Medical Billers and Coders

  The acute shortage of general surgeons is evident in the Occupational Outlook Handbook of the Bureau of Labor Statistics which states that only 5% of physicians were general surgeons in the year 2007, and the situation has not improved since. In fact, the shortage of general surgeons is getting worse and is projected to worsen in the future. The role of a general surgeon cannot be underestimated in a country where the population is increasing and millions more are receiving health insurance due to the reforms. The population of the country is estimated to grow by more than 30 million by the year 2020 and the country’s baby boomer population and the population of old people would be very high. This would certainly put humungous pressure on general surgeons and have manifold consequences for general surgeons as well as for the health industry. A hospital revenue bond is a type of municipal bond that finances the construction of new facilities or upgrades for existing ho...

  Surgical Assistants Practices lose insurance reimbursement by incorrectly billing surgical assistants. In such cases, the major reason for claim denials is to use the wrong modifier/ not use the modifier. In this blog, we tried to cover every aspect of billing for surgical assistants including defining surgical assistants, billing guidelines, reimbursement policies, and accurate use of modifiers. Surgical assistance services can be provided by a Health Care Professional other than a Physician (i.e., Physician Assistants (PA), Nurse Practitioners (NP), or Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS) in accordance with the requirements outlined in Medicare Claims Processing Manual Chapter 12. Surgical assistants include co-surgeons, assistant-at-surgery, and team surgeons. Co-Surgeons are defined as two or more surgeons, where the skills of both surgeons are necessary to perform distinct parts of a specific operative procedure. Co-surgery is always performed during the same operative sessi...

Medical billing and coding for general surgery are not as simple as you think. Besides being educated in procedures ranging from hernia repair to bladder surgery, the billing and coding staff need to be knowledgeable in the proper use of the global surgical package, modifiers for surgeon roles and same-day procedures, and citations for unlisted procedures. Mistakes can lead to lower reimbursements and cause compliance issues. The General Surgery Billing Pitfalls are issues that many hospitals and medical facilities experience and can be avoided with practice and patience. General Surgery Billing Pitfalls A medical billing, coding, and  revenue cycle management  association can assist your billing staff by performing periodic audit risk assessments, helping minimize compliance issues, and helping your practice bill more efficiently and effectively. Depending on your facility’s general surgery practice needs, you may also benefit from outsourcing all or part of your billing, cod...

  General surgery medical billing  involves a variety of procedures. Procedures under the general surgery category must be performed by a  physician  who is fully credentialed and qualified to perform these surgeries. Medical billing for general surgery practices requires a certain level of expertise and skill. One of the biggest challenges general surgery practitioners are facing is concerned with patient care; instead, many of today’s care providers are concerned with the business side of health care, especially concerning medical billing and coding. General Surgery Medical Billing Challenges with Billing Coverage Billing Errors It is estimated that up to 78% of medical bills contain errors. Insurance companies are very strict on correct medical billing and  coding  practices, and even the smallest mistake can cause an insurance company to reject a medical billing claim. Most general surgery professionals are worried about patient care. Read more r...

Physicians in general surgery are facing an uphill task of medical billing keeping in check the different needs of the facilities and keeping a tab on the effective revenue cycle management to look for frequent denials and which of the claims need more efficient coding. The channel of insurance payment has been one of the most straining factors for general surgery physicians today affecting the bottom line of the revenue and in turn affecting the facility.  Individual physicians have the high cost of staffing and also   revenue management   which has led to many of them being absorbed by groups acquired by the hospital. General Surgery is one such facility that has seen a rise in individual costs and most of the facilities are either in the group or combined with hospitals. Tracking different types of patient care from appointment scheduling to registration and different steps for collection of the balance fall under the revenue cycle management. The healthcare revenue cy...

For a surgeon or medical practitioner, group practice, or clinic, insights into how specialty medical billing works can be a scary task. A billing agent that does not bill the sittings correctly misses deadlines, or does inadequate follow-up can have an abysmal effect on your facilities’ bottom line. However, a well-organized billing service cannot only simplify and improve your practice but also greatly improve both your income cycle and cash flow. At Medical Billers and Coders our specialist team is well trained in general and specialty surgery charging. For a general surgery practice to be financially successful, special attention must be paid to a number of factors, right from patient information and coding the full scope of services to following the Current Procedural Terminology codes and the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System guidelines. Keep in mind that insurance provider payments are largely determined by these categories, and it is imperative that all information and ...

  For a surgeon or medical practitioner, group practice, or clinic, insights into how specialty medical billing works can be a scary task. A billing agent that does not bill the sittings correctly misses deadlines, or does inadequate follow-up can have an abysmal effect on your facilities’ bottom line. However, a well-organized billing service cannot only simplify and improve your practice but also greatly improve both your income cycle and cash flow. At Medical Billers and Coders our specialist team is well trained in general and specialty surgery charging. For a general surgery practice to be financially successful, special attention must be paid to a number of factors, right from patient information and coding the full scope of services to following the Current Procedural Terminology codes and the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System guidelines. Keep in mind that insurance provider payments are largely determined by these categories, and it is imperative that all informatio...