Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert
Button Up Those E/M Claims, CMS Tells Providers
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Plus: Wrong NPI type might trigger payer edits. Assigning E/M levels willy-nilly? You might be one of the providers that CMS found who erroneously assigned the wrong E/M code to their claims, causing billions in inappropriate Medicare payments. According to a new MLN Matters fact sheet, Medicare providers billed about $28 billion in E/M services between April 2009 and May 2010, but CMS found that "8.4 percent of those E/M payments were identified as being billed at the wrong code level--either too high or too low," the document states. To end providers' confusion about E/M billing, CMS offersseveral helpful tips on assigning the appropriate E/M levelin its new fact sheet, which you can access at www.cms.gov/MLNProducts/downloads/Evaluation_Management_Fact_Sheet_ICN905363.pdf.
Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert
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