93970 vs. 93971 – Usage and Charting
More payers are applying increased scrutiny to diagnostic services, with diagnostic imaging at the forefront of this trend. Diagnostics have gotten a bad rap over the last several years as the target in several whistleblower cases and audit recoveries requiring… Read More
Witch Hunt!
While Halloween may have just passed, the Witch Hunt apparently is just beginning. Two different physicians in two different states who have Noridian as their Medicare Administrator (MAC) have received letters noting a PRE-Payment audit of some of their claims…. Read More
Free Consultations
The question regarding what you can do and cannot do during a free consultation has come back to us. As many practices offer some sort of free consultation as a marketing tool, we decided to readdress this question. Medicare has… Read More
You Cannot Change the Record
In the last couple of years and certainly in the last 6 months we have seen a lot of audit requests. These have ranged from a simple 1 or 2 chart request from Medicare Advantage plans, to CERT (comprehensive error… Read More
Best
Advocacy
One of the three topics discussed at the American College of Phlebology Foundation’s (ACPF) Executive Leadership Summit was Advocacy. How can the ACP and the ACPF be an advocate for the phlebology practices that are members (and not yet a… Read More
ICD-10 and Authorizations Now
IDC10 becomes a reality on October 1st, 2015, just a couple short months away. Even though the new diagnostic codes will not be accepted on claims until this date, some payers will be requiring the new codes for authorizations that… Read More
Constant and Consistent
Referrals from physicians and allied health partners is the absolute best way to ensure a viable practice. It is not only the most cost effective method in obtaining new patients, the patients already arrive mostly pre-qualified for both symptoms and… Read More
Timely – Applies to More than Claims Submission
What exactly is Timely? In the medical world this word is thrown around quite a bit. The definition of timely is done or occurring at a favorable or useful time; opportune.This can relate to a patient’s planned treatment, the creation… Read More
Novitas Claims Processing
Another brief note on a payer making unilateral or non-notified changes. Novitas’ current yet confusing policy notes that ancillary veins and perforators may be treated. What they do not spell out is how many ablations will be allowed per patient…. Read More