Hospitals have a little more time to get a firm grasp on CMS' 2-midnight rule. CMS recently extended the probe and educate review period for the rule by six months, through September 30, 2014.
While many of the code changes in the 2014 CPT® Manual surgical sections involve bundling together common procedures, the major changes in the Radiology and Laboratory sections involve updates for newly recognized technologies and drugs.
The CMS Innovation Center released a request for information (RFI) in February for input from specialty practitioners on new, episode-based payment models, which could signal a move toward even more bundled payments for outpatient procedures.
Editor's note: With the increased specificity required for ICD-10-CM coding, coders need a solid foundation in anatomy and physiology. To help coders prepare for the upcoming transition, we will provide an occasional article about specific anatomical locations and body parts as part of a larger series for ICD-10-CM preparation. This month's column addresses the anatomy of the thigh.
The January 2014 quarterly I/OCE update included nearly 400 new HCPCS Level II codes, but the most significant changes for providers may center on relatively few codes, as a result of modifications CMS made in the 2014 OPPS final rule.
CMS has finalized changes to packaged services and E/M CPT® codes for clinic visits with the much-anticipated November 27, 2013 release of the 2014 outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) final rule.
