Anesthesia Coding Alert

Do your homework up front to save backtracking time -- or denials -- later. A well-documented pre-SCS trail, allowed ICD-9 code, and secured ABN can be the birds in your hand that you need to gain neurostimulation payment from the insurer -- or your customer. Neurostimulation is a fairly common method of helping patients cope with certain neurological disorders or types of chronic pain, but increased use doesn't guarantee reimbursement. Follow these steps to verify your carrier's stance on neurostimulation and increase your chances of successful filing and reimbursement. 1. Document Lead-Up Steps On your quest to secure greenbacks from insurers for neurostimulation, make sure charts show the path that got the patient to this treatment. "Having documentation that your physician tried other treatments that were ineffective helps show that neurostimulation might be what the patient needs to relieve his or her pain," explains Darlene Ogbuagu, CPC, ACS-AN, a billing and referral supervisor [...]