News

Q: A child presents to the ED with a closed fracture of his left hand. The physician performs a two-view hand x-ray that shows a small fracture. The physician reduces the fracture and performs a one-view x-ray to ensure alignment. Which CPT codes and modifiers would be used to report the physician’s services?

Q: Naturally, companies are curious to learn which of their employees have been exposed to COVID-19 as the workforce begins to return to the office. Under what circumstances can healthcare providers legally disclose a patient’s diagnosis to his or her employer?

Q: Patients who leave the hospital against medical advice (AMA) have a much higher 30-day readmission rate than patients with non-AMA discharges. What strategies can case managers use to help patients who may be at risk for leaving AMA?

An appeals court ruled that CMS has the authority to implement a controversial site-neutral payment policy. The ruling, delivered July 17, reversed a 2019 district court decision that vacated the policy.

Florida Orthopaedic Institute (FOI), a healthcare provider based in Tampa, reported a breach earlier this month following an April security incident.

CMS released the 2021 ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting on July 8, several weeks earlier than usual. The coding guidelines, which take effect October 1, include new instructions for reporting manifestations of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), among other changes.

Q: How is the Medicare Part A and B deductible applied to blood products?

Q: We have a patient that was admitted with sepsis due to COVID-19 who also has human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). How should we report this in ICD-10-CM, and which MS-DRG would this be assigned to?

CMS is planning to restart most Medicare fee-for-service medical reviews by August 3 regardless of the status of the public health emergency.

American Medical Technologies, a California-based provider of healthcare supplies, notified individuals in late June that their data was potentially breached during a 2019 security breach.