Cardiology Coding Alert

ECG in one place, interpretation in another? Just follow these rules. Choosing the place of service (POS) can seem like a piece of cake -- until you realize the cardiologist interpreted a test at home. If you've never been sure whether your choice should reflect where the test took place, where the cardiologist interpreted the test, or some other option, help is here. Why it matters: Medicare often pays physicians more for services in the office setting (where they incur more expense) than in facilities, so inappropriate use of POS 11 (Office) leads to Medicare shelling out more money that it should. The 2010 OIG Work Plan indicates the OIG will be scrutinizing physician POS coding for services in ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) and hospital outpatient departments to catch POS 11 mistakes (http://oig.hhs.gov/publications/docs/workplan/2010/Work_Plan_FY_2010.pdf). The OIG may not look specifically at your practice's claims for the Work Plan items, but knowing [...]