Physicians are constantly reminded that healthcare is undergoing significant change. October 2015 marked one more landmark change: the shift to ICD-10. Many physicians have worried about the transition and likely dreaded the loss of familiar terms, efficiency, or income. How can coders, HIM professionals, or clinical documentation improvement (CDI) specialists engage with physicians to help them now that ICD-10 has been implemented? Let's explore some strategies.
CMS and the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) released final rules October 6 with the intention of simplifying EHR requirements and allowing providers and consumers to exchange health information with greater flexibility. This includes the final rule with comment period for the EHR incentive programs and final rule for the 2015 edition health IT certification criteria.
Providers need to be careful when reporting multiple services with status indicator J1 on the same claim, as NCCI logic could result in no payment for any of the reported comprehensive APC (C-APC) services.
Provider-based clinics and departments are increasingly common, but the rules for provider-based billing can often be confusing, especially given recent changes to modifiers and place of service codes.