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CMS pushes high-payment cognitive assessments; prepare to do them right

06/21/2021

CMS and the U.S. Congress are pushing for you to provide the cognitive assessment and plan of care service billed to Medicare with 99483. You don’t have to be a behavioral health or gerontology specialist to do so, but you should make sure you’re prepared.

OSHA issues new rules for health care employers, relaxes guidance elsewhere

06/21/2021

by: Tammy Binford

On June 10, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced updated guidance along with new rules for frontline health care employers. The latest word from OSHA reflects new guidance from CDC in May that says fully vaccinated people can safely go without masks and physical distancing in most situations.

BHI class of 2018 codes show growth, but with denial teething pains

06/21/2021

by: Roy Edroso

CMS has been pushing for wider use of its behavioral health codes, which you can see in the big push to get providers to use 99483 (Assessment of and care planning for a patient with cognitive impairment). The uptake has been on the slow side, but signals are flashing that the pace may pick up over time.

When grappling with patient debt, try attacking on the front end

06/14/2021

by: Roy Edroso

If your practice is interested in pursuing patient debt to boost receipts, go gentle lest you mar your reputation with patients. Also, try innovative and caring approaches that may yield financial benefits before treatment even begins.

Practice M&A stays hot, and the gains favor the well-connected

06/14/2021

by: Roy Edroso

A new report says the market for physician practices and other medical entities, which showed surprising signs of life in the midst of COVID-19, is even hotter now; but if you want to get in on it, note that the sheer number of practices in the pipeline, not to mention an impending capital gains tax hike, may get in your way.

EEOC offers clarifications, cautions in new COVID-19 vaccine guidance

06/14/2021

by: Tammy Binford

Updated technical assistance from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) clarifies how employers can require or encourage employees to take a COVID-19 vaccine, but attorneys advising employers point out how the document also contains cautions.

Find the latest billing caps, bundles under Correct Coding Initiative

06/14/2021

by: Richard Scott

Watch the latest Correct Coding Initiative (CCI) release to ensure you’re in line with the latest Medicare billing guidance, which includes new caps on a series of injection codes.

High modifier 25-based revenue could attract auditor interest

06/14/2021

by: Julia Kyles, additional reporting by Richard Scott

Watch a recent addition to the HHS Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) Work Plan: It may have implications for practices that frequently report a procedure and an E/M visit during the same patient encounter.

Practices pulled out of COVID better than expected; telehealth, feds’ response helped

06/07/2021

by: Roy Edroso

Embracing technology in the office to boost operations and maintain patient volume was one of the more effective strategies providers used to fend off the COVID doldrums, and the experience may serve as a roadmap for disruptions in the future. It appears government money didn’t hurt, either.

CMS withdraws split/shared, critical care guidelines, but maintains coverage

06/07/2021

by: Julia Kyles, CPC

Watch for a chance to shape Medicare’s policies for split/shared E/M visits and critical care services when CMS posts proposed rules on the topics. In the meantime, you can continue to perform the services even though CMS has removed the guidelines from the Claims Policy Manual.

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