What we need is for people to submit a comment, and to spread the word that hyperbaric oxygen therapy is in a crisis.
Blog Posts About Wound Care Economics
Modifications Needed to Wound Center EHR to Support DME Orders for Dressings
Your EHR will need to be modified to meet the DME documentation requirement burden (and if you think the list below is ridiculous – it is, but it’s still required).
Listen to a Podcast with Dr. Helen Gelly, “How to Get Your Wound Clinic Through an Audit”
On your drive home, check out this podcast with Helen Gelly MD, FUHM, FACCWS, UHM/ABPM, “How to Get Your Wound Clinic Through an Audit.”
HBOT Facility Payments are Under Attack (Physician Supervision is Next…)
We need individuals at all training levels to comment on the proposed changes that CMS is proposing in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) for the technical payment of HBOT.
PRESS RELEASE: New Study in Journal of Medical Economics Shows Decrease in Chronic Wound Medicare Costs Amid Increase in Chronic Wound Prevalence
Over 2014-2019, the number of Medicare beneficiaries with chronic wounds increased 13% to 10.5 million amid a surprising 20% reduction in chronic wound expenditures. Researchers seek to explain why, and what the policy implications may be.
The Lymphedema Treatment Act Passed!
The LTA will improve insurance coverage for the medically necessary, doctor-prescribed compression supplies that are the cornerstone of lymphedema treatment.
Medicare Posts Final Rule for 2024 Policy Changes to Medicare Advantage Plans – Review of Medical Necessity Requirements
Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine IS a recognized medical subspecialty so that might help patients obtain necessary HBOT treatments.
Medicare Posts Final Rule for 2024 Policy Changes to Medicare Advantage Plans
The rule goes into effect Jan 1, 2024. Whether this will make MA less of a Medicare DIS-advantage is yet to be seen.
Are Verbal Orders Prohibited?
There are no federal regulatory prohibitions on the use of verbal orders, although CMS frowns upon verbal orders in the context of medications.
Give Yourself the Gift of an Audit
A self-audit is a miserable “gift” to give yourself, but a real audit is a gift that just keeps on giving when you are not prepared.
Reminder: 10 Days Until the Close of the 2022 MIPS Data Submission Period
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has opened the data submission period for Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) eligible clinicians who participated in the 2022 performance year of the Quality Payment Program (QPP).
RAC Provider Audits and Why You Need to Worry
If you want to know what topics the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) are auditing,...
Watch Session 4 of the Intellicure Webinar Series: Keeping Your Payments — After An Audit — Is In Your Control
On Wed., Oct. 26, Dr. Caroline Fife and Kathleen D. Schaum presented the fourth and final session...
Watch Session 3 of the Intellicure Webinar Series: Keeping Your Payments — After An Audit — Is In Your Control
On Wed., Oct. 19, Dr. Caroline Fife and Kathleen D. Schaum presented the third session of...
Watch Session 2 of the Intellicure Webinar Series: Keeping Your Payments — After An Audit — Is In Your Control
On Wed., Oct. 5, Dr. Caroline Fife and Kathleen D. Schaum presented the second session of...
Homework from Audit Session One
Kathleen Schaum provided the first of 4 free sessions on "Keeping your Payment after an Audit."...
Watch Session 1 of the Intellicure Webinar Series: Keeping Your Payments — After An Audit — Is In Your Control
On Wed., Sept. 28, Dr. Caroline Fife and Kathleen D. Schaum held the first session of...
Join Our Integral 4-Part Webinar Series on Audits!
Please join Dr. Caroline Fife and Kathleen D. Schaum as they discuss the keys to keeping your...
The Devil in the Documentation Details of the Proposed Novitas LCD on “Skin Substitutes” – Part 5
In case you think you are safe because you live in another MAC jurisdiction, it’s the same as the First Coast policy and it won’t surprise me to see all the MACs adopt the same (flawed) policies.
The Devil in the Documentation Details of the Proposed Novitas LCD on “Skin Substitutes” – Part 4
This is Part 4 of the list of what you need to document (per the proposed rule) if you want to use a skin substitute (CTP) for a DFU or VLU.
The Devil in the Documentation Details of the Proposed Novitas LCD on “Skin Substitutes” – Part 3
Novitas is going to limit clinicians to 2 applications of a “specific skin substitute” over the 12-week period defined by the date of the first application.
The Devil in the Documentation Details of the Proposed Novitas LCD on “Skin Substitutes” – Part 2
I am not even halfway through the details of the proposed policy, so stay tuned for more.
The Devil in the Documentation Details of the Proposed Novitas LCD on “Skin Substitutes” – Part 1
If you want to present comments on any of the proposed policies in the Novitas LCD, sign up to attend the Open Meeting.
Wound Repair CPT® Codes
When it comes to CPT® coding, wound repair is typically classified as simple, intermediate, or complex.
Is Collagen Billable Following Elective Procedures?
Some providers dispense surgical dressings to patients and submit coding for the dressings to third party payers in exchange for payment.
The MACs are Back… With TPE Audits
Targeted Probe and Educate (TPE) audits were briefly suspended for COVID-19, but now they are back.
The Future of Wound Infections – at the APWCA Meeting This Week in Philadelphia
Great opportunities to advance wound care knowledge, this week in Philadelphia!
Coding During the Postoperative Global Period
Many wound care – related procedures, including some amputations and certain incision and drainage services, carry with them a 10 or 90-day postoperative global period.
CMS Releases the Final Rules of the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and the Hospital Outpatient Payment System
CMS has released the final rules of the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) and the Hospital Outpatient Payment System (HOPPS).
Debridement Auditing – It’s All About the Benchmarking
Benchmarking allows you to visualize whether you might raise a red flag with an auditor, since we know they have been auditing debridement services.
WATCH THIS: Trends in Wound Care Audits & Denials, with Dr. Caroline Fife and Dr. Helen Gelly
Last week, Dr. Caroline Fife and Dr. Helen Gelly enjoyed a relaxed, unscripted conversation about...
How the Tiniest Details Impact Wound Care Revenue & Revenue Cycle Management
In the world of Revenue Cycle Management, attention to detail is no laughing matter. A seemingly minor error can lead to decreased reimbursement, cash flow delays, patient dissatisfaction and complete denial of payment.
The 2022 Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule is Open for Comment
These proposed “rules” are hundreds of pages and filled with jargon. However, the details will control how physicians get paid in 2022.
What Exactly is a Separately Identifiable Evaluation & Management?
When a significant and separately identifiable E&M and a procedure are both performed, the documentation of the encounter must clearly reflect two separate services with no overlap in work between the E&M and the procedure.
Life-Saving Tech Is Here, So Let’s Use It
It’s finally possible to have the tools you need for outpatient wound management seamlessly integrated into the hospital EHR.
Survey Analysis: Wound Center Leadership Pressured for Higher Volumes
Earlier this month, the US Wound Registry conducted a market research survey intended to better...
Debridement Audits – What Documentation Is Required?
Proper documentation for surgical debridement is going to take a lot of engagement with your EHR vendor.