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Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement

CODING COACH:

Mark Manipulation to Potentially Recoup $100 or More Per Encounter

Published on Tue Sep 22, 2009

No maybes here -- answer this question wrong and you will code your fracture claims incorrectly. When your physician performs fracture care for a patient, be ready to pounce on evidence of manipulation, as CPT often breaks fracture care codes along the manipulation line. Not only will coding the manipulation allow you to ensure that you're coding accurately, but it could increase your reimbursement. The $kinny: Let's say the physician performs closed treatment on a fractured collarbone; if she uses manipulation, the service is worth about $106 more than a nonmanipulation encounter. Use this FAQ to successfully manipulate both types of fracture care codes -- and ethically add to the practice's bottom line. What Is Manipulation? For coding purposes, "manipulation involves reduction or attempted reduction of the fracture or dislocation," explains Gerri Walk, RHIA, CCS-P, senior manager for Baltimore's Health Record Services Corporation. There is "open" manipulation, but emergency department (ED) physicians [...]
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