Pathology/Lab Coding Alert

Accept short-term MPFS pay rescue.The "Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012" has plenty to say that will impact your laboratory or pathology practice. In a "good-news/bad-news" scenario, you can expect an overall physician pay-cut reprieve, but a loss of the "grandfather" exception, which currently allows labs with certain arrangements to bill Medicare for the technical component (TC) of pathology services for hospital patients. Get the TC-Billing Bad NewsLabs with hospital TC outsourcing arrangements in place prior to July 22, 1999 can bill Medicare directly for the TC of pathology services to hospital patients, as opposed to billing the hospital for the service. After extending the grandfather exception through the end of each subsequent year, Congress this year opted to extend the practice only through June 30. If you have TC grandfather arrangements with hospitals, you'll need to amend your billing practices to bill the hospital, rather [...]