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Latest articles

A 2020 Radiology Coding Change You Need To Know
February 10th, 2020 - Aimee Wilcox, CPMA, CCS-P, CST, MA, MT, Director of Content

The radiology section of the 2020 CPT© has 1 new, 18 revised, and 14 deleted codes. Interestingly, six of the 14 deleted codes were specific to reporting single-photon computerized tomographic (SPECT) imaging services of the brain, heart, liver, bladder, and others. If your organization reports radiology services, it is...

Documenting telephone calls at your dental practice is just as important as documenting patient visits.
February 4th, 2020 - Christine Taxin

Documenting telephone calls at your dental practice is just as important as documenting patient visits. Similar to other documentation, the common rule when it comes to call documentation is that if it is not documented, it did not happen. Therefore, every clinically relevant telephone call should be documented. Clinically relevant calls ...

CPT 10-Year Historical Content - Now Available!
January 22nd, 2020 - Find-A-Code

Did You Know? We now offer Historical CPT Content in 2-year, 5-year, or 10-year options! Utilize access to specific CPT historical data for previous years using rules effective at that specific time. If you’ve added UCR fees to your account, you can use Historical CPT Content to view UCR fees from ...

Inadequate Exclusion Screenings Could Put Your Practice at Risk
January 21st, 2020 - Wyn Staheli, Director of Research

Exclusion screenings require far more than just checking a name on a federal database at the time you are hiring someone. Far too many providers don’t realize that in order to meet compliance requirements, there is MUCH more involved. There are actually over 40 exclusion screening databases/lists that need to be checked.

Q/A: How do we Bill Massage Services?
January 21st, 2020 - Wyn Staheli, Director of Research

Question: We are adding a massage therapist soon and have some questions about billing their services.

Editors choice articles

Health Care Fraud - Don’t Do It!
July 31st, 2017 - Chris Woolstenhulme, CPC, CMRS

If you wonder if what you are doing is fraud, DON’T DO IT! The government takes this extremely serious. I don't need to tell you this. I have often been apprehensive about making a mistake and I wonder, will it be fraud? Will I spend time in jail for accidentally sending in a duplicate ...

Pre-op visits: True or False?
December 29th, 2015 - Codapedia Editor

Are the following statements true or false? • The PCP cannot be paid to do a pre-op assessment of a Medicare patient prior to surgery because of the new consult rules. • The surgeon can never be paid to do a pre-op visit if s/he is going to take the patient to surgery. • The...

Billing Incident to Services-Whose Number Should Be Used?
December 29th, 2015 - Seth Canterbury, CPC, ACS-EM

Should You Bill Incident to Services for a Medicare Patient Under The Number of the “Supervising Physician” or the “Ordering Physician”? This issue was first clarified in the preamble of the 11/1/01 Federal Register (available here on p. 23 of the file, p. 55267 of the...

Cloned E/M notes
December 29th, 2015 - Codapedia Editor

Have you ever read a physician office note and thought it was strangely familiar? Or, not just familiar but identical to another note? Well, Medicare contractors have noticed the same thing, and the Office of Inspector General has included this on their 2011 Work Plan. Medicare contractors have...

Cardiology Coding Unmasked - Part 2 Therapeutic Cardiology Procedures, CPT Codes (92980-92982; 92984; 92995-92996), Medical Necessity Issues (ICD-9-CM)
December 29th, 2015 - Nancy Maguire

92980 Transcatheter placement of an intracoronary stent(s), percutaneous, with or without other therapeutic intervention, any method; single vessel 92981 Transcatheter placement of an intracoronary stent(s), percutaneous, with or without other therapeutic intervention, any method; each additional...