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Internal Medicine Coding Alert

How to Choose the Correct ICD-9 Codes For Diagnostic Tests and Lab Work
The previous issue of Internal Medicine Coding Alert covered how to correctly apply diag... Read more
Follow Specific Payer Guidelines to Get Paid for Trigger Point Injections and Dry Needling
Although several physicians perform trigger point injections and dry needling (see descri... Read more
Reader Question:
Mini-Mental Test
Questions:(1) During a physical exam of a patient who presents with occasional episodes of... Read more
Reader Question:
Special Random Audit
Question: What does special random audit by Medicare mean? Is it a serious problem? Is it ... Read more
Reader Question:
Mantoux Tests
Question: What diagnosis code should you use with a Mantoux test for tuberculosis?Anonymou... Read more
Documentation and Correct Coding are Key to Reimbursement for Home Visits by the Internist
More and more internal medicine physicians, particularly those who are their patients prim... Read more
Use Screening ICD-9 Code for Routine Bone Density Study
  Latest on CPT and ICD-9 Codes for Accurate Reporting of Bone ... Read more
Medicare Requirements for Bone Denisty Requirements
Bone Mineral Density Studiesstudies used to evaluate diseases of bone and/or the responses... Read more
E/M Coding Clinic:
Appeal Automatic Denials of Level 4 and Level 5 Services
Internal medicine practices should be on the watch for an increase in denials of high-leve... Read more
Correct Coding is Crucial for Pap Smear and Evaluation for Hypertension and Diabetes
One of the most difficult coding and billing problems for internal medicine practices is r... Read more
Reader Question:
Weight-loss Visits
Question: An obese patient comes in for help with weight loss. She has normal labs and an ... Read more
Reader Question:
Reviewing X-rays and CAT Scans
Question: Can you bill for reviewing x-rays and CAT scans done elsewhere?Anonymous OH subs... Read more
Reader Question:
Documenting a Nurse Visit
Question: What is the best way to document a nurse visit? Is a little narrative of what wa... Read more
Reader Question:
Inpatient Consult Vs. Transfer of Care
Question: If you write orders on an inpatient consult, is it still considered a consult, o... Read more
How to Code Correctly for Inpatient Admissions Through the Hospital ED
Internists frequently see patients in settings other than their office: Nursing home exami... Read more
E/M Coding Clinic:
History and Co-existing Conditions Can Make the Difference Between 99213 and 99214
Audits of physician documentation for level 3 and level 4 established patient visits (CPT ... Read more
Requirements of Reporting 99213
According to Catherine Brink, CMM, CPC, president of Healthcare Management Resources Inc... Read more
Know When to Report Established Patient E/M Codes vs. New Patient E/M Codes
It seems simple that internal medicine practices should be able to easily report office/ou... Read more
Update:
Check Modifier -51 and Modifier -59 Usage with Carriers
In response to our article on coding for multiple endoscopic procedures (Case Study: Optim... Read more
Reader Question:
Billing for ECG Interpretation Only
Question: Can a physician bill for an ECG interpretation when the test is performed by a n... Read more
Reader Question:
Coding ROS When Documentation Indicates 'HEENT Normal'
Question: Using the 1997 General Multi-System Examination Guidelines, how do you classify ... Read more
Reader Question:
Billing for Professional Courtesy
Question: Is it appropriate to bill the insurance portion of a patients bill to the payer,... Read more
Get Paid for Family Conferences and Coordination of Care
Internists frequently spend a significant amount of time on patient care that does not i... Read more
E/M Coding Clinic:
Using 99212 for Low-Level Physician Visits is Crucial to Reimbursement
Editors Note: This is the second installment of a continuing series on the individual CPT ... Read more
Standardized Forms Can Facilitate Coding and Increase Billing Efficiency
In the August issue of Internal Coding Alert (Protect Compliance, Educate Physicians, I... Read more
Reader Question:
Collecting Fees for Blood Draws
Question: When our phlebotomist draws blood from a patient, can we charge for the draw fee... Read more
99211:
Coding Tips and Cautions
Editors Note: This is the first of a series of articles on coding evaluation and managemen... Read more
Protect Compliance, Educate Physicians, Increase Efficiency, and Detect Lost Revenue:
Perform Internal Coding Audits
Are your internal medicine physicians using the correct CPT evaluation and management (E/M... Read more
Setting Up Your Internal Coding Audit:
A Consultants Perspective
When starting an internal auditing process, how do you know where to begin? Which codes ar... Read more
Case Study:
Optimizing Pay-up for Multiple Endoscopic Procedures Performed on the Same Day
Internists who perform endoscopic procedures, particularly subspecialists in gastroenterol... Read more
Coding for New Procedures:
Reporting a Percutaneous Tracheostomy vs. a Surgical Tracheostomy
"Sometimes a physician or group comes up with a new way of performing a procedure or servi... Read more
Billing for Non-Physician Providers Employed in Your Practice:
When to Bill Incident To to Optimize Timely Pay-up
Seeking to provide comprehensive healthcare to their patients, internal medicine offices o... Read more
Modifiers -59 and -50 Key:
Get Paid for Two Joint Injections on the Same Day
When reporting two joint injections on the same day, internal medicine coders must remem... Read more
Black Box Culprit for Denials for a Dipstick Urinalysis and E/M Service on the Same Day?
