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

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Laureen shows you her proprietary “Bubbling and Highlighting Technique”

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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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Research Percentage Rate – medical / compliance coder

I find myself doing a lot of research when reviewing , auditing and/or coding new practices. I would like to know what other auditors, compliance officers and/or medical coders think the percentage rate of finding ( researching ) an answer and/or code or anything really pertaining to the position.

your input is appreciated!

Medical Billing and Coding Forum

Ebola Vaccine Breakthrough, But More Research Is Warranted

Ever since the 2013-2016 Ebola outbreak in western Africa, vaccines are being developed; however, there are still no vaccines or drugs that have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to fight it. The good news is the World Health Organization (WHO) published information about a collaborative Ebola vaccine effort between the […]
AAPC Knowledge Center

Research and Codes Are Needed for Cannabis Treatment of Parkinson’s

If you don’t think there is a need for more research on medicinal marijuana, just turn to Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients: cannabis gives them hope of subsiding tremors and alleviating dyskinesia. For example, there is Rochester, New York’s Frank DeBlase, a 51-year-old who has been battling Parkinson’s for 17 years, has undergone brain surgery for […]
AAPC Knowledge Center

Quality Improvement Coordinator and Research

Has anyone billed out the chronic care management add on code G0506 and if so how are you justifying using it? What exactly would the "extra work" for the billing practitioner be? If you have billed it out did you have any luck getting it paid? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!!

Medical Billing and Coding Forum

How to Research a Medical Specialist Referral

If you have a condition that is referred to a medical specialist by your primary physician, you may be wondering how to check the credibility of that specialist.

 

Make Sure You Are Seeing the Right Specialist

 

Many people are shocked to find that they are seeing the wrong specialist, someone who focuses on only one body system. This mistake can prevent an accurate diagnosis and subsequent treatment. Specialists are experts in their field. If they are unable to figure out what your problem is, they do not always think about referring you to another specialist. To make sure you are seeing the right specialist, carefully monitor and research your symptoms, and take them to your primary care doctor. He or she can help refer you to the right person to treat your condition.

Focus on Trustworthy and Credible Sources

With so much information online, it has become easier and faster to research potential specialists. You can do everything from verifying a physician’s license to checking the board certification through trusted organizations like the American Board of Medical Specialties(ABMS).

Research cautiously, as the growth of online information also means the prevalence of misleading or confusing information. Be wary of websites based in other countries and information alongside products that are for sale.

Here are some tips for obtaining specialist information online:

Locate your state’s licensing board to research basic credential information such as board certification.

Additional information about your doctor may be found at one of the reputable credential sites.

If board certification is not listed on those sites, check separately to make sure your doctor is board-certified in the type of specialty you seek. (Note: some doctors are board certified in one area, but practice in another. You should confirm that the certification is in the right area for you).

Directories and ratings websites may or may not contain useful information, so use your best judgment or ask friends and family members for their advice.

Research Malpractice and Disciplinary Actions

It is also a good idea to check your potential specialist’s history of medical malpracticesuits or any disciplinary actions. In this kind of search, you should look for any unusual, legal or newsworthy information by:

Selecting a specific doctor to research.

Visiting your state’s local licensing board and searching for your specialist by name or location. 

The results will give you some basic information that you can use to learn more. You may discover that your medical specialist has a clean record, or he or she has settled one or many lawsuits. Chances are that this information is not current, so you will probably want to dig further. 

Use this basic information in a search engine by typing “Dr. John Doe” in quotations to keep the phrase intact and add the words malpractice lawsuit or something related to find any news reports. You can also add the word “blog,” as this may turn up additional information, including other states in which your potential specialist may have held a previous license.

Research Your Specialist’s Credentials

Credentials are an important for determining your specialist’s ability. Once you have narrowed your search, look up where they have attended school and make sure he or she specialized in the medical service you need.

Also research where they completed their fellowship program and whether this person has is continuing his or her education. You can visit your potential specialist’s website or contact their office to find out if they are affiliated with certain organizations and inquire whether they stay up-to-date with the latest innovations in their field through publications and seminars.

If you live in the Dallas, Texas area and want to learn more about how our medical malpractice lawyerscan help you, please visit the website of the medical malpractice law firm of Polewski & Associates today.

Real Medical Research on the HCG Weight Loss Diet

The Original Research by Dr. A.T.W. Simeons
The research by Dr. Simeons was published in 1954 in his book, ‘Pounds and Inches’, which is widely available at no cost on many websites. He designed his protocol to be very precise regarding the amount of HCG required for injection, for the number of calories and the types foods allowed, and for the optimal duration of the program. He also published a brief synopsis of his program in the British medical journal Lancet (vol. 2, pp. 946-947, 1954).

