Neurosurgery Coding Alert

Here's why the new-established question matters more than ever for your surgeon.Let's say your neurosurgeon provides a new patient with a standard office E/M service (99201-99215). In your haste, you choose an established patient code for the encounter. This mistake will hurt the practice twofold: you've submitted an incorrect code and this miscode will cost the practice deserved reimbursement.Say Goodbye to Consult Codes for Most ProvidersThrow in Medicare's deletion of consultation codes, and it's clear that the difference between a new and established patient is even more vital than in previous years. For Medicare payers, and payers that follow their lead, coders will now have to "select the correct code, new or established, to bill for what used to be consults that did not have a new versus established component concept," relays Quinten A. Buechner, M.S., M.Div., AAPC:CPC, BMSC:ACS-FP/GI/PEDS, ACMCS:PCS, PHIA:CCP, PAHCS:CMSCS, president of ProActive Consultants,LLC in Cumberland, Wis.Good news: [...]