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"Ultimately, it is best to report CPT 50548 (only) for the performance of a typical laparoscopic nephroureterectomy," write Jonathan Rubenstein, MD, and Mark Painter.

"Although the Medicare physician fee schedule, which is typically the primary focus of many of our discussions, is what is used to determine physician payment for a service, payment for an ASC is governed by separate rules," write Jonathan Rubenstein, MD, and Mark Painter.

The request comes amid growing concerns about the rule’s implications for businesses and employees nationwide.

Some Ascension hospitals continue to divert ambulances to other facilities for emergency treatment, but some of the system’s hospitals are accepting all patients.

Urologist Alex Shteynshlyuger, MD, and others have argued that insurance companies should compensate physicians and their staff for the time spent compiling patient records for payers to review before authorizing treatments.

"In general, risk is related to return: the higher the risk, the higher the potential return; the lower the risk, the lower the potential return," writes Jeff Witz, CFP.

In the world of health care, factors such as remote care, complex IT environments, and connected health care devices are creating new avenues for cybercriminals to target.

"We felt that it was important to again address this topic because we have received numerous questions regarding the correct use of this code and we have had some experience using the code now that it is active and been able to observe some of the initial payment processing by the payer," write Jonathan Rubenstein, MD, and Mark Painter.

"There are opportunities for doctors to become more productive, to see more patients, and to avoid the erosion of their incomes," writes Neil Baum, MD.

"To answer this question, one must know what is and is not included in the global payment for the UDS, and the definition and instructions for appropriate use of modifier 25," write Jonathan Rubenstein, MD, and Mark Painter.

"At a time when patients are increasingly concerned about prescription drugs, this information will provide a useful starting point for making essential medications as affordable as possible," says Ruchika Talwar, MD.

"Use code 51702 for the routine insertion of an indwelling bladder catheter, such as a Foley," write Jonathan Rubenstein, MD, and Mark Painter.

"At age 73, you must start taking distributions from the account in the form of required minimum distributions (RMDs), which are typically taxable. This means you must include the RMD in your income and pay income tax on the distributed amount," writes Jeff Witz, CFP.

"Good public and economic policy must align costs, benefits, and incentives; currently, all costs are incurred by physician practices, and all financial savings and benefits from prior authorization accrue to health insurance plans, leading to perverse incentives,” says Alex Shteynshlyuger, MD.

"The implications for urology, and every specialty, are immense. It does improve care, and it helps the patient. I think this is what it will be, it just may take some time," says Vipul Patel, MD.

"Per CPT coding instructions, when procedures or services performed by physicians do not have a valid or descriptive CPT or Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) code, the service should be reported using an unlisted code," write Jonathan Rubenstein, MD, and Mark Painter.

In this episode of Speaking of Urology®, Eugene Rhee, MD, MBA, and Logan Galansky, MD, discuss key topics in health policy and recap the AUA's recent Annual Urology Advocacy Summit.

“What is becoming increasingly evident is that the traditional health care model is falling short for patients in rural regions,” says Ramy Abou Ghayda, MD, MPH, MBA candidate.

The EdgeFlow UH10 bladder scanner utilizes high-resolution ultrasound imaging to non-invasively measure postvoid residual urine in the bladder.

"[Telemedicine] really has demonstrated itself to be a tool that can be used in a variety of ways, according to the discretion and ingenuity of the urologist," says Aaron Spitz, MD.

The AACU is excited to announce its March 19, 2024 8PM EST webinar with Congressman Murphy.

In this interview, Joshua Langston, MD, highlights a session on Medicare reimbursement reform from the 7th Annual AUA Urology Advocacy Summit.

"An excess contribution into a Roth IRA can be a hassle, but it is correctible," writes Jeff Witz, CFP.

For 90-tablet prescriptions, the greatest costs saving were observed for solifenacin and oxybutynin, used for overactive bladder, and tadalafil, used for erectile dysfunction

"Urologists may wish to review their policies for patient portal, responding to requests for records, and supporting the concept of a shared electronic record," writes Robert A. Dowling, MD.

Health care practitioners utilizing telemedicine, regardless of the modality, must be cognizant of the many pitfalls of violating the rules regulating patient confidentiality as established by federal and state privacy laws.

"As investigational therapies and devices make their way through the approval process and into practice, urologists should stay abreast of early clinical results and may look to publicly available information for costs and utilization trends," writes Robert A. Dowling, MD.

Independent health care practices rely on online ratings and reviews to attract new patients and establish themselves as leading, recognizable providers in their community.

Prior authorizations for medical care will become quicker and easier, while saving money, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

"At MIU, we host many ancillary services, including complete ultrasound services, UroCuff, urodynamics, PTNS [percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation], full laboratory and pathology services, Xofigo [radium-223]," says Jason M. Hafron, MD.