This weight loss program has attracted considerable attention from the medical community and from people who have undergone treatment. Its popularity is one reason why so many people, including medical doctors, have decided to offer opinions on whether it works. The success of HCG for weight loss has been so great that it has attracted negative attention from the FDA.

Before I go further, I want to note that the FDA is not an agency that serves human health. It is an agency that serves the financial interests of pharmaceutical companies. Negative attention from the FDA almost always means that the health benefits of the treatment in question might undermine drug profits. Indeed, seeing the statement that HCG is not approved by the FDA for weight loss is, in my opinion, support for the effectiveness of this protocol.

Medical Studies
The government’s PubMed database lists more than 18,000 journal articles on HCG, with less than a few dozen of these having anything to do with weight loss. Most of the research on this hormone involves fertility, pregnancy, and the detection of cancerous tumors. What I want to do is call your attention to just three studies as examples of the confusion that is rampant in the medical literature on HCG and weight loss.

1963 Study
This study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (vol. 12, pp. 230-234, 1963), at the height of popularity of the HCG diet plan in the U.S. In my reading of this article, it looks to me as though the researchers behind this study, from the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, followed the Simeons protocol to the letter. There was one exception: the consumption of a baked potato each day, which is not on Simeons’ list of allowed vegetables. The main result of the study was an average loss of 6.5 pounds in the HCG-treated group, compared with an average loss of 8.8 pounds in the untreated (control) group. The authors concluded that the hormone did not cause weight loss.

This study is remarkable for a couple reasons. One is that, in spite of following the Simeons protocol for 40 days, neither the treatment group nor the control group came close to the amount of weight loss that is expected. A starvation diet alone (i.e., 550 calories per day) should have caused more weight loss than reported. In fact, one subject on HCG even gained weight. The other reason that this study is remarkable is that the number of study subjects (i.e., 10 in the treatment group, 9 in the control group) and the variability of the results within each group provided insufficient statistical power to explain anything at all! Indeed, this study offered no comparative statistical analysis of weight loss. In other words, the results did not support any conclusions whatsoever.

Nevertheless, one or more factors are not obvious in this study. Generally when a study has such insignificant results, the subjects were not compliant – i.e., they did not follow the protocol very well. The researchers offered no comment on this possibility, so we will never know why both the treatment group and the control group underperformed.

1973 Study
This study was published 10 years later, also in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (vol. 26, pp. 211-218, 1963). The researchers who conducted it, at the American Society of Bariatric Physicians Research Council, studied about twice as many subjects as the 1963 study above. The final result was an average loss of 19.96 pounds in the HCG group and 11.05 pounds in the control group. More importantly, the statistical analysis supported this difference as being significant. The conclusion of this study was that HCG did cause weight loss.

1995 Meta Analysis
Meta analysis refers to a comparison of multiple studies on the same topic. This meta analysis was published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology (vol. 40, pp. 237-243, 1995) by researchers at Vrije University, Netherlands. They evaluated 16 studies and observed that most of them were of ‘poor methodological quality’ (meaning, bad science). Only one of the 12 articles of acceptable quality showed an effect on weight loss by HCG. The researchers concluded that ‘there is no scientific evidence that HCG is effective in the treatment of obesity’.

Meta analysis studies have become very popular in medicine because of the notion that a trend over multiple studies shows the truth. Unfortunately, the basic rules of statistics invalidate any such comparisons. Moreover, when even one study stands out against the majority, it is wrong to ignore it completely as these researchers have done. It would be much more valuable to figure out why some studies give contradictory results to one another.

This meta analysis also reveals what I call the dirty laundry of medical science – i.e., most research is so flawed that it is almost useless for saying anything at all with certainty. In fact, this is kind of a scary thought, isn’t it?

Take Home Lesson
Human subject research is the most difficult kind of study because of so many variables that are out of the control of the experimental design. Determining cause and effect is almost impossible. Nevertheless, we can see from some research that HCG can and does drive weight loss. My view is that studies that show this result are better in terms of sticking more closely to the Simeons protocol in the experimental design, then having the study subjects adhere closely to it.

What I conclude regarding HCG and weight loss is based on what I have seen for myself. This includes many, many people who have had the same results that Simeons documented based on his clinical experience with thousands of patients. I have also had the same results for myself. There is nothing like personal experience! The key to my experience, however, was monitoring my body fat composition. Weight loss is almost irrelevant by itself. My result was a reduction of 20 pounds AND of 6% body fat in less than 30 days. Reduction in body fat is supposed to be the main effect of HCG.

