Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert

Published on Thu Mar 06, 2008 PDF

Are you an expert? If so, you shouldn't break a sweat over this quiz

You may be out of school, but it's never too late to get an A+ on a quiz.

Part B rules change so frequently that you probably feel like you-re always being tested on which rules and regulations you should follow. One day, you-re using PINs, and the next day you-ve got to learn the NPI ropes - you-ve gone from dictation tapes to digital records to Blackberries. But some things stay constant, such as educating yourself on the latest and greatest Medicare rules.

Today, you can find out the an-swers to your everyday questions. Take this quick quiz, and then flip the page to find out how you fared.
 
Question 1: You bill for a large group practice that includes several physicians from various specialties. With the implementation of National Provider Identifier (NPI) numbers, you no longer need a group ID number on your claims. True or False?

Question 2: A new physician joins your practice. You are in the process of credentialing the physician with Medicare, but the credentialing process isn't completed yet. Should the physician begin seeing patients before the credentials come through?

Question 3: Your physician wants to waive copays for certain Medicare patients because they are frequently seen in your office. Should your office adopt this practice?

Question 4: One of your physicians is taking June and July off (an extended holiday). You have retained the services of another physician to take her place while she is gone. The fill-in physician must bill Medicare for all of the services under his own ID number as if the patients were his. True or false?

Question 5: Your physician performs diabetes screenings for your Medicare patients, including a fasting blood glucose test. You are considering reporting a V code as the primary diagnosis, but you heard that Medicare doesn't accept V codes as primary diagnoses. Is this correct?

Once you think you-ve nailed down the answers to these tough questions, see an upcoming article to determine where your skills are strong, and where you need to do some homework.