Archive for The Month of August, 2006
Archive for the Month of August, 2006
Welcome to the medical billing blog archive for the month of August, 2006.
Here you will find links to every article added to the Outsource Management Group web site during the month of August, 2006.
You can browse this month's archives by clicking the "More" button from any of the excerpts below.
Know How to Code and Document Wound Debridement
Sometimes a wound gets worse before it gets better and knowing how to properly code it will enable your office to get the maximum reimbursements on your medical billing instead of having the treatment bundled. Debrided ulcers are not uncommon and knowing how to correctly document the staging and coding on the MDS is most of the problem. It is difficult to assign a stage to a wound you can’t see and the MDS does not allow you to bill for a wound you can’t stage. A good rule of thumb to use is to stage the wound at stage 4 (necrotic eschar is present) until the exact stage can …
Cutting Losses with Consolidated Billing in Rehab Facilities
If you’re finding that Medicare is kicking back a lot of your claims for being non-excluded services, there is something you can do to help your reimbursements – consolidated billing. Use heavy documentation and case manage all physician visits. Follow up and use detailed documentation for each service the patient received. A good example of this is if a patient is in a rehab facility for a hip fracture and needs to see an orthopedist for follow-up, call the doctor to schedule the appointment and ask what the surgeon will need, such as imaging or lab work. Tell the managing physician to order those services and have the results sent …
Talking Confidentiality
Confidentiality is a huge concern among patients and the medical industry at large. No other industry goes to such lengths to protect the data and privacy of their consumers. A question of authorization forms comes up frequently. A common situation is when a doctor’s office is asked to fax absentee notes verifying visits or the authorization to administer medications directly to a school or a camp. In the past, this was permissible, but in recent years with the patient confidentiality laws becoming more strict than ever; the rule of thumb has become that this is not standard office practices any longer. Since the forms would be faxed to a central …
Recording and Coding Wounds Properly
Any person who is involved in the medical field already knows just how important it can be when it comes to putting down the proper codes for each and every procedure. Taking care and making sure that the right code is recorded for the proper procedure can ensure that there will not be any problem down the line with health care providers and insurance carriers. However, sometimes it may be a bit more difficult to decide exactly which code needs to be used in every instance. Take the time to find out what the medical code should be before you end up reporting the wrong one and this could alleviate …
The Low-Down On Providing Family and Personal History V Codes
With all of the various codes in relation to the medical field, some may tend to become a bit confused when it comes to figuring out the difference between both personal and family history V codes. Basically, what you need to remember is that the V codes are there to help give a window into past patient history. When looking into personal history, you can find out more about any prior procedures, hospitalizations and operations, as well as any previous illnesses and injuries that the patient has endured. This can help to show the physician to easily see that there may have been occurrences in the past that could have …