Click here for more sample CPC practice exam questions with Full Rationale Answers

Practice Exam

Click here for more sample CPC practice exam questions and answers with full rationale

Practice Exam

CPC Practice Exam and Study Guide Package

Practice Exam

What makes a good CPC Practice Exam? Questions and Answers with Full Rationale

CPC Exam Review Video

Laureen shows you her proprietary “Bubbling and Highlighting Technique”

Download your Free copy of my "Medical Coding From Home Ebook" at the top right corner of this page

Practice Exam

2018 CPC Practice Exam Answer Key 150 Questions With Full Rationale (HCPCS, ICD-9-CM, ICD-10, CPT Codes) Click here for more sample CPC practice exam questions with Full Rationale Answers

Practice Exam

Click here for more sample CPC practice exam questions and answers with full rationale

Chronic Care Management (CCM) Benefits and Guidelines


Chronic care management (CCM) is a critical component of primary care that contributes to better outcomes and higher satisfaction for patients.

CHRONIC CARE MANAGEMENT (CCM):

Medicare initially provided payment for CPT code 99490 beginning January 1, 2015 to separately identify and value clinical staff time and other resources used in providing CCM.

CMS adopted 3 additional billing codes (G0506, CPT 99487, CPT 99489)

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recognizes CCM takes time and effort.

ELIGIBLE BENEFICIARIES:

Patient have two or more chronic conditions expected to last at least 12 months or until death, that place them at significant risk of death, acute exacerbation, or functional decline .

PATIENT CONSENT:

A practitioner must obtain patient consent before furnishing or billing CCM. Consent may be verbal or written but must be documented in the medical record, and includes informing them about:

The availability of CCM services and applicable cost-sharing

Only one practitioner may be paid for CCM services for a given calendar month. This practitioner must only report either complex or non-complex CCM for a given patient for the month (not both)

The right to stop CCM services at any time (effective at the end of the calendar month)

ELIGIBLE REPORTING PRACTITIONERS:
  • Physicians
  • Physician Assistants,
  • Clinical Nurse Specialists,
  • Nurse Practitioners,
  • Certified Nurse Midwives

CPT CODES AND PAYMENT FOR CCM:

  1. CPT G0506 (Add -on code to CCM initiating visit ($ 64 )
  2. CPT 99490 Non complex CCM($ 43)
  3. CPT 99487 (Complex CCM 60 mins ($ 94)
  4. CPT +99489 (Complex CCM ) additional 30 mins ($ 47)

PATIENTS BENEFIT FROM CCM:

  • Spend more time focusing on health and help work towards your health and Quality of life goals
  • Don’t always have to come into the office to get help; you can also make a call.
  • Patients will receive a comprehensive care plan.

CCM SUPPORTS OUR PRACTICE:

  1. Improve care coordination.
  2. Improve patient satisfaction and compliance, and decrease hospitalization and emergency department visits.
  3. Increased payment to practice for the coordinated CCM services we provide outside of face to face visits


Coding Ahead

Telemedicine Offers Benefits to Providers

Deloitte did a 2018 survey of US healthcare consumers and physicians, and found: 90 percent of physicians see the benefits of telemedicine technology but only 14 percent have the ability to perform video telemedicine visit capabilities right now, in 2018 Of the remainder, only 18 percent plan on adding the capability over the next few […]

The post Telemedicine Offers Benefits to Providers appeared first on AAPC Knowledge Center.

AAPC Knowledge Center

ICD-11 Includes New Sections, Benefits

As we all just implemented ICD-10 changes for 2019, I thought I would let you know that ICD-11 is being worked on. Don’t worry, it is not going to be implemented next year, but it is being planned for some time after 2022, which is actually not very far away. We will have just gotten […]

The post ICD-11 Includes New Sections, Benefits appeared first on AAPC Knowledge Center.

AAPC Knowledge Center

The Benefits of AAPC Membership

The benefits of AAPC membership are many, increasing value for our members while validating their commitment as healthcare professionals working in the business of medicine. Here’s a rundown. Access Exclusive Networking Opportunities AAPC membership allows you to connect with over 175,000 professionals in the healthcare industry, allowing you to strengthen your professional support system with […]
AAPC Knowledge Center

Introducing My AAPC – Member Benefits Always at Your Fingertips

AAPC is proud to announce My AAPC, a free application for your phone or tablet that allows you fast, easy access to your AAPC membership benefits, exam results, and more. Using My AAPC, you can: Review and update your AAPC profile. Quickly view your membership status and renewal information. View registered events and upcoming events. Quickly access Healthcare […]
AAPC Knowledge Center

Different Medical Benefits From Green Or Black Tea

Archeological evidence advocates that people 5,000 years ago consumed tea leaves soaked in boiling water. Botanical evidence indicates also that China and India were amongst the original countries who cultivated tea. Nowadays, tea is considered the most commonly consumed drink worldwide, second to water. Millions of people around the universe drink tea, and studies recommend that green tea particularly Camellia sinensis has several health benefits.

