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Orthopedic Coding Alert

Check Your Payers' 27215-27218 Policies

Published on Tue Mar 03, 2009

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Other Articles in this issue of

Orthopedic Coding Alert

CCI 15.0 Update:
Consider Nerve Blocks, Injections Inherent to Most New Ortho Codes -- Or Face Denials
Watch out: Not all these new edits allow you to unbundle them with a modifier. [...]

Toss Modifier 21 Out and Go to 99354-99359 Instead
See why 30 minutes more than usual is the magic requirement. If your orthopedist spends [...]

Check Your Payers' 27215-27218 Policies
Rejoice: Pelvic fracture codes spared from CCI 15.0's wrath. Although CPT 2009 changed the descriptors [...]

News You Can Use:
Wrong Spinal Level Can Mean No Reimbursement Whatsoever
Here's what to do if wrong location is due to extra vertebrae. If your orthopedic [...]

You Be the Coder:
Consults In-Group = Established Patients?
Question: Our orthopedists may refer to one another based on a provider's subspecialty, such as [...]

Fix Facet Joint Injection Coding in Wake of Startling OIG Report
Agency combed everything from injections to consulting agreements. The Office of the Inspector General (OIG), [...]

Reader Questions :
Leg Amputations Mean 27880
Question: How do leg amputation codes differ from each other? Minnesota Subscriber Answer: Technique differentiates [...]

Reader Questions:
Discover When You Should Apply Modifier 99
Question: I have been reporting the following code sequence: - 73562-26 - 73562-99 (in the [...]

Reader Questions:
Prove Separate Service Before Billing E/M in Global
Question: Our payer is denying a claim involving an E/M and a fine needle aspiration [...]

Reader Questions:
Look to This Shoulder Code for QSS
Question: What is Quadrilateral Space Syndrome, and what ICD-9 code should I use? Georgia Subscriber [...]

Ring in Better Rewards in '09 With These 3 Don't-Miss Tips-#1:
Save Hundreds With These A/R Best Practices
Tip: Assign each biller a list of payers to contact every month. Effective accounts receivable [...]

#2:
Keep in Mind That Medicare Lowers CF to $36.0666 for 2009
You won't feel as big a crunch, thanks to neutrality adjustment. CMS released the Medicare [...]

#3:
Let 2 Questions Guide You on Deductible Collection
Save time, effort by learning the downsides of up-front collection. Collecting deductibles from patients has [...]

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