The below articles are all published in BC advantage
Magazine and written and contributed by Betty
Hovey, BSHAM, CCS-P, CDIP, CPC, COC, CPMA, CPCD, CPB, CPC-
Betty Hovey, BSHAM, CCS-P, CDIP, CPC, COC, CPMA, CPCD, CPB, CPC- Senior Consultant/Owner
at Compliant Health Care Solutions
The Stability Factor: Documenting Chronic Exacerbated Conditions
I have been in the healthcare field for more than 35 years, and remember when we didn't have Evaluation and Management (E/M) codes. Then, we went through the 1995 and 1997 guidelines from CMS. All the elements, boxes, borders – UGH! Now, we have a cl...
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2024 ICD-10-CM Code Changes
It's that time of the year again. The new ICD-10-CM code books are out, and the changes are now active. There are 395 new diagnosis codes, 25 deleted codes, and 12 revised codes for 2024. As a healthcare professional, the ability to...
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The Audit Process
I hold a LinkedIn Live broadcast called Health Care Happenings that also airs on Facebook and YouTube every other Thursday, in which I discuss different healthcare topics. I recently did a three-part series on auditing: Preparing for the Audit, Perf...
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The CERT Program: What It Is and What a Practice Needs to Know
The Comprehensive Error Rate Testing (CERT) program is a crucial component of the Medicare program that helps ensure the government is paying only for the services and care that beneficiaries actually receive. The program is designed to identify impr...
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2023 E/M Changes: What’s Coming?
When the American Medical Association (AMA) revised the Office/Other Outpatient Services codes in 2021, it was the largest change to E/M codes in decades. The AMA has now turned its attention to the rest of the section, with massive changes com...
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Is the Global Surgical Package in Danger?
The proposed rule for the 2023 Medicare Physician Schedule was released at the beginning of July. It contains 2,066 pages of proposed additions, deletions, and revisions for the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and other Part B payment policies. ...
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What's Your EQ?
Most people have had interactions with physicians who are intelligent, nice people but have awful bed-side manners. Or a practice manager that seems oblivious to staff members' feelings or personal situations. ...
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2022 E/M Clarifications Continue
I had the pleasure of attending the 2022 CPT Symposium November 17-19. It is a great conference that the AMA puts on each year where the physicians who make the codes discuss the changes coming for the following year.
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2022 ICD-10-CM Guideline Updates
Well, we are nearing the end of the year, so we all know what that means: coding updates! The ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS updates went into effect October 1st and CPT and HCPCS II codes will go into effect on January 1st. This article will h...
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Is Zoom Fatigue a Thing?
Have you ever felt lately that your day is one big Zoom call? You have not left your desk all day, your eyes are burning, and your brain is too foggy to concentrate anymore. You pray that no one saw you doze off for 10 minutes while the C...
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Telehealth and the OIG Work Plan
The pandemic and the public health emergency (PHE) it brought along with it, have changed how health care is delivered. Commercial payors have been more amenable to paying for telehealth services in prior years.
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New Regulatory Changes May Help Expand Telehealth Usage
The COVID pandemic has changed the way that healthcare delivery is viewed. Telehealth services, although used prior to the pandemic, really increased when states had stay at home orders and restrictions. People still needed to get medical...
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2021 E/M Changes: Are You Ready
The last big change for Evaluation and Management (E/M) coding was in 2010 when Medicare stopped accepting consultations. Not since 1997 have the guidelines gone through such a big adjustment. Due to the pandemic, though, many pract...
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New Category 3 Codes for Telehealth
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, a lot of people in a lot of states were ordered to "shelter in place" which meant that meant no going anywhere non-essential, including physician visits. In Illinois, if a person was considering going to the E...
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The Importance of Anatomy and Pathophysiology on the Road to ICD-10-CM
By: Betty Hovey, CPC, CPC-I, CPMA, CCS-P, CPC-H, CPCD ICD-10-CM is one of the biggest changes to hit healthcare in quite some time. ICD-9-CM is over 30 years old and cannot stand up to today's complex world of healthcare. Many coders, billers, an...
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