Green, black and oolong teas are the 3 principal kinds of tea. The three varieties differ in their method of processing. Tea is created from the leaves which are not fermented and was reported to contain the utmost concentration of potent antioxidant known as polyphenols.

Antioxidants are materials or substances that search free radicals that damage the compounds in the human body that change the cells, tamper DNA, and even cause the deterioration cells. Free radicals arise naturally in the human body, environmental pollutants or toxins which include radiation, cigarette smokes, ultraviolet rays of the sun, and air pollution also help in the increase of these harmful particles.

Several scientists consider that free radicals have a contribution in the aging process and also the growth of several health troubles, including heart diseases and cancer. Antioxidants like polyphenols found in green tea may reduce the effect of free radicals and can reduce or even aid in the prevention o some harm they cause.

Consumption of tea was found to be effective in small scientific study in the treatment of dental caries or tooth decomposition. Additional studies are needed to be done. The tea can also be helpful in inflammatory Medicelles like in arthritis. Research specifies that arthritis can benefit from green tea by reducing the inflammation and slow down cartilage breakdown.

Chemicals present in tea can also be useful in the treatment of genital warts and also avoid the symptoms of influenza and colds. Studies also indicate that consumption of tea is linked with reduced dangers in all causes of death.

Camellia sinensis is the plant where the leaves are derived to produce the green, black and oolong tea. The plants grow as big as a tree or shrubs. Nowadays, Camellia sinensis plants grow throughout Asia and some countries in the Middle East and African countries.

The green and oolong teas are commonly consumed by people in the Asian countries and the black tea is most well-liked in the U.S.A. The tea contains the highest content of polyphenol.

scheygen smith is a simple woman that loves to explore and share things through writing. She loves to share her knowledge to the usrs who care to understand everything about Medicelles Go and visit free Medicelles website to get plenty of more information. Come and visit us at: http://medicelles.com/blog/

Benefits to Implementing an Electronic Medical Record

One of the most cumbersome tasks in a medical office is the maintenance and storage of paper medical records. This statement rings true in all medical practices rather it be dental, family medicine, specialty practices, or a chiropractic office. But what most practice managers and physicians may not realize is that maintaining a paper medical record is also one of the most costly administrative and clerical tasks in the office.
 
For years, medical offices have struggled with medical record documentation, as well as filing and retention of literally volumes of paper records. They have been stored in costly medical record storage cabinets and when the volumes of records outgrow the office space, they are purged and sent to off-site storage.
 
A major benefit of an electronic health record is that record maintenance and storage problems go away. All medical histories, medication lists, chart notes, labs, x-rays, reports, letters, and any other form held in a paper record is either documented directly into the EMR or scanned. 
 
Having patient records available at a few clicks of a mouse or touch screen, can be invaluable. Once a medical practice is trained and comfortable using their EMR, physicians and other care-providers save time, and record documentation is greatly improved. Templates can be setup to mimic individual practice standards, or standard templates can be utilized for the entire practice. For example, a template is setup for sore throat, fever, and congestion. At intake when patient complaints are “ticked” in the EMR, a template pops-up requiring only the fields to be completed that pertain to the specific illness. Obviously, if the complaint is a fall or bee sting, the template would be quite different, but only protocol pertaining to the complaint would be visible. 
 
Perhaps the most attractive benefit of adopting an EMR is the overall cost savings it generates. The EMR virtually eliminates the cost of reams and reams of paper, the off-site printing of forms such as encounters or super bills, in-house printing of schedules, and the zillion copies of insurance cards and scripts. Some practices even decrease their payroll costs by implementing an EMR. Without the paper record there is no backend record maintenance, no finding, filing, or re-filing charts, which equates to less labor requirements.  
 
There are many advantages of the EMR over paper medical records, although currently it is estimated that 70% of medical offices have not yet converted to an EMR. With the financial incentives being offered by the Medicare Program and the addition of the Stimulus Package signed into law by President Obama, the percentage of medical offices adopting an electronic record will rapidly increase in the near future.
 
Any medical office that has not yet begun thinking about electronic implementation should very seriously start researching EMRs to best fit their practice. Eventually penalties will be assessed to offices not in compliance with electronic health record technology. 

Harry E. Selent is President of medicalcharting.com and medicalbillingsoftware.com. Harry is passionate about helping single and small practice doctors implement cost effective electronic medical record software.

Benefits denied due to other doctor billing same day and code

Hello,

I have a recurrent issue of getting claims denied with the explanation that another doctor billed the same patient first for the same codes on the same day. I was told to use 25 as a modifier, but it still gets rejected. How can I make sure that my doctor gets paid for the services that were provided?

Thanks,
Shatha
Priority Billing LLC, Michigan

Medical Billing and Coding Forum