Coding for Smoking Cessation - New Codes Jan 1, 2011

Smoking/Tobacco Cessation Per CMS

Leslie Johnson, CCS-P, CPC

 

Fluoroscopy to be Included with Transforaminal ESI in 2011

Fluoroscopy to be Included with Transforaminal ESI in 2011 - By Leslie Johnson, CCS-P, CPC

 

Horizon BCBS Agrees to Pay NJ ASCs $22 Million

This Just In from Outpatient Surgery:

Insurer Agrees to Pay N.J. ASCs $22M to Settle Class-Action Suit

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey has agreed to pay about $22 million to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by a group of ambulatory surgery centers over out-of-network reimbursements.

Read the full story at http://www.outpatientsurgery.net/news/2010/10/20.

CMS MedLearn Matters: Tobacco/Smoking Counseling Info Released

Learning Network MLN Matters Article #MM7133 - Counseling to Prevent Tobacco Use The Medicare Learning Network® (MLN) has released MLN Matters Article #MM7133 to inform providers that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will cover counseling services to prevent tobacco use for outpatient and hospitalized beneficiaries.

Effective for claims with dates of service on and after August 25, 2010, CMS will cover tobacco cessation counseling for outpatient and hospitalized Medicare beneficiaries

Partial (ICD-9) Code Freeze Prior to ICD-10 Implementation Announced

At the ICD-9-CM Coordination & Maintenance Committee Meeting (September 15, 2010), it was announced that the committee had finalized the decision to implement a partial freeze for both ICD-9-CM codes and ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS codes prior to implementation of ICD-10 on October 1, 2013. There was considerable support for this partial freeze.

 

The partial freeze will be implemented as follows:

 

NY State Fines Aetna $850,000

ISSUED 10/04/2010 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AETNA FINED $850,000 FOR HEALTH INSURANCE VIOLATIONS

Health insurer Aetna paid a fine of $850,000 to settle charges including incomplete disclosures on “explanation of benefit” forms to consumers, and violations of New York’s prompt pay requirements, New York State Insurance Superintendent James Wrynn announced today.

High-level E/M codes targeted for review by Highmark Medicare

High-level E/M codes targeted for review as errors spike after consult (CPT code) elmination  From DecisionHealth, Part B News: