February’s Coding Answer
Coding Education at the Annual Meeting
The Certified Rheumatology Coding Course and Exam will be available November 6–7 during the ACR/ ARHP Annual Scientific Meeting in Atlanta. This educational session is designed to increase knowledge of coding and billing compliance for physicians, fellows-in-training, practice managers, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and coders/billers in rheumatology practices.
Your Coders Are as Good as Their Coding Tools
Are your coders equipped with the latest coding information? Every year there are changes to the diagnoses and procedure codes, whether this is deletion or newly created codes. Along with coding updates, insurance carriers frequently adjust, delete, or create medical policies to reflect updates to procedures or diagnose codes.
How and When to Bill Prolonged Services with Direct Face-to-Face Time
With the elimination of consultation codes by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), many rheumatology practices are finding it a heavy burden to bill the appropriate codes for the time they spend with patients.
Coding and Billing for Facet Joint Injections
Billing and coding is not as easy as one might think. The rules are constantly changing—and the codes for facet joint injections, which have changed frequently over the years, are a prime example. To make sure your practice is in compliance, billers, coders, and physicians should remain informed of the correct coding guidelines for facet joint injections. No one in a physician’s practice should ever assume that, because they coded a procedure a certain way in years past, it is still the status quo. Every rheumatologist and his or her staff should understand the what, why, and where of facet joint injections.
ACR Offers Certified Rheumatology Coding Exam
Rheumatology practices are often looking for a way to get their coding staff certified in rheumatology coding. In response to the inquiries received at the ACR office, the ACR—in conjunction with the American Academy of Professional Coders—has developed the Certified Rheumatology Coding Exam.
Coding Corner Answer
June’s Coding Answer
Coding MRI Procedures
The Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) manual has six codes to bill for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the upper extremity.
Coding Corner Answer: June 2008
June’s Coding Answer
On Trigger-Point Injection Codes
Confused about how to code trigger-point injections? Here are some hints for correct coding.