Health Information Management

Coding corner: Cope with confusing Medicare consultation code payment changes

Medical Records Briefing, February 1, 2010

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“That is one sure way to resolve the problem of incorrect reporting of consultation codes,” says Peggy S. Blue, MPH, CPC, CCS-P, regulatory specialist at HCPro, Inc., in Marblehead, MA.

CMS did away with secondary consultations a few years ago because they were being misused and abused, says Mary Ritchie, RHIA, CCS, CCS-P, CPC, vice president of coding services and data quality at MPA Consulting, Inc., in Long Beach, CA. After that, it focused on education, trying to get physicians to understand the difference between a consultation and a visit, and a consultation and a transfer of care. 

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