Medical researchers are apparently going to argue the merits of HCG and weight loss until the end of time, citing whichever research results support their arguments. As a scientist myself, I have no doubt whatsoever that Simeons was right and that my body changes occurred because of HCG.

One More Thing
Early studies on lab animals are now beginning to show that HCG interacts with the hormone leptin. Leptin is the new master fat hormone that has been known only since 1994. Like HCG, leptin also carries a signal to the hypothalamus. I predict that the more we find out about the interaction between these two hormones, the more we will understand how ingenious the Simeons protocol really is.

Dr. Dennis Clark is a retired university research scientist with more than 30 years of experience in natural products medicine. Before you embark on any HCG program, you must arm yourself with Dr. Clark’s objective scientific analysis of the HCG weight loss phenomenon. This program is not new, and it is not revolutionary. Get his latest report, “Myths and Truths About HCG Weight Loss,” at http://besthcgweightloss.com.

Promising Medical Research on Resveratrol Cancer Buster

There have been many claims by resveratrol supplement manufacturers that the natural plant compound can fight cancer cells stopping it from spreading, and their claims were verified by a University of Rochester Medical Center based oncologist who delved deep into the workings of resveratrol cancer killer. His findings are more than promising.

The medical scientist found out that resveratrol acts on the energy source of cancer cells, the mitochondria, to stop it from generating energy for the cancer cells; but, it leaves the mitochondria in the healthy cells to function well. When you kill the source of energy for a cancer cell, it starts the process known as apoptosis, which is the beginning of the end of cancer. The medical researcher chose the most difficult to kill type of cancer, pancreatic cancer, in his study, but resveratrol delivered the right killer punch to the cancer nonetheless.

It was also found out that resveratrol did not only induce the death of cancer cells applied with radio therapy, but it shields the healthy cells from the harmful effects of radiation. It’s like hitting two birds with one stone: it induced apoptosis, and it protects healthy cells as well. Because of these findings, the doctor is encouraging the consumption of resveratrol in supplement or in natural form from red wine, berries, pure purple grape juice, etc.

The resveratrol cancer busting action in pancreatic cancer cells can be summarized as follows:

1. It makes the cells more sensitive to chemo- or radiotherapy.

2. It kicks off cellular suicide, or apoptosis.

3. It impedes with mitochondrial function in cancer cells, thus starving it to death.

The future of resveratrol in the fight against cancer and other terminal illnesses is indeed brighter compared to other known natural plant phenols. It’s not going to be long before pharmacists and medical scientists can come up with a concrete recommendation as to the proper dosage and form to use; in the meantime, taking resveratrol supplements is a good start to a healthier, longer life.

There are several resveratrol free trials available that give you about month free of charge resveratrol supplements. We tested samples of 12 different resveratrol suppliers and selected the 3 best of them, you can read our review and recommendations by visiting our page of resveratrol review and comparisons!

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Considering HCG Diet Medical Research

Lots of potential dieters think about the HCG diet medical research before choosing to go along with the HCG dietary program’s dieting protocol. The program’s dieting protocol was introduced by Dr. Simeons, an endocrinologist, over 50 years ago. Since that time homeopathic options restoring the HCG injection have been introduced and released to the public. This has made the formerly exclusive diet much more “accessible” and it’s no longer a diet available exclusively to the rich and famous.

In addition to being more available, the diet has become more affordable. Prescriptions and doctors have become a thing of the past. Individuals wishing to lose weight no longer have to dedicate daily trips back and forth from exclusive weight loss clinics. And the HCG diet medical research is becoming more and more accessible as well. This makes it easier for a larger number of the public to accept the amazing weight loss potential of the products.

People who stick to the protocol laid down in such a straightforward manner in the protocol drop an average of 1 to 2 pounds each day they are dieting. People who lose this much weight often receive additional benefits. Some of these additional benefits include a rise in their overall health, an rise in their general activity level, a decreased risk for many common illnesses and diseases, etcetera.  

While some question the validity of various weight loss methods none will argue with the point that insists that weight loss is a good idea for many due to health connections. There are direct connections between health and weight. And there are definite connections between weight and specific conditions that can be very serious.

A lot of experts continue to research the connection between pounds and some kinds of cancer. Cardiac disease and diabetes are all very serious and typical conditions that are more common amongst those who are overweight or suffering from the effects of obesity.

Obesity (and rampant issues of being overweight) are adding heavily to the general healthcare costs of the nation. Many see the obesity epidemic as being the most pressing issue in the country at the current time due to its far reach socially as well as its far reach geographically.

