare program.

There are at least three ways you can prepare your practice to weather major payment disruptions resulting from payer problems. An enrollment snafu or audit repayment demand can leave your practice thousands of dollars or more in the hole at any time - even if it's just temporary.