Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert

Published on Thu Mar 20, 2008 PDF

Determine how well you would answer these common questions

Dust off your thinking cap again.

Two weeks ago, you took our Part B challenge seriously. Many of you wrote in with questions for a future quiz, and today we-re putting you to the test with a few reader-submitted questions.

After you review these five test questions, turn the page to see how you fared.

Question 1: Why Can't We Code Probable Diagnoses?

Question: I-ve read in your publication that we should not report diagnosis codes that indicate uncertainty (such as -probable- or -rule out-). But I just came from a seminar where the speaker gave me a copy of coding guidelines that say that we can report probable diagnoses. Can you clarify this issue?

Question 2: Determine Which Infusion Is -Initial-

Question: A patient presented to our office for chemotherapy treatment. We performed a 30-minute antibiotic infusion and then a 115-minute chemotherapy infusion. Which infusion is considered -initial-?

Question 3: Determine When SNF Should Document Therapy

Question: I work in an SNF and have a question regarding our Medi-care Part B patients. How often are we expected to document therapy treatments? Do we need daily documentation, or is our daily treatment record enough? We use a daily treatment grid, so is it really necessary to write an actual note every day we see that patient?

Question 4: HIPAA May Be Out of the Spotlight, But Still on Minds

Question: I sometimes e-mail patient records to consultants or other coders for help on how to bill the claim correctly. How can I make sure I-m not committing a HIPAA violation?

Question 5: Which Modifier Applies to Dual Injections?

Question: Our physician re-cently treated a patient with olecranon bursitis in her right and left elbows. To treat the patient, he injected 10 mg of Depo-Medrol into each joint. Should I report 20605 twice with modifier 59 attached to the second code?