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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

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

New Category III Codes Provide a Window Into the Future of Medicine

Wondering what the future holds for healthcare? Just scan through the CPT® Category III codes. The CPT® Editorial Panel recently released 20 new Category III codes for emerging technologies, procedures, services, and service standards. The codes go into effect July 1, but you won’t find them in your 2023 code book. In accordance with the […]

The post New Category III Codes Provide a Window Into the Future of Medicine appeared first on AAPC Knowledge Center.

AAPC Knowledge Center

Need help Using 90791/90792 just to provide feedback to parents

I am new to behavioral health coding. Our psychologist provide services to pediatric patients. They perform a psychiatric diagnostic evaluation on day 1- meeting and interviewing the child, then interview parent(s) separate and then parent with child together. May also order and have performed same date of service psychiatric testing. The have sent out questionnaires prior to the first visit to parents and teachers. The complete their report and recommendations usually on that date of service. They bring the parents back a week or 2 later to provide only the results of the evaluation, the patient is not usually with them. They believe they can bill 90791 for the day the evaluation is performed and again on the date they meet with the parents. even though the code can be billed once a day, you still need to meet medical necessity and documentation requirements, one of which is a mental health assessment/status. Is this allowed or should they bill another code for the feedback day, such as 90887 or 90846 if patient is not at the session , or 90847 if they are (usually adolescents will come to the feedback with the parents).

Medical Billing and Coding Forum

Electronic Medical Record Keeping Helps Medical Providers Provide Quality Care

Medical records are extremely important to the running of any sort of health facility, such as hospitals, doctor offices, or nursing homes. They keep track of the health history of a patient, any new diagnoses, any treatment plan that has been prescribed, medications that a patient takes or has taken in the past, allergies that a patient has, etc. All of this used to be documented on paper. When I was working in a nursing home in 2004, all of our records were paper based. We needed to document everything that we did with our patients.

If we checked on our patient at all, even if we didn’t actively do anything in their room, we needed to document this. This ensures that we aren’t ignoring the needs of our patients. Since patients need to be checked on very regularly, a lot of space can be taken up using paper records. Especially since in most states, physical records need to be a kept for a minimum of seven years. It is also more difficult for healthcare professionals in different locations to read paper records of a certain patient. A lot of copying and faxing is required to accomplish this.

Electronic Medical Records (EMR) allows the healthcare professional to be more organized and allows them to more easily keep up to date about their patient. If there is something in particular that they need to find out about their patient, it is more readily available with EMR technology. They no longer need to sift through useless information in order to read the one piece of information that they need.

In most hospitals, a computer is placed in every patient’s room so that medical errors are reduced. Every time a medication is given or a treatment done, the patient’s name-band needs to be scanned so that it is ensured that they are receiving the right medication with the right dose at the right time by the right route. Having a computer right next to you when you check all of these decreases medical errors in the hospital system. EMR also ensures patient confidentiality. Only the people directly involved with the care of a patient can read that patient’s medical record.

Log ins are password protected so unless a healthcare provider gives someone their password, they can’t get in to check on the status of a patient. EMR is a very good system that is readily becoming more widespread throughout our medical system.

Prime Clinical Systems (http://www.primeclinical.com/) designs and installs EMR systems that are easy to use and easily customized to the individual EMR requirements of individual medical practices and professionals.

Failure to Provide Medical Care

In the event of serious illness or injury most people choose to seek immediate medical attention to treat the problem. By meeting with a medical professional, the problem can be diagnosed, treated, and monitored to help ensure a full recovery. Although this routine is common for many people, some adults may choose not to seek medical attention for injuries or illnesses. This may be due to personal or religious beliefs or decisions and is completely up to the judgment of the individual.

When it comes to children and dependents, it is the responsibility of the parents or guardians to provide the child with proper treatment if medical issues arise. As minors, children are unable to make many important legal decisions for themselves and depend on the judgment of their guardians to help them navigate through childhood. If a child suffers serious injury or death due to the refusal of medical treatment on the part of a guardian, the parent may be held liable.

In the event of serious injury or death to a child, the parent may face 2nd degree homicide charges if he or she fails to take the child to consult a medical professional. The felony charges may result in fines and/or incarceration if the individual is found guilty. Ultimately, the refusal of medical care for a child or dependent is typically viewed as negligent behavior on the part of the parent.

Reported cases have included guardians who refused medical care for their dependents because of:

Religious beliefs
Financial constraints
Personal distrust of doctors or physicians
Intentional pain and injury inflicted on the child and not treated
Medication withheld from the child due to personal beliefs or misuse by the parent

Regardless of the situation or personal beliefs, parents have a responsibility to properly care for their children in times of sickness and injury. If a child is injured as a result of the parent’s actions, the guardian may be held liable for the injury or death. The resulting criminal charges can seriously affect the life of the parent, so proper care should be provided at all times.

If a guardian has been wrongly accused of negligent actions, he or she has the right to defend themselves in a court of law. If you would like to know more about medical treatment and criminal defense, visit the website of the Appleton criminal attorneys of Kohler, Hart & Priebe at 414-271-9595.

Joseph Devine

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G Codes Provide Easy Transition to Cms Final Rule

The passing of CMS’ final rule for national coverage of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) services, does not mean you are free from trouble when coding for your pulmonologist’s outpatient PR program or expanded in-office PR services.

