Practice Management

Every practice is struggling to increase reimbursement and decrease overhead costs. You don't need an MBA to figure out that these two approaches are the easiest methods of increasing your net income.

If you perform a diagnostic retrograde (52005) and the insertion of a stent (52332) at the same setting, each should be billed separately.

Washington--The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has every intention of moving forward with a new pay for performance system for reimbursing physicians for their services to Medicare patients, eventually ditching the current payment scheme. But it needs help from Congress to make it happen.

Q. As a solo practitioner, must I employ an answering service to take calls when the office is closed? Would an answering machine that directs calls to my pager or cell phone be sufficient?

The American Medical Association has assigned a new CPT code, 50592, for percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of renal tumors.

Changes in coding and reimbursement are on tap for 2006, some of which are known and some of which are uncertain.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released an evaluation version of VistA-Office Electronic Health Record, an adaptation of the Veterans Health Administration electronic health record, for private physician offices.

The CCI edits reflect the way the Medicare computer has been programmed and the way you will be paid when you submit your claim.

Like many of my colleagues, you may be investing in an electronic medical record system in the near future. An essential aspect of this process is the development of a request for proposal (RFP), a checklist of your needs that will help determine which system is best for you.

Washington--Months of intensive lobbying and hard work have paid off for urologists, who now have an outside shot at a net Medicare fee schedule increase for their services, compared with the overall 4.3% reduction for 2006 announced in March.

Most urologists do not need a course in "E&M Documentation 101," but two specific documentation issues are worth clarifying.

Two significant trends are having an impact on most urology practices today. First, most practices, including my own, are experiencing a decrease in reimbursement and rising overhead expenses. This ultimately translates to a decrease in net income.

Only 14% of all medical group practices use an electronic health record (EHR), according to a study by the Medical Group Management Association Center for Research and the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis.

A new estimate shows that chronic prostatitis, especially nonbacterial prostatitis, is common in American men and that most diagnosis and treatment takes place in the primary care setting.

An e-mail survey conducted in late July 2005 asked Urology Times readers whether they would participate in the Medicare Competitive Acquisition Program (CAP) in 2006, and why they would or would not.

Q I read the article about "group shared appointments" in the Aug. 1, 2005, issue of Urology Times. Are there specific billing, coding, and documentation issues associated with this type of appointment?

By checking references, you will find out if the prospective partner is a good fit for you and your group.

San Antonio--A new estimate shows that chronic prostatitis, especially nonbacterial prostatitis, is common in American men, and that most diagnosis and treatment takes place in primary care.

Coding for cystourethroscopy

A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate last month would increase Medicare physician reimbursement by 2.7% in 2006.

Nearly every practice is increasing the use of technology to improve office efficiency, enhance reimbursement, and increase patient satisfaction. Nearly every practice has or is considering implementing an electronic medical record, creating a robust interactive web site, networking their computers, and using electronic claims submission and a claims scrubber to ensure that claims are processed more quickly to increase your practice's cash flow.

This year, you have a unique opportunity to improve your income by providing more services in the office.

Washington--Federal officials, after considering arguments and concerns presented by urologists and others, have decided to continue coverage for nearly 100 procedures performed in ambulatory surgical centers, including three urologic procedures, instead of removing them from the approved list as had been previously proposed.

Istanbul, Turkey--Biofeedback physical therapy and pelvic floor re-education appear to offer symptomatic improvement in men with chronic pelvic pain syndrome type III, Dutch researchers say. The techniques appear to work by improving relaxation and demonstrating proper use of pelvic floor muscles.

My question concerns a difficult Foley insertion. If the physician wants to charge for the complicated insertion (51703), shouldn't the reason why it was complicated be documented?

Welcome to San Antonio, the city Mark Twain once called one of the four unique cities in the United States. The others—Boston, New Orleans, and San Francisco—are special in their own right, but none of them have the Alamo or the River Walk so close at hand that AUA meeting attendees can visit them on their lunch break. You'll be amazed at all there is to see and do in San Antonio. Use this list of attractions, presented in alphabetical order, to plan your days here. (Note that the area code for all phone numbers is 210, unless indicated otherwise.)

Linthicum, MD--AUA and Physician Reimbursement Systems (PRS) have teamed with Watson Pharmaceuticals to make AUACodingToday.com free to all AUA members and members of the AUA Practice Managers' Network.

San Francisco--Environmental factors have emerged as potential contributors to genetic anomalies affecting male genitalia, according to studies reported at the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Urology annual meeting.

San Francisco--Environmental factors have emerged as potential contributors to genetic anomalies affecting male genitalia, according to studies reported at the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Urology annual meeting.

A number of questions still surround coding and reimbursement for in-office drug injections. As a result, this article will take a slightly different approach, using a "frequently asked questions" format. I?ll repeat the questions I?ve been asked about the new drug payments at seminars and via phone and e-mail, and attempt to give you straight answers to the best of my understanding.