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CMS Latest Final Rule Updates Office/Outpatient E/M Coding and Documentation Policies

Posted by David Fong on Nov 15, 2019 6:00:00 AM

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule earlier this month that includes updates to payment policies and rates for services provided under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) effective on or after January 1, 2020, as well as updates to its E/M coding starting on January 1, 2021.

 

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Topics: ICD-10, Medical Coding, Coding Compliance, Pro-Fee Coding, Facility Coding

Healthcare Waste Eclipses U.S. National Defense Budget, Study Finds

Posted by David Fong on Oct 31, 2019 3:00:00 PM

The annual U.S. national defense spending budget represents a massive hard-to-imagine number. Now consider the amount of waste in the country’s healthcare system. Likely a large amount, but it must be less than national defense—right? According to a recent article on CBSNews.com titled “Wasted health care spending in the U.S. tops annual defense budget, study finds,” the healthcare waste actually exceeds the FY2019 national defense budget, and is estimated at $760 to $935 billion per year. This is waste on a scale that’s difficult to imagine. It’s about a quarter of the sum total of healthcare spending. The study referenced in the article is from the Journal of the American Medical Association, and details the immense scale of the problem.

 

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Topics: ICD-10, Medical Coding, Pro-Fee Coding, Facility Coding

Mammography Coding Changes Highlighted During Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Posted by David Fong on Oct 17, 2019 7:00:00 AM

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  As part of the overall push for mammogram screening and self-checks, there are also calls for practices to ensure they are coding properly for Medicare-provided mammograms. According to a recent AAPC blog post written by Barbara Aubry, RN, AAPC fellow, there are several important ICD-10-CM updates, recently deleted codes, and updates for 2020. These updates began on October 1st for FY 2020.

 

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Topics: ICD-10, Medical Coding, Pro-Fee Coding