Take the challenge. Correct Answer: CPT: 99204 ICD-10: I73.00 Coding Rationale This is a new patient, outpatient visit for a self-referred patient. There is no formal consultation request from another physician; therefore, the encounter does not meet criteria for a consultation. This encounter is coded as 99204 because it included: Comprehensive history—Extended history of the…
Rheumatology Coding Corner Question: Level 4 New Patient Visit
A 32-year-old female patient comes in for an initial visit. She is self-referred and complains of pain, numbness and color changes in her fingers when exposed to cold. The patient reports that her right distal index finger, left distal index finger and fourth right finger turn white and blue with pain and numbness when exposed…
Transition to ICD-10 Diagnostic Code Set Successful for Most Rheumatology Practices
It has been 11 months since the implementation of the ICD-10 diagnostic code set on Oct. 1, 2015, a change from the previous ICD-9. Most practices can probably attest that the transition came and went without the predicted doomsday outcome: Claims were still processed, the confused alphanumeric coding was applied, and patients were not deprived…
The ACR’s Workforce Study Group to Release 2015 Survey Results
The ACR and its Rheumatology Research Foundation continue to work together to provide support for the rheumatology and patient communities. Both organizations are committed to advancing the field of rheumatology with a dedication to expanding the workforce. With a growing number of patients being diagnosed with a rheumatic disease and living longer with the disease,…
When Rheumatologists Are a Patient’s Second or Third Choice for Medical Opinion
Outside Exam Room No. 5, the chart rack was empty, so I assumed my new consult was late. Just in case, I looked back over my shoulder as I passed by the partially open door and glimpsed the lower half of a woman holding a three-ringed binder on her lap. I squinted and took a…
Prepare Now—Not Later—to Meet New Medicare Reimbursement Requirements
Providers are urged to prepare quickly to meet the new Medicare reimbursement requirements mandated by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). “The first measurement year starts Jan. 1, 2017, so providers need to prepare quickly,” emphasizes William F. Harvey, MD, MSc, Government Affairs Committee chair, American College of Rheumatology (ACR). 2…
How to Maintain HIPAA Compliance
In 2010, the federal government published a guide, titled Basic Security for the Small Healthcare Practice, complete with best practices and checklists to help small providers achieve and maintain HIPAA compliance.1 This year, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR)—following a critical report of its HIPAA compliance audit and enforcement…
RISE Offers Hope & Enhances Patient Care
For more than a decade, Kaleb Michaud, PhD, has volunteered for the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). As an associate professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, he spent much of that time serving on a task force dedicated to the development of RISE (the Rheumatology Informatics System for Effectiveness). As an enhanced version…
No Time Theft Here: One Practice’s Success Story
Practitioners at Orthopaedics and Rheumatology of the North Shore, in Skokie, Ill., have implemented practices for hiring and personnel management that help prevent employee time theft. Communication is open, employees are invested in the practice, and managers work to ensure employees are listened to and have clear guidelines to work by…
Stop Time Theft: Why Employees Waste Time & the Toll It Takes
Do your employees waste time during the day or get easily distracted by personal issues? In a rheumatology practice, time equals money and time theft can affect all aspects of the practice—from office morale to patient satisfaction. Here are a few tips for keeping employees and managers on track to create a more effective working environment…
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