Archive for The Month of March, 2020
Archive for the Month of March, 2020
Welcome to the medical billing blog archive for the month of March, 2020.
Here you will find links to every article added to the Outsource Management Group web site during the month of March, 2020.
You can browse this month's archives by clicking the "More" button from any of the excerpts below.
CMS adds 85 more Medicare telehealth services and codes
Becker’s Hospital Review posted that CMS issued various regulatory changes on March 30 to further support hospitals’, physicians’ and other healthcare organizations’ capabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, including expanding Medicare coverage of telehealth visits. On March 17, the Trump administration announced CMS will temporarily pay clinicians to provide telehealth services for beneficiaries during the pandemic. CMS is now expanding Medicare coverage of 85 additional services provided via telehealth, including emergency department visits and initial nursing facility and discharge visits. Here are the 85 additional services, and their respective codes, that CMS will cover when provided via telehealth through the duration of the pandemic: 1. 77427: radiation management 2. 90853: group …
COVID-19 and the Science of Social Distancing
Medscape published great article discussing the science behind social distancing and the NPI guidelines. “Social distancing and other non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) have proven to be effective tools in most pandemics. But their effect on the spread of the novel coronavirus is not yet clear, experts say. The goal of NPIs — which include personal actions, such as staying at home when sick and washing hands, and communal ones, including school closures and canceling mass gatherings — is to flatten the height of the infection curve and build herd immunity, thus buying time to increase hospital capacity and to come up with drugs or vaccines to treat the illness. State …
Tips for Running Your Medical Practice during the Coronavirus Crisis
“At one large practice in Bergen County, New Jersey, the waiting room is empty — but its patients are still receiving care. As of mid-March, the practice is still operating, thanks to the group’s willingness to adapt its work flow, sometimes radically, to mitigate the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, patients now call the receptionist from their vehicles when they arrive, and wait there until receiving a call back telling them the clinician is ready. The practice has also started using telemedicine for the first time, to the extent it can be adopted in a hurry, and some clinicians are working from home on tasks such as medication …
7 things to consider when billing and coding for Coronavirus
Becker’s Hospital Review shows us 7 things to consider when billing and coding for Coronavirus… 1. CMS developed Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System code U0001 to allow laboratories and healthcare providers to bill for using the CDC’s RT-PCR Diagnostic Test Panel. Healthcare organizations should use HCPCS code U0002 to bill for validated, in-house developed COVID-19 diagnostic tests, according to CMS. 2. Beginning April 1, laboratories and healthcare providers can bill Medicare and other health insurers using codes U0001 and U0002 for services provided on or after Feb. 4. 3. Local Medicare Administrative Contractors will develop the payment amount for claims received for codes U0001 and U0002 in their respective …
5 Common Reasons for Medical Claim Denials
“When a patient’s insurance claim is denied, not only can your cash flow be affected, the relationship with your patient can be damaged as well. Some claim denials can be successfully appealed, but even when appeals succeed, they can temporarily leave claim status up in the air – something both your practice and your patient would like to avoid. Understanding common reasons for claim denials is key to preventing them. The insurers your practice works with may offer software tools to help you prevent claim rejections (which are claims that aren’t processed due to clerical errors) and claim denials (where claims are considered, but payment is denied) so it’s important …
