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March 16, 2023 Question: My surgeon was called to the OR by an OB-GYN who accidently lacerated the small bowel…
March 2, 2023 Question: The surgeon reported an intestinal perforation caused by a trocar during a laparoscopic cholecystectomy due to…
February 16, 2023 Question: One of my colleagues told me that she was doing e-consults with other physicians for Medicare…
February 2, 2023 Question: What modifier do we use if a patient is returned to the OR the same day…
January 19, 2023 Question: I thought the global period of debridement of muscle or bone was 10 days. Is that…
December 15, 2022 Question: If 10 sq. cm subcutaneous tissue is debrided from the right leg and 20 sq. cm…
December 1, 2022 Question: How do we bill for a trauma resuscitation? Are there codes for hanging fluids and packed…
November 17, 2022 Question: What does “separate procedure” mean when it follows a CPT code description? Answer: Per CPT: Some…
November 3, 2022 Question: How is a laparoscopic pyloroplasty reported? Can I use code 43800, Pyloroplasty? Answer: No, codes without…
October 20, 2022 Question: I placed the peritoneal catheter for a neurosurgeon placing a V-P shunt. Do I code 49419,…
October 6, 2022 Question: A vascular surgeon is requested to come to the OR to repair a blood vessel that…
September 22, 2022 Question: What modifier is used to report a colostomy revision during the global period of the stoma…
September 8, 2022 Question: If mesh is placed for a laparoscopic hernia repair can an unlisted code be reported for…
August 25, 2022 Question: A major blood vessel was accidentally nicked while a general surgeon was performing a complex case.…
August 11, 2022 Question: My surgeon was called into a laparoscopic operation that was already underway, to perform extensive lysis…
July 28, 2022 Question: The surgeon performed an open colectomy and found a tear in the mesentery close to the…
July 14, 2022 Question: Our surgeon insists on billing for 49002 reopening of a recent laparotomy and a 44005 lysis…
June 30, 2022 Question: My coder just told me about the new guidelines for 2021 office visit codes. She said…
June 16, 2022 Question: While performing a cholecystectomy a tear in the small bowel was made during extensive lysis of…
June 2, 2022 Question: The surgeon did a robotic/laparoscopic cholecystectomy and cholangiogram with ICG and firefly identification of biliary anatomy.…
May 19, 2022 Question: The new guidelines that are coming out in 2021 for all types of E/M services, right?…
May 5, 2022 Question: We did an abdominal fat pad biopsy for primary cutaneous Amyloidosis. Would 49180 or 11104 be…
April 21, 2022 Question: The surgeon described the procedure as a ‘hand assisted laparoscopy”. He brought part of the bowel…
April 7, 2022 Question: I work with a surgeon and we see just a few Medicare patients. The surgeon believes…
March 24, 2022 Question: My surgeon performed all the components of a Hartmann procedure 44143 but did not create a…
March 10, 2022 Question: Can you bill for a wound vac on a surgical incision if the patient has a…
February 24, 2022 Question: My provider indicated that it took her an additional 80 minutes during a surgery to perform…
February 10, 2022 Question: Can I bill different diagnosis codes for conditions/problems when seeing a patient in the hospital after…
January 27, 2022 Question: Instead of a colostomy as described in the laparoscopic CPT codes 44208 or the open code,…
December 30, 2021 Question: Can we bill the 92242 for the indocyanine green injection intraoperatively, for example to assess perfusion…
Articles
Does My Documentation Tell the Story in Critical Care? SCCM Critical Connections – August 2019 by Deborah Grider The initial and…
AAOSNow – July 2017 by Michael R. Marks, MD, MBA, and Cheryl Toth, MBA Coding May Not Be the Reason…
Liability Management 101 – August 2016 by Michael R. Marks, MD, MBA Why Malpractice Insurance Is Not Enough Today’s orthopaedic practices…
AAOS Now – July 2016 by Cheryl Toth, MBA New announcements and guidance push providers toward an active program If your…
Greenbranch – May/June 2013 Kim Pollock, RN, MBA, CPC Many physicians continue to wrestle with an economy-in-recovery and declining reimbursements. In…
Physicians Practice – 2016 by Karen Zupko What has your billing service done for you lately? A good vendor does more than just…
Mystery Shopping Results Indicate a Need for Improvement – April 2016 by Karen Zupko and Samantha Lappe After the news of a…
by Kyle M. Lee Survey finds a smooth road so far On Oct. 1, 2015, the 10th revision of the…
by Deborah Grider, CPC, COC, CPC-I, CPC-P, CEMC, CPMA, CCS-P, CDIP Certified AHIMA Clinical Documentation Improvement Practitioner AHIMA-Approved ICD-10-CM/PCS Trainer…
The American Journal of Orthopedics – December 2015 by Karen Zupko, BSJ If you are a solo orthopedic surgeon or…
Greenbranch – Nov/Dec 2015 by Cheryl Toth, MBA, and Michael J. Sacopulos, JD Many physicians and practice staff use short messaging…
Physicians Practice – September 2013 by Karen Zupko and Cheryl Toth, MBA Several years ago, we visited a practice in…
The Journal of Medical Practice Management – January/February 2015 by Cheryl Toth, MBA With the proper planning and preparation, nonphysician…
The American Journal of Orthopedics – January 2015 by Jennifer A. O’Brien, MSOD Tearful breakdowns and loud outbursts—they happen with…
Journal of Medical Practice Management – May/June 2014 by Jennifer A. O’Brien, MSOD, and Sherry DeJarnette, CPA There are many reasons to…
AAOS Now – April 2014 by Jennifer A. O’Brien, MSOD In addition to the compliance and security issues highlighted in…
AAOS Now – April 2014 by Jennifer A. O’Brien, MSOD When a physician gives an order to a nurse, technician,…
AAOS Now – February 2014 by Cheryl L. Toth, MBA Recently, an orthopaedic surgeon remarked that he was thinking about…
Journal of Practice Management – May/June 2000; July/August 2000; September/October 2000 by James G. Stuart J.D. This is the first…
