Here are eight interesting statistics on electronic health records software adoption in physician offices, according to SK&A’s annual “Physician Office Usage of Electronic Health Records Software” (pdf) report. 1. From 2013 to 2014, physician office usage of electronic health records increased more than 10 percentage points in solo and smaller practices. 2. Overall EHR adoption […]
4 Top Trends in Pathology Billing and Coding
Labs nationwide have faced significant billing and coding challenges over the past few years. These challenges are likely indicative of trends labs can expect to face in the coming years. Here is a quick snapshot of four of the top lab billing and coding trends. 1. Reduced reimbursement. Reimbursement cuts have hit providers of most […]
History of Chiropractic Care
The roots of chiropractic care can be traced all the way back to the beginning of recorded time. Writings from China and Greece written in 2700 B.C. and 1500 B.C. mention spinal manipulation and the maneuvering of the lower extremities to ease low back pain. Hippocrates, the Greek physician, who lived from 460 to 357 […]
Medicare Increases Scrutiny of Anesthesia Billing
Medicare is increasing its scrutiny of anesthesia billing as a result of recovery auditors finding a high percentage of errors involving the incorrect use of the HCPCS modifiers for anesthesia. These errors are specifically associated with situations when anesthesia was provided by a CRNA and anesthesiologist without a 50% reduction as per Medicare guidelines involving […]
Vintage Medicare Poster from 1968
This 1968 poster informs seniors about the Medicare program that was added to Social Security in 1965 (first benefits payable in 1966). Today, nearly 50 million Americans — 15 percent of the nation’s population — depend on Medicare for their health insurance coverage. With increasing life expectancies and more boomers turning 65 every day, the number […]
Wrongful Denial of Health Claims Harms Providers and Patients
Every time a health claim is denied, an insurance company makes more money. But it’s no “wonderful life” for healthcare providers and patients when faced with a denied claim. Claim denials create significant challenges for both parties. For providers, claims follow up is a time-consuming, costly and often unsuccessful process. For patients, a denied claim […]
CMS Publishes Educational Resources for Chiropractic Services
Late last year, CMS updated and issued a pair of educational resources that address Medicare coverage of chiropractic services. The Medicare Learning Network booklet on chiropractic services (pdf) outlines the standards chiropractors must meet to render payable services under the program; common care provision scenarios (including exceptions) and actions that Medicare would take as a […]
Medicare Increases Scrutiny of Billing E/M Services With Allergy Testing or Allergy Immunotherapy
Medicare is paying closer attention to organizations that bill evaluation and management codes reported with allergy testing or allergy immunotherapy. This is according to a recent issue of Medicare Quarterly Provider Compliance Newsletter (pdf), a newsletter from CMS developed to help providers understand the major findings identified by Medicare administrative contractors, recovery auditors and other […]
Billing Tip: Ensure Visits Billed as ‘Incident To’ Meet Medicare Criteria
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is more closely scrutinizing services billed at physician reimbursement levels but performed by nonphysicians, according to a Medical Economics report HHS indicated its intention to take a closer look at these “incident-to” services, which are often performed by nurse practitioners and physician assistants, in its Office […]
Free EHR Resource: ‘EHR Contracts: Key Contract Terms for Users to Understand’
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has released a free, downloadable guide designed to assist providers who plan to acquire electronic health record (EHR) systems. The guide, titled “EHR Contracts: Key Contract Terms for Users to Understand,” is intended to help buyers better understand critical EHR contract terms. As the report […]