In light of the public health emergency (PHE) over the past year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has suspended plans to implement the Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) into full implementation mode. Last year on January 1, 2020, the AUC program started a one-year educational and operations testing phase to give providers time […]
As you may remember, major changes including revisions, additions, and deletions were finalized in 2020 for (SPECT/CT) and myocardial PET for nuclear medicine services. Medical coders across the country may still struggle with understanding how and when to report related CPT® codes. Let’s break down some tips for code 78800 to give greater understanding and […]
The release of the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) CY2021 proposed rule on August 3rd contained a lot of information for radiology providers to digest (a proposed 10.61% reduction to the conversion factor for 2021!), but there was also a noticeable absence in the proposed rule – any discussion of the Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC)/Clinical […]
With the constant stream of news updates coming out lately it’s a challenge to keep up – many of us feel our heads is spinning from all the information! One topic that continues to pop up is chest CT. Information about the use of chest CT during the current public health emergency continues to vary. […]
The abdominal aortogram is one of the most commonly performed peripheral services – yet coding for abdominal aortograms, especially with lower extremity runoff, is something that is often met with questions about just how to ensure the correct code (or codes) is being selected for the procedure performed. When in doubt, there’s one question that […]
Quick reference for radiology – which codes have been deleted and which have been introduced, or revised, to replace them For 2020, there were numerous changes to the Radiology Section of the CPT® manual. As always, it’s critical to ensure all staff have a complete understanding of the changes impacting radiology – which includes knowing […]
Thank you for being a valued subscriber to the Breast & Bone Density Procedure Coding Guide for 2020. As you know, breast imaging and interventions continue to face challenges when it comes to coding and compliance, we are eager to tackle those challenges together. We put all our energy into making sure your resources provide […]
Thank you for being a valued subscriber to the Ultrasound Coder for 2020. As you know, ultrasound services continue to face challenges when it comes to coding and compliance, we are eager to tackle those challenges together. We put all our energy into making sure your resources provide the most current and complete solutions to […]
Thank you for being a valued subscriber to the Nuclear Medicine & PET Coder for 2020. As you know, nuclear medicine is facing two new code sets this year, we are eager to tackle the challenges that are sure to arise from them together. We put all our energy into making sure your resources provide […]
Duplex scans are a common area of confusion across the country, and 2020 saw the introduction of two new codes for duplex scans, making for a potentially tricky start to the new year. Before we dive in to the new codes, let’s review some general guidelines for noninvasive vascular diagnostic studies. Noninvasive vascular studies include […]