Medical Billing Blog with Medical Billing & Coding Info & Articles
Welcome to the Medical Billing and Coding Blog
Welcome to the medical billing blog containing news and articles relating to medical billing, medical coding, ICD, HIPAA and practice management functions.
2004-2024 Celebrating 20 Years of Healthcare RCM Articles
The Blog Currently Contains 1,265+ Healthcare Articles
Medical Billing Software, Where To Start?
Have you performed a search lately for medical billing software on Google? It brings up approximately 1.2 million results, now mind you, alot of these sites have nothing to do with medical billing software, and alot of those that do sell the same software. I have no idea how many different types of medical billing software there are, nor do I care because there are only a couple of applications that I would recommend anyway. Those being Medisoft and Medical Manager. These 2 medical billing software applications perform essentially the same functions but with their own flare and various added features, however the prices vary quite a bit depending upon …
Medical Billing Opportunities
Before you pay for a medical billing at-home business opportunity, please read this. If you are looking for a home-based job using your computer, advertisements for medical billing may be appealing. These ads appear on the Internet and in the classified sections of local newspapers. They often claim that you can make as much as $20,000 to $45,000 a year working from home full – or part-time – no experience required. The Better Business Bureau warns consumers to be careful. By responding to such ads you may be asked to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for software and other materials. Complaints to the BBB about medical billing opportunities allege …
Abbreviations – Do They Really Save Time?
“In this day and age of accelerated documentation and compliance requirements and pressure to reduce risk exposure, multiple abbreviations and acronyms are used to expedite the required written processes and still provide time for patient care. Unfortunately, clear, correct, concise communication as well as patient safety suffers because of the habitual use of these shortcuts.” As the federal Department of Health and Human Services moves forward with proposed changes in coding systems using SNOMED (Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine by the College of American Pathologists) as a standard, habits of abbreviation must change to comply. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and other accreditation bodies are starting to …
HIPAA Civil Monetary Penalty Extended…
Regulations establishing procedures for the imposition of civil monetary penalties for violations of the privacy, electronic transactions and security rules of HIPAA will remain in place for another year, according to an interim final rule issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The procedural rule was slated to expire, but HHS opted to extend it until Sept. 16, 2005, to “avoid disruption of ongoing enforcement actions” while the agency continues to develop a “more comprehensive enforcement rule,” AHA News Now reported. The interim final rule did not address the 19 comments submitted to HHS in response to the original procedural rule, including those of the American Hospital …
New Diagnosis Codes Effective 10/1/2004
The new ICD-9 diagnosis codes went into effect on October 1st, 2004. In the past years, we had a three month grace period to use the new and revised codes. This year in 2004, CMS eliminated the grace period. Which means claims are going to be denied if you have not updated your diagnosis codes. If you have not already, you can view or download the 2004 code updates by visiting http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medlearn/icd9code.asp. Those interested in the proposed new diagnosis coding sytem, ICD-10-CM, being developed as a replacement for ICD-9-CM, volumes 1 and 2, should visit http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/icd9.htm