Statistics show that the propensity to be overweight or obese rises as we age. About 76% of males and 68% of females between the ages of 55 and 64 in the world are obese. This is a disturbing number when you think about all the health ramifications. Recent studies indicate that one issue plaguing the nation (and the world) is a misconception related to perception of self.

Obese individuals typically see themselves as only overweight and overweight individuals typically see themselves as simply of normal size. Experts indicate that this is due to comparative factors; the individuals they see around them on a regular basis are all of similar size so they see themselves as “normal” in comparison. As a society we need to institute rigid dedication to healthy dieting processes that provide drastic results. Studying HCG diet medical research will rise the number of individuals willing to stick to the strict protocol in order to access the drastic pounds loss.

Amelia Handley studied exercise science in college with a minor in Nutrition. Yet she still found herself veering from diet to diet in order to control her weight. With HCG Diet Direct she’s found a program that allows her to combine her desire to control her own body weight with her education and not feel off balance.

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Help Needed: Project and Research Question-Correct an Edit

Hi everyone,

I am stumpt on this preoject/research question below, any assistance would be so greatly helpful :) Thanks so much, Brittany-

CPT code 77003 is present under revenue code 320. CPT code 64490 is present under revenue code 360. An NCCI edit is present on code 77003 and reads: “Warning: Do not report CPT code 77003 in conjunction with 22586, 27096, 64479-64484, 64490-64495, 64633-64636, 0195T, 0196T or 0309T. According to the medical record, 64490 procedure was performed under fluoroscopy. How would you correct this edit?

😀

Medical Billing and Coding Forum

To Use A Set Of Coding Techniques, Memos And Research Team Conversations

Three iterations of Tween Day were completed by the research team with three unique tween samples. The locations chosen were Juicy Couture Jewellery a university campus in the city (hereafter “University”), a faith-based ministry in a culturally diverse urban neighborhood (“Ministry”), and an elementary school in a middle-class suburb twenty miles from the city (“School”). In total, thirty-four tweens participated: sixteen at University (ten females and six males; average age 11 years), five at the Ministry (two females and three males; average age 12 years), and thirteen at the School (seven females and six males; average age 11 years). The University tweens were Caucasian; the Ministry tweens were African American; and the School tweens were a mix of Caucasian, African American, Native American, and Asian/Pacific Islander. Although the participants were recruited conveniendy at each location, the combined sample of thirty-four tweens represented a diverse range of socioeconomic and ethnic groups, one roughly equivalent to the study’s geographic region, which was broadly situated in a large urban-suburban area with a population in excess of 3 million.

By systematically collecting data from three sites using identical instruments, protocols, and time frames, the research team was able to perform a thorough, cross-site analysis of the qualitative data. All data collected were Juicy Couture Necklaces rigorously checked for validity. To ensure trustworthiness, we implemented several measures as recommended by Yvonne Lincoln and Egon Cuba [49]. Dependability (or reliability) was ensured through:
Consistent note-taking and the use of multiple researchers
Using multiple, triangulated methods
Comparing emergent themes with findings from related studies
Audiotaping and transcribing interviews
Employing intercoder checks
Analyzing the data for incidents of observer effect
We addressed different forms of validity as follows:
Face validity: asked whether observations fit an expected or plausible frame of reference Criterion/internal validity: (1) pretesting instruments, (2) peer debriefing, and (3) participant verification (i.e., member checks)Construct validity: examined data with respect to the various theoretical constructs represented in the literature and pertinent to different aspects of the study (e.g., information grounds)

The qualitative data set was analyzed using a set of coding techniques, memos, and research team conversations. Major themes emerged from the data, which, at a high level, guided the analysis and permitted the team to break an enormous data set into manageable portions. These themes (e.g., information grounds, social types, affect, and information needs) or first-level codes were mapped onto the instruments’ questions to create thematic “sets” that could be analyzed using iterative pattern-coding techniques. The researchers utilized the coding and querying features of Atlas Ti 5.0 (Knowledge Workbench, Inc.) to parse the data into these thematic sets. Repeated reading of the interview transcripts, memos, and group discussions allowed the researchers to identify patterns (second-level codes) of behavior within these sets. Some patterns appeared in multiple themes, which permitted thematic bridging. Select questions that provided particularly rich data were further analyzed independent of the themes, using third-level coding schemes specific to those smaller analytic sets. The complete methodology (including instruments and techniques) is explained in detail in Meyers, Fisher, and Marcoux [50]. The resulting data amassed from fourteen focus groups and twenty-five interviews were analyzed using the aforementioned frameworks and principles, yielding unique insights into the information worlds of tweens and its social, affective, and cognitive dimensions.

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