But then worry not. You can take up some important PR coding and coverage insights from these three common situations.

Pulmonologist does not provide direct PR Care

The pulmonolist may not be involved directly, however you will not be short of coding choices. CMS guidelines need a thorough pulmonary rehabilitation program to be physician-supervised. It includes doctor-prescribed exercise, education or training, psychosocial assessment, outcomes assessment, and an individualized treatment plan.

Pulmonologists may bill evaluation/management codes for periodic visits to evaluate the patient’s underlying condition, any exacerbations, and response to therapy. For instance, report follow-ups with an E/M code like 99214 to assess the medical management of the patient’s COPD.

Do not overlook: When there is PR care involved, associated services and equipment are never far behind. Report any pulmonary function tests the pulmonolist carries out unrelated to PR monitoring while some equipment provided in the office setting may be billable for certain diagnoses using these HCPCS codes: A4614, A4627, A7003

Nonphysician practitioner provides RT care

When nonphysican practitioners (NPP), such as respiratory care practitioners, registered nurses, physical therapists (PTs), and occupational therapists (OTs), fill in for the pulmonologist on subsequent PR care, you have to code appropriately based on the type of provider who is providing the service. Select from the following G codes when a respiratory therapist, a registered nurse or qualified ancillary staff provides the pulmonary function service: G0424, G0237, G0238, G0239.

3. PR service needs justification

PR coverage includes individuals with moderate to very severe COPD. Depending on your local Medicare contractor, patients with other pulmonary-related diseases may be eligible for coverage of respiratory therapy services. But you’d bill it as respiratory care services using G0237, G0238, and G0239.

In addition, auditors would want to see documentation that the patient is making progress toward goals since PR is meant to improve respiratory function.

Key: Be specific when defining your goals. For example, you may specify the activity rather than saying the patient wants to breathe better. What’s more, when ordering a PR program, the pulmonogist should specify type, frequency and duration. An ideal outline of the schedule may state that a patient needs to attend six-week PR program, two days each week for four weeks, and three days per week for two weeks, for two to four hours each day. See to it that the PR program is unique and tailor-made for an individual.

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Medical transcription India provide quality projects to the clients

Medical Transcription India has reached dizzying height of success and a large number of people are flocking towards it and trying their hands at this new business venture since it is in great demand due to the rapid advancement of the health care and medical industry and people have started realizing how profitable and rewarding it can be. The health care industry is constantly trying to better their standard so that the patients are completely satisfied. But for this, outsourcing their work has become highly important. This is because outsourcing takes off a heavy load off the shoulders of medical professionals and every department will simply have to concentrate and excel in the task delegated to them. Among many others one of the departments having prime importance in the health care and medical industry is that of Medical transcription India.

Medical Transcription India has a number of advantages. They are all dedicated to providing the best to their clients and thus maintain stringent quality check procedures to ensure that all the project are well mead and are flawless. They do not want to take risks in a way that will hamper the project or the client will face losses. They do everything in their capacity to ensure that the client receives only the best and that in turn helps the transcription firm too as they get a lot of advertisement through word of mouth. Apart from maintaining good quality, transcription firms ensure that they deliver projects on time to the clients as they do not want the client to suffer due to any negligence on their part.

Medical Transcription India is extremely affordable and gives you quality projects at very low rates. There is so much of competition in the industry that asking for unreasonable rates might prove to be detrimental to the transcription firm itself as they will not have as many clients then. They also have a huge labor force that is well trained to handle all the equipments well and transcript projects as required. Apart from this, their team of professionals is extremely experienced and works with the sole intention of providing with the client with that what is better than the best.

Acroseas is a global provider of Transcription services & has been providing top-of-the-line transcriptions services to our clients worldwide. For more info – please log onto www.acroseas.com

Medical transcription companies provide quality projects

Medical transcription companies are on a constant high and a number of people are considering it as a lucrative career option. This is precisely because it has a lot of demand and scope in the medical and health care industry. The health care industry has advanced manifold and people are expecting nothing but the best when it comes to medical facilities and services provided. They are willing to spend money to get the best treatment but they do not wish to settle for even mediocre facilities. This means that the medical industry has to put in a lot of efforts to get the best. It is at these times that outsourcing proves to be really beneficial. Outsourcing work to different departments gets the best results as each of the department has to simply concentrate on the task delegated to them. Among many other departments one of the departments that plays a pivotal role is the Medical transcription companies.

The Medical transcription companies are highly beneficial and useful to the medical professionals as well as they do not have to concentrate on different things at the same time and can focus on their primary function that is to provide the best medical service possible to their patients. Transcription in itself is an extremely difficult job and if the medical professionals have to dedicate quality time to both their patients and transcripts they find it extremely taxing. So these transcription firms come as a relief to all of them.

Medical transcription companies are extremely affordable and offer services to their clients at very cheap rates due to the increasing competition in this field. They understand that quoting extreme rates can prove to be detrimental to their firm itself as they might lose out on potential clients. Easy affordability is a factor that has attracted a number of firms abroad too to outsource their projects to Medical transcription companies in India.

Medical transcription companies are extremely stringent with their quality check procedures and aim at providing quality service to the clients within the stipulated time period. This helps them maintain good relations with the clients and get a strong foothold in the industry too.

Acroseas is a global provider of Transcription services & has been providing top-of-the-line transcriptions services to our clients worldwide. For more info – please log onto www.acroseas.com

 

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