General Surgery Coding Alert
OIG Recovered $3.8 Billion in Recent 6 Months
Will the agency recoup from you?
Make sure you cross your t’s and dot your i’s so your general surgery practice doesn’t run afoul of Medicare/Medicaid rules and get caught in the wide net cast by the Office of Inspector General (OIG).
The OIG is finding ways to save big money by recouping billions from medical practices across the country. According to the OIG’sOct. 2012 to March 2013 Semiannual Report to Congress, the agency recouped $3.8 billion through recommendations, investigative efforts, and audit recovery during that six month period.
The report outlines common billing errors that resulted in recovery, such as improperly identifying hospital acquired conditions as being present on admission (POA). The report also identifies new targets for future OIG investigation.
“OIG continuously looks for ways to enhance the relevance and impact of our work by engaging and working with our internal and external stakeholders,” said Inspector GeneralDaniel R. Levinsonin the report.
To read the OIG’sSemiannual Report, visit the HHS Web site at:oig.hhs.gov/reports-and-publications/archives/semiannual/2013/SAR-S13-Final.pdf.
General Surgery Coding Alert
- CCI 19.2:
Greet E/M Bundles for Nearly Every Integumentary Surgery
Focus on three modifiers for unusual cases. If you’re rusty on when evaluation and management [...] - Use modifier 24 when the E/M service meets these criteria
The E/M service occurs during the postoperative period of another procedure The current E/M service [...] - CPT® 2014:
37204 Replaced? Expect Other Vascular Surgery Changes Next Year
Check CPT® editorial panel minutes to glimpse ahead. You don’t have to wait until the [...] - ICD-10:
870-897 Open Wound Options Explode to S00-S99 ICD-10 Categories
Expect more detail for wound type, location. If you thought ICD-9 provided a lot of [...] - Physician Memo:
OIG Recovered $3.8 Billion in Recent 6 Months
Will the agency recoup from you? Make sure you cross your t’s and dot your [...] - You Be the Coder:
List History for Colonoscopy Diagnosis
Question: We had a patient who had a colonoscopy for personal history of colon cancer [...] - Reader Question:
PUNLMP Evades ICD-9
Question: What ICD-9 code should I use for a bladder cancer pathology report diagnosis of [...] - Reader Question:
36556 Sets Termination Requirements
Question: Our surgeon noted that, for a 62-year-old patient, he inserted a central line through [...] - Reader Question:
Completion Colectomy Needs Details
Question: A patient had undergone an earlier extended left hemicolectomy with end colostomy due to [...] - Reader Question:
43314 Depends on Diagnosis
Question: What’s the correct coding for a rigid bronchoscopy, right thoracotomy with division of tracheoesophageal [...]
