AAOSNow – May 2022 by Sarah Wiskerchen In January, CMS introduced guideline changes to its Medicare reporting rules that impact PA/NP billing. These changes could require practices to modify how they report split/shared services. Previously, shared services were frequently reported in the name of a physician. Now, new rules determine who can report the services....
Author: Sarah Wiskerchen (Sarah Wiskerchen)
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Commonly Asked Coding Questions in 2022
AAOSNow – March 2022 by Sarah Wiskerchen In this column, KarenZupko & Associates addresses recently asked questions on coding for various orthopaedic procedures posed by orthopaedic surgeons, practice managers, and staff. Read Full Article
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Navigating the National Correct Coding Initiative
AAOSNow – July 2021 by Sarah Wiskerchen and Michelle Abraham For procedural coding in orthopaedic surgery, physicians, and their staff primarily rely on two information sources: Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) and the AAOS publication Complete Global Service Data for Orthopaedic Surgery (GSD). Practices may also be subject to payer-created coding and reimbursement guidelines, the most...
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‘Technical Corrections’: CPT Evaluation and Management Publishes Additional Guideline Revisions
AAOSNow – June 2021 by Sarah Wiskerchen and Michelle Abraham Since the adoption of the CPT® Evaluation and Management (E/M) Office or Other Outpatient guidelines changes by the American Medical Association (AMA) on Jan. 1, numerous questions have been raised regarding the ordering of tests and medical decision-making (MDM) credit. On March 9, AMA published...
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Five Coding Tips for Dealing with Third-party Billing Entities
Five Coding Tips for Dealing with Third-party Billing Entities AAOSNow – February 2020 by Sarah Wiskerchen, MBA, CPC Whether due to the complexities of hiring billing staff or a result of hospital employment and practice acquisition, many orthopaedic practices are moving their billing operations to a third-party entity or centralized billing office (CBO). This process...
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All Work (RVUs) and No Pay?: Eight Questions to Ask the Hospital about Its Work RVU Compensation Formula
GreenBranch.Com – Jan/Feb 2013 by Sarah Wiskerchen As more surgeons and specialists are offered hospital employment, work RVU-based compensation agreements are becoming more sophisticated and complex. In order to have meaningful conversation with health system administrators and ensure that a compensation agreement addresses all issues pertinent to the physician’s practice and specialty, physicians practice and...
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Therapy Billing: Be Sure Your Team Is Doing Things Right
Therapy Billing: Be Sure Your Team Is Doing Things Right AAOSNow – October 2019 by Sarah Wiskerchen, MBA, CPC Many orthopaedic surgeons are adding physical and occupational therapy services to their practices. This can be daunting for in-house billing teams, as they may lack experience with the new services, therapy terminology, and associated Current Procedural...
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Seven Common Questions in Foot and Ankle Coding
AAOS Now – July 2019 by Sarah Wiskerchen A previous article published in AAOS Now (“How to Avoid Common Mistakes When Coding Hand Procedures,” March 2019) identified common coding issues for hand procedures. This article presents seven coding conundrums and frequently asked questions pertaining to foot and ankle procedures. Download Full Article
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Seven Steps to Conducting an E/M Review
March 20, 2019 An annual review of each provider’s E/M code usage is an essential component of physician practice compliance management. Reviewing documentation can identify coding pattern anomalies, uncover opportunities for physician and staff education, and move your practice toward coding correctly according to federal, state, and payor guidelines. Here are seven steps for conducting...
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How to Avoid Common Mistakes When Coding Hand Procedures
How to Avoid Common Mistakes When Coding Hand Procedures AAOSNow – March 2019 by Sarah Wiskerchen and Raymond Janevicius, MD Billing for hand procedures is among the most complex types of orthopaedic coding. Here, we highlight eight frequently encountered errors when coding hand procedures and how to fix them. Lack of specificity in documentation of tendon...
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