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Patient-as-consumer panel yields some winning portal ways to improve care

03/11/2019

Treating the patient as a “consumer” has its advantages for quality and care, but should be a collaborative rather than a top-down (or bottom-up) process, a panel of health care experts suggested March 5. And one panelist reported patient portal innovations that seemed to meet those demands and produce positive results.

Set alerts, read newsletters to meet tricky licensing renewal dates

03/11/2019

by: Roy Edroso

Question: We had a nurse miss her license renewal deadline, and it was a nuisance for her to get it sorted out. How can we help our providers meet their licensing needs?

Concurrent coding: Improve real-time reporting and collaboration

03/11/2019

Much like concurrent CDI (clinical documentation improvement) reviews, the concurrent coding process necessitates that the coding professional follow the chart throughout the patient’s admission and code it at intervals. In a recent Association of CDI Specialists (ACDIS) survey, 47.51% of 603 respondents said they have a concurrent coding program.

Use of X modifiers in lieu of 59 linked to lower denial rates

03/11/2019

by: Richard Scott

Practices are finding some big wins when turning to the series of X modifiers that debuted with much fanfare – and ongoing questions marks – and that they’re allowed to use in place of the longstanding modifier 59 (Distinct procedural service).

Finding ways to solve the growing ‘public health crisis’ of physician, staff burnout

03/04/2019

by: Richard Scott

You may think of it as stress, depression, dissatisfaction with the job or a galaxy of other terms or descriptions, but one thing is clear about the long-climbing rates of physician burnout: The ramifications across health care are immense.

They slip, you fall: Have policy and procedures for hazards to avoid accidents, legal grief

03/04/2019

by: Roy Edroso

You know what to do with patients who come into your practice hurt — but what about patients who come to the office and then get hurt? Establish some ground rules for addressing hazards and handling patients who suffer an on-premises injury, while under treatment or not, and avoid legal complications down the road.

Meet time, education requirements to guarantee ACP coding success

03/04/2019

by: Richard Scott

Don’t sweat the details of advance care planning (ACP) codes 99497 and 99498. You’ll find significant leeway in how you choose to approach and report ACP services given CMS’ open-ended coding requirements, which should push the already strong growth of the codes to new heights.

Office E/M codes not always used in the office – and not always denied when they’re not

03/04/2019

by: Roy Edroso

Office E/M codes — 99201-99205 for new patients, 99211-99215 for established patients — are usually filed with the office place-of-service code (POS) 11, but they’re also filed from other sites and, to a surprising extent, accepted by Medicare contractors when they are.

Few PTs will have to do MIPS in 2019 — but look for opportunities to opt in

02/25/2019

by: Roy Edroso

Only a fraction of physical therapy providers will be required to do MIPS in 2019. But some will have the option to get in and score bonuses, and a time cushion gives them a chance to see whether it’s worth doing.

Medicare Advantage model promotes ‘high-value providers’ for cost-sharing benefits

02/25/2019

by: Richard Scott

Keep an eye on the early results of the value-based insurance design (VBID) that CMS is expanding nationally in 2020: Only “high-value providers” will be eligible for the care enticements, such as reduced co-pays and getting paid for telehealth services, that are expected to be on offer to patients.

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