As a cardiology coder it is essential
that you have a smooth transition to all the changes in the coming year
2013’s
proposed Medicare physician fee schedule could hold unpleasant news for
cardiology as CMS trims reimbursement as part of its multiple procedure payment
reduction for imaging services. This means a 25 percent reduction off the
technical components of the lower-priced service. In addition to it, in its
latest Comprehensive Error Rate Testing (CERT) results, CMS reveals that $7.8
billion was improperly paid in 2011, resulting in a 9.2 percent Part B error
rate. Of the claims paid in error, CMS identified that pacemaker procedures
were found to have a high improper payment rate, logging at 37 percent.
This
is the time to ensure you aren’t writing off potential income and not setting
your cardiology practice up for serious scrutiny and unpleasant payback requests?
With
so many uncertainties hovering around you, you need to gear-up now to ensure
that you aren’t making any of the common mistakes that befall coders, and you
can maximize your income to hopefully offset the upcoming cuts.
Amongst
all the challenges that you face every day, there may be multiple reasons
behind improper coding, billing and documentation of cardiology services. For
instance, many coders get confused about which add-on codes to pair with
primary codes when CPT® introduced new codes for pacemaker revisions. At times,
coding peripheral vascular services in addition to cardiac catheterizations can
leave you puzzled? Plus, 67 pairs of codes’ bundling relationship related to
cardiology have been changed according to latest published CCI (version 18.2)
by CMS, in July 2012. Moreover, the CPT® Editorial Committee has already stated
new and revised codes, and this can further complicate coding and billing in
2013.
Overcome
all your worries with Cardiology Coding Alert.
Since
14 years, Cardiology Coding Alert continuously strives to keep your
coding and reimbursement on track by providing the most complete coverage on
your specialty. From reporting +33225 with 2012 generator change codes,
revealing why you need to look beyond the manual instructions for these BiV
upgrade cases to help you understanding how myocardial infarction coding rules
changes — we have you covered. Get expert advice from veteran coding editor Deborah Marsh, JD, MA, CPC, CHONC, and
reviewed by Christina Neighbors, MA,
CPC, CCC, ACS-CA, to help you overcome the toughest cardiology coding
challenges.
AAPC- approved CEUs: Earn up to 6 CEUs
simply by passing the short quizzes. You can earn 12 more CEUs by subscribing
to our FREE bi-weekly coding newsletter, SuperCoder
Bolt. Plus, gain an additional 6 CEUs by accessing SuperCoder’s webinars.
That’s 24 CEUs total!
5 AHIMA CEUs: With our FREE bi-weekly
e-newsletter, SuperCoder Bolt, you
can earn 5 AHIMA approved CEUs by taking short quizzes.