Part B News | Part B News

Change mindset, and maybe chairs, to avoid alienating obese patients

06/17/2019

The growth of obesity in our society has naturally led to a growth in obese patients — and in sensitivities that should be addressed lest these patients lose faith in and even stop coming to their providers for help. Fortunately, this isn’t hard to do: It mainly requires for some providers a change in attitude and some small adjustments in office procedures — and maybe furniture.

Shared Savings now heavier lift for providers; prep more or go with easier new models

06/17/2019

by: Roy Edroso

As another Shared Savings application process starts, accountable care organizations (ACO) and wannabe-ACOs that have considered joining at some point should review their readiness to take on the increased levels of risk in that program. Or they may consider other models that may be more appropriate for them.

CCI bundles wrap up E/M codes, substance-abuse screening and more

06/17/2019

by: Richard Scott

Give your billing staff a heads up: You’ll find nearly 1,900 new procedure-to-procedure edits in the latest Correct Coding Initiative (CCI) update, which takes effect July 1. The quarterly update also revises the total unit count you can report per day for about 60 services, including X-rays and lesion-removal codes.

Hip X-rays remain most common extremity test but MRIs take top dollar

06/17/2019

by: Richard Scott

Providers report several million claims for hip, foot and shoulder X-rays every year but those services don’t pay out the most.

As more patients get their records, tailor notes to make them user-friendly

06/10/2019

by: Roy Edroso

New evidence strongly suggests that access to patient records improves patient treatment — which is your cue to take action and get your patients to not only access those records but also put them to good use.

Avoid a costly incident: 4 tips to thwart incident-to billing mistakes

06/10/2019

by: Richard Scott

Consider a recent investigation from the OIG a cautionary tale about a slice of Medicare billing — incident to — that often proves challenging for physician practices.

Proposed rule would affect required language services, trans treatment

06/10/2019

by: Roy Edroso

A new proposed rule from HHS and its Office for Civil Rights (OCR) reduces providers’ reporting burden on language accommodations for non-English-speaking patients — and seems to strip transgender patients of the protections afforded them by a previous rule.

Watch your remittance advice codes for MIPS payment gains, losses

06/10/2019

by: Richard Scott

Now that payment adjustments are in full swing under the federal Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), you are likely to see new remittance advice remark codes (RARCs) on your Medicare claims. Paying attention to the remark codes means you can start keeping stock of your MIPS-related winnings and losses.

Health records access increases — but poorer, less educated patients lag

06/10/2019

by: Roy Edroso

As mentioned in our patient records story, there’s been a slow, steady climb in U.S. patients’ willingness to access their medical records. But the climb has been slower for some groups than others.

Consider the jump to value-based care as Primary Care First comes into focus

06/03/2019

by: Richard Scott

You may find a lot to like about the Primary Care First model options that CMS unveiled in April as the federal agency continues to accelerate the shift to value-based care. However, while CMS envisions that the primary care-focused model will cover 25% of Medicare-eligible patients in the near term, you’ll have to assess whether it’s the right fit for your practice.

Login

User Name:
Password:
Remember me Forgot password
Welcome to the new Part B News Online. If you are a returning user having trouble logging in, please click here.