CodeCast | Medical Billing and Coding Insights

Under the Health Insurance Accountability and Portability Act (HIPAA) healthcare providers must maintain the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of all ePHI created and transmitted by a covered entity.

But what about text messaging? Do text messages fall under HIPAA or Civil Rights laws?

In this episode of the CodeCast Podcast, Terry addresses how texting, as a form of communicating ePHI, can put a practice at some level of risk.

She also shares some safeguards you can put into play now to protect your practice.

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If you’d like to become a sponsor of the CodeCast podcast please contact us directly for pricing: https://www.terryfletcher.net/contact/

The Top 10 Tuesday Q&A returns this week with questions from all over the country. Terry addresses a number of topics pulled directly from the top onDemand Coding Corner network questions, such as “cheat sheets”, Telehealth, OIG insight, and finger injections to name a few.

Ms. Fletcher also covers questions about whether afterhours care is a billable service, while ICD-10-CM finds its way into several of the questions on today’s show.

Join us for our fun interactive topic of Coding Q&A this week, as well as a sneak peek at a new topic of “Best Practices” patient payment improvement tips.

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You can subscribe to our podcasts via:

* iTunes – https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/codecast-medical-billing-coding-insights/id1305926627

* Google Play Music – https://play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/Ia47t6quqphhsanlzpajk37yiga

* Stitcher – http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=156874

* TuneIn – https://tunein.com/radio/CodeCast–Medical-Billing-p1056702/

If you’d like to become a sponsor of the CodeCast podcast please contact us directly for pricing: https://www.terryfletcher.net/contact/

Simple mistakes can always make life harder for any healthcare or business professional. But in a medical coding and billing office, these simple mistakes can lead to thousands of dollars in lost revenue for physicians and their practices.

This episode of the CodeCast Podcast not only focuses on how to easily fix these simple mistakes, plus tackles patient satisfaction tips that can also impact your bottom line. Terry also closes out the show with important questions and answers about the sensitive topic of “transgender” coding and documentation along with its reimbursement challenges.

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You can subscribe to our podcasts via:

* iTunes – https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/codecast-medical-billing-coding-insights/id1305926627

* Google Play Music – https://play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/Ia47t6quqphhsanlzpajk37yiga

* Stitcher – http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=156874

* TuneIn – https://tunein.com/radio/CodeCast–Medical-Billing-p1056702/

If you’d like to become a sponsor of the CodeCast podcast please contact us directly for pricing: https://www.terryfletcher.net/contact/

In this episode of the CodeCast Podcast Terry addresses how, and when, to “query” a physician and/or provider to clarify patient health record accuracy. A physician query can be used as a communication tool when there are conflicting, imprecise, incomplete, ambiguous or inconsistent documentation entries in a patient medical record. In addition, you will also learn when it is important, and appropriate, to query a physician.

Terry offers 12 tips to assist you in writing an effective query that will get the answers you need to do your job as a coding and billing professional. Ms. Fletcher will also share AHIMA’s insight to this important daily job function of every coder.

Subscribe and Listen

You can subscribe to our podcasts via:

* iTunes – https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/codecast-medical-billing-coding-insights/id1305926627

* Google Play Music – https://play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/Ia47t6quqphhsanlzpajk37yiga

* Stitcher – http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=156874

* TuneIn – https://tunein.com/radio/CodeCast–Medical-Billing-p1056702/

If you’d like to become a sponsor of the CodeCast podcast please contact us directly for pricing: https://www.terryfletcher.net/contact/

This week Terry takes a left turn to talk about a lost topic in the medical coding and billing industry: “burnout”.

Physician Burnout Phenomenon has been a frequent topic not only on this show but throughout the industry. But what about staff burnout?

Someone on the medical staff is the first face a patient sees when they come to the physician’s office. As medical industry professionals, it’s just as important to address the business office, and their potential for burnout, as it is the physician.

This week Terry offers her thoughts on what burnout really means with ten tips to not only avoid it but to understand the work/life balance and how to slow down if you are heading in that direction.

We hope you join us for this important discussion and gain tips you can use in your daily professional and personal life for success.

Subscribe and Listen

You can subscribe to our podcasts via:

* iTunes – https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/codecast-medical-billing-coding-insights/id1305926627

* Google Play Music – https://play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/Ia47t6quqphhsanlzpajk37yiga

* Stitcher – http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=156874

* TuneIn – https://tunein.com/radio/CodeCast–Medical-Billing-p1056702/

If you’d like to become a sponsor of the CodeCast podcast please contact us directly for pricing: https://www.terryfletcher.net/contact/

During the month of May, Terry was flooded with coding, billing, and reimbursement questions which came from all over the country. That can mean only one thing: it’s time for another Top 10 Tuesday Q&A!

Today’s episodes answer questions focused on Dermatology, Orthopedic Surgery, Cardiology, Vascular, General Practice and HIPAA, with a little ICD-10-CM thrown in.