Several internal medicine offices have recently reported problems receiving reimbursement... Read more
Diagnosis Coding Strategies for Reporting Poisonings and Adverse Drug Effects
Your internist sees a patient who has suffered an adverse reaction to a drug prescribed ... Read more
News Brief:
AMA's CPT Editorial Panel Submits Comment on New E/M Documentation Guidelines
In June, the CPT Editorial Panel of the American Medical Association (AMA) completed its p... Read more
News Brief:
Update Billing Software to Allow Printing of Itemized Statements for Medicare Beneficiaries
Effective January 1, 1999, Medicare beneficiaries were given the right to itemized stateme... Read more
Clinical Decision-Making Support Necessary:
How to Accurately Document When Reporting ECG Codes that Include Interpretation
Many internists either have electrocardiograms (ECGs) performed in their office and interp... Read more
Monitor E/M Coding to Protect Reimbursement and Ensure Compliance
No set of codes is more important in internal medicine that those for evaluation and manag... Read more
How to Code Next-Day Hospital Services Correctly
Coding for visits to hospitalized patients can become complicated when two (or more) physi... Read more
Reader Question:
Family Conferences
Question: A patients family member came to our office for a conference with the doctor. Th... Read more
Reader Question:
Diagnosis Code for Pap Screening
Question: We work in internal medicine as a group HMO. Can you tell me the distinction bet... Read more
Reader Question:
Coding for Second Opinion
Question: A patients family asked our internist to review some test results and give an op... Read more
Reader Question:
Getting Paid for Stress Test and an EKG
Question: Why are insurance companies bundling EKGs with stress tests? Yet if we request a... Read more
Maximize Your Reimbursement for Annual Physicals on Medicare Patients
Annual preventive-medicine visits for patients with several chronic medical problems shoul... Read more
Choose Correct Diagnosis Codes for Reporting Hypertension
Diagnosis coding for hypertension is a problematic issue for many internal medicine coders... Read more
CDC and HCFA Announce New CLIA Waived Tests
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, GA, has approved six more... Read more
Three Key Tips for Avoiding "Illegal" 99215's
Many physicians still have a difficult time understanding why preventive-medicine visits c... Read more
News Brief:
New Edits to CCI Will be Effective in July
According to a Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) program memorandum to carriers ... Read more
Reader Question:
Diagnosis Code for Bladder Infection
Question: An elderly patient with a complaint of urinary tract burning and discomfort is s... Read more
Reader Question:
Billing for Dermabond
Question: How should we code and get reimbursed for use of Dermabond? Our cost for this is... Read more
Remember to Use the 25 Modifier When Billing Critical Care and Separate Procedures
Billing for critical care (99291-99292) is one of the most difficult areas of internal me... Read more
Four Key Strategies for Billing Critical Care Services
Coding for critical care is misunderstood in many internal medicine practices, says Laura ... Read more
Correct Coding for FOBTs:
CPT Indicates Test and Physical Exam Should be Coded Separately
In a previous issue of Internal Medicine Coding Alert, a reader question covered billing f... Read more
Double-Dipping? Check with Third-Party Payers Before Counting a System in Both the HPI and ROS
At coding seminars and discussion groups across the country, this debate has raged. When c... Read more
Reader Question:
Screening Exams
Question: How do we bill for screening exams, such as a pelvic examination or colonoscopy ... Read more
Correct Coding for Consults and Referrals:
Dont Confuse a Request for an Opinion with a Transfer of Care
Internists are most often their patients primary care physicians, overseeing and coordinat... Read more
Update on Billing for Preoperative Clearence Exams
In the November 1998 issue of Internal Medicine Coding Alert, we covered using consult cod... Read more
Remember G0101 and Q0091 to Get Paid for Gynecologic Screeings for Medicare Patients
With the passage of the Balanced Budget Amendment in 1997, Medicare began covering more pr... Read more
Reminder:
Medicare Requires Claims to be Submitted With Eight-Digit Date Format by April
The Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) recently mailed a letter from Administrato... Read more
Reader Question:
Body Mass Index
Question: Is there a CPT code for a Body Mass Index?Answer: There is no specific code in t... Read more
Reader Questions:
Coding for Travel Advice
Question: How would you code for overseas travel advice, especially infectious disease pr... Read more
Optimal Billing for Joint Injections:
Get Paid for an E/M Service, Administration, and the Medication
Internal medicine practices often treat elderly patients, a high percentage of whom suff... Read more
Correct Billing for Non-Physician Providers:
Make Sure 'Incident To' Services Meet Medicare Standards
Is your internal medicine practice using physician assistants (PAs) to make hospital round... Read more
Get Paid for Annual Physical and Problem-Focused Exam on Same Day by Using -25 Modifier
Its a situation commonly encountered in internal medicine: A patient comes in for his or... Read more
Update Your Billing System with New 1999 Codes for Vaccinations and Immunizations
Internists who give a lot of flu shots or perform immunizations and vaccinations should ta... Read more
Coding Question Roundup
Editors Note: Answers to this issues coding questions were provided by Garnet Dunston, CPC... Read more
Avoid Psychotherpry Codes When Billing for Counseling Services
As primary care physicians, internists often find themselves in the position of providing ... Read more
Get Paid for Two E/M Visits or an E/M Service and Procedure Performed on the Same Day
Because internal medicine practices are often the primary source of their patients medical... Read more
Turn the Tables on Third Party Payers:
Audit Your Carriers to Detect Lost Reimbursement
Its a poorly kept secret among many professionals in medical practice managementno matter ... Read more
Reader Question:
Discharge from Hospital to Nursing Home to Home on the Same Day
Question: When one doctor in a group discharges a patient to a nursing home from the hospi... Read more
Reader Question:
Reader Question
Question: A patient was admitted to the hospital with a principal diagnosis of acute pyelo... Read more
Available Years:  1999  1998