Practice Management

Your financial policy should represent your practice's philosophy and collection goals.

Washington--When 2006 began, there was somewhat of a mess in Washington involving Medicare reimbursement, and that was especially true for urologists. At press time, some of those issues were being resolved, but, even so, there will likely be fallout that will at least inconvenience urologists and their staffs.

The plaintiff's attorney has a professional and ethical obligation to represent his or her client with their best interest to the fullest extent of the law.

How do I charge for a patient sent from a nursing home for a consult who, upon evaluation, required a cystoscopy?

A statement in a recent "Coding Q&A" article discussing codes 52005 and 52332 was incorrect (Urology Times, January 2006, page 26).

I will leave the reimbursement issues to the expert, Ray Painter, MD, but I would like to focus on overhead and practice efficiency.

Ray Painter, MD As we move into the new year, urologists face three major issues affecting reimbursement: the need for improved data, a change in the Competitive Acquisition Program (CAP), and the inclusion of Medicare Part A in the average sales price/least costly alternative (ASP/LCA) payment process for Part B drugs.

Current AACU President Peter C. Albertsen, MD, discusses the role of AACU?s recently formed State Society Network, the upcoming AACU-AUA Joint Advocacy Conference in Washington, recent lobbying successes, and ongoing legislative issues.

Laserscope, San Jose, CA, has announced that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has published a technical revision to the 2006 Medicare physician few schedule.

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.