She’ll also discuss some information that will help most practices deal with NPP reimbursement from a “certain commercial payer”.

There are also some special announcements you won’t want to miss.

Subscribe and Listen

You can subscribe to our podcasts via:

* iTunes – https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/codecast-medical-billing-coding-insights/id1305926627

* Google Play Music – https://play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/Ia47t6quqphhsanlzpajk37yiga

* Stitcher – http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=156874

* TuneIn – https://tunein.com/radio/CodeCast–Medical-Billing-p1056702/

If you’d like to become a sponsor of the CodeCast podcast please contact us directly for pricing: https://www.terryfletcher.net/contact/

Failing an audit?

Inaccurate scores?

Lower reimbursements?

Don’t worry! Terry has you covered on today’s episode, which gets into detail regarding the pitfalls of physician documentation. The discussion revolves around the lack of certain elements of the history, to include Chief Complaint and HPI, and how leaving out important elements of documentation could drastically change the level of service and loss of revenue if you are not accurate and careful.

Auditors are bound by documentation rules: physicians need to be aware those rules are not only for their patient’s protection but theirs as well.

Today’s show will help give you the insight needed to make sure you are audit-proof in your documentation efforts.

Subscribe and Listen

You can subscribe to our podcasts via:

* iTunes – https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/codecast-medical-billing-coding-insights/id1305926627

* Google Play Music – https://play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/Ia47t6quqphhsanlzpajk37yiga

* Stitcher – http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=156874

* TuneIn – https://tunein.com/radio/CodeCast–Medical-Billing-p1056702/

If you’d like to become a sponsor of the CodeCast podcast please contact us directly for pricing: https://www.terryfletcher.net/contact/

Our lives are becoming more and more remote controlled. You can now earn a degree online, shop with the click of a button, or manage other aspects of your life with the click of a button from computer or smartphone.

The same can now be said for our health. Managing your health from a distance is becoming increasingly popular.

Telehealth and Telemedicine is the process of managing health via telephone, video, email or any other technological option. Today’s podcast focuses on the advantages telemedicine services offer in 2018. Now more than ever these services can build a better practice and client base while attracting new patients.

This topic was discussed briefly in 2017, but nearly halfway through 2018, the concept of Telehealth is heating up all over the country. You do not want to be left behind!

Listen in for some tips on making informed decisions for implementing Telehealth services into your practice and reducing practice costs.

Subscribe and Listen

You can subscribe to our podcasts via:

* iTunes – https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/codecast-medical-billing-coding-insights/id1305926627

* Google Play Music – https://play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/Ia47t6quqphhsanlzpajk37yiga

* Stitcher – http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=156874

* TuneIn – https://tunein.com/radio/CodeCast–Medical-Billing-p1056702/

If you’d like to become a sponsor of the CodeCast podcast please contact us directly for pricing: https://www.terryfletcher.net/contact/

It’s time to have a PEP talk on today’s show!

A PEP (Physician Education Program) makes sure your physicians are meeting basic standards for Risk Adjustment Data Validation (RADV) process for Medicare.

RADV is the process of verifying that chronic diagnosis codes submitted for payment by the Medicare Advantage organizations are supported by medical record documentation for the patient.

Physicians may receive an audit of these records at any time.

With MIPS and MACRA (and the reporting which goes along with them) there is no time like the present to have a PEP talk with the physicians. Terry shares her expertise on these conversations, that you should be having NOW.

Today’s show will be your daily motivation to help build confidence as you prepare to speak to your physicians and clinicians about this important subject.

Subscribe and Listen

You can subscribe to our podcasts via:

* iTunes – https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/codecast-medical-billing-coding-insights/id1305926627

* Google Play Music – https://play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/Ia47t6quqphhsanlzpajk37yiga

* Stitcher – http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=156874

* TuneIn – https://tunein.com/radio/CodeCast–Medical-Billing-p1056702/

If you’d like to become a sponsor of the CodeCast podcast please contact us directly for pricing: https://www.terryfletcher.net/contact/

Our latest informative episode revisits coding and billing of services by mid-level providers and making sure physicians and medical practices are compliant with Medicare and third-party payer rules.

The “incident to” term is defined and discussed with examples to clarify if you are reporting these services correctly and would withstand an audit.

We’ll also discuss Shared Visits, as an extension of these services as well as supervision requirements.

Subscribe and Listen

You can subscribe to our podcasts via:

* iTunes – https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/codecast-medical-billing-coding-insights/id1305926627

* Google Play Music – https://play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/Ia47t6quqphhsanlzpajk37yiga

* Stitcher – http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=156874

* TuneIn – https://tunein.com/radio/CodeCast–Medical-Billing-p1056702/

If you’d like to become a sponsor of the CodeCast podcast please contact us directly for pricing: https://www.terryfletcher.net/contact/