Practice Management

As Congress moves toward possible approval of a new prescription drug program for Medicare recipients later this summer, how payments for cancer drugs and therapeutic services are determined may well hang in the balance.

Q: Recently it seems I am getting a significant number of patients whose appointments are very time-consuming. Although I can quickly ascertain their chief complaints, do the examination, and determine the treatments, it takes a long time to go over the various diagnoses, the treatment options, and risks. Frequently, I go over the information two or three times before I can leave the exam room. I'm unclear about billing visits based on time. Must I meet the regular documentation criteria in addition to charting the time I spent? How is time documented? Do I count the time spent with the patient during the entire encounter or do I separate out the time I spent discussing diagnoses, treatment options, etc.?

Q: I am aware that there are several "site specific" biopsy codes that can be used by dermatologists, such as biopsy of the ear (69100), penis (54100), eyelid (67810) and lip. My question regards the CPT code 40490 (biopsy of the lip).

There are signs that House Republicans and the Bush Administration may be preparing to pull out the stops to pass malpractice reform legislation this year as a way to placate physicians who face another projected reduction in Medicare reimbursement levels next year.

HIPAA is finally in effect! I must say this has been a momentous day in my office, as we have been busily preparing for the ultimate in patient privacy protection for the past year. Even though my office had to file an extension, as did all other dermatologists and governmental agencies, I assure you we have a plan that will "knock your socks off," as we commonly say in North Carolina. Prior to this time, I used to lay awake at night wondering who was going to break into my office and steal patient charts. Why, one of my recurring nightmares was opening the office door, only to find a completely bare chart rack. Can you imagine the horror of having to report this catastrophe to the police? But worry no more, I sleep at night knowing that my office is under 24-hour surveillance by a security guard and my HIPAA

Action by Congress last month wiping out the expected 4.4 percent Medicare reimbursement cut and replacing it with a 1.6 percent increase came just in time for doctors to decide whether to participate in the federal healthcare program for the remainder of this year.

Relationships with payers range from quite content to quite contentious, but physicians are beginning to reap huge rewards from lobbying efforts aimed to stop the bundling of procedures and to boost reimbursement up to Medicare levels.

Many dermatologists perform pathology services in their offices. Some read their own slides and purchase the slide (e.g., the technical component from an outside reference laboratory), some have a totally equipped office laboratory and make and read their own slides, while others still don't do any of these services but just bill the insurance company for them.

Their plight is one told a countless number of times by the press: a physician in a high-risk specialty endures medical liability premiums of $200,000 a year or more - a price that is so debilitating that the doctor is forced to limit services, retire early, or move to a state with medical liability reforms that keep premiums more stable.

Despite the combined fiscal pressures of a defense buildup, promised tax cuts, and a growing federal deficit, intense pressure by physicians - including dermatologists - has resulted in a 1.6 percent Medicare physician-reimbursement increase rather than the 4.4 percent cut that had been slated for 2003.

With the new Republican-controlled 108th Congress now in business, there is an improved chance that lawmakers will get the message about sky-rocketing cost of malpractice insurance and provide some relief.

Dr. Derm runs a small, efficient, single-physician dermatology practice. He is a participant in many managed care plans, accepts Medicare payments and has no interest in changing either the thrust or the way he operates his practice.

Q: My doctors commonly use the following example in their dictation: "IDN back, no other suspicious lesions noted on complete general cutaneous skin exam." Would this documentation support a 99213, 99202, or 99242 level of care since six body areas are required to meet the documentation guidelines for the examination?

Not only did dermatologists not get relief from the Medicare payment cuts imposed in 2002 because of a fee schedule glitch, now more cuts are on the way unless the

Enhanced solidarity. These two words sum up what Boni E. Elewski, M.D., wants to accomplish during her tenure as president of the American Academy of Dermatology, beginning in February 2004. Dr. Elewski, a Birmingham, Ala., dermatologist, becomes president-elect of the academy in March.

Medicare spending for hospital outpatient services will increase by nearly 6 percent in 2003 under a final regulation published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services late in October. However, the new rate schedule will reduce reimbursement of some drugs significantly, including blood products, medical devices, and high-technology procedures that do not require an overnight stay.

Now that many of us have been online for a number of years, we are getting as many as 200 e-mails a day from friends, family, business associates, and spanners.

New Orleans -- Running an efficient office is a matter of combining myriad criteria, among them productivity, capacity utilization, and managing and turning over accounts receivables. While traditional benchmarks are a natural fit for these areas of practice management, a fourth is the sole responsibility of the physician - managing the productivity and satisfaction in the daily work environment.

I live in a small town in North Carolina known as High Point. High Point was so named because it was the highest point on the railroad line that connected New York with Florida. Due to the excellent transportation and the abundance of hardwood trees in the area, High Point became the center for furniture manufacturing in the United States. The surrounding area is scattered with about 250 furniture companies producing everything from one-of-a-kind hand-carved treasures to buy-it-in-a-box-and-build-it furniture. It is the location of the International Home Furnishings Market, which occurs twice a year and brings people from all over

It is not uncommon for dermatologists to repair defects left by excision of benign or malignant lesions with sophisticated surgical techniques. Repairs can be basic, such as the intermediate repair (CPT codes 12031-12057) commonly performed on the trunk and extremities.

Flint, Mich. - The debate surrounding malpractice insurance is heating up in the wake of some specialists closing their doors rather than pony up exponential increases in their premiums. Though neurologists and obstetricians appear to be taking the most shrapnel, it's a dermatologist leading the crusade for a no-fault insurance policy in Michigan.

Performing surgical services is an integral aspect of the practice of dermatology. Excising skin cancers and nevi, doing sophisticated repairs, destroying benign, premalignant and malignant lesions, performing incision and drainage on cysts and abscesses, and taking biopsies are part of the daily routine of a normal dermatologic practice.

Most practices are familiar with the concept of compliance. Compliancein the medical office setting is geared mainly at the billing activities,the office's interaction with third party payers, and the medical recorddocumentation that supports the services billed.

Every day physicians are audited by both Medicare as well as other third-partypayers.

Effective negotiation the secret to winning favorable terms in managedcare contracts

There are endless articles, reference materials, and seminars that teachthe fine art of CPT coding. Everyone knows that understanding the CPT descriptors,selecting the correct code to reflect the service(s) provided, having substantivedocumentation, mastering the rules governing bundling and unbundling, andconquering the use of modifiers are all essential to getting insurance claimspaid properly and timely.

After years of relatively stable levels on the cost of malpractice premiums,many physicians across the country experienced sticker shock when they openedtheir bills in January.

With a 5.5 percent decrease in Medicare reimbursement rates now in placefor 2002, dermatologists and other specialty groups are hoping to convinceCongress to quickly reduce those cuts and act on other issues importantto them, as well.

Dr. Franks routinely speaks to his referring doctors about patients,sends insurance documents electronically and by way of the mail, and hasalways stressed that his staff be confidential about all patient issues.Recently, he received a threatening letter alleging that his

The treatment of warts can be a frustrating experience for both the dermatologistas well as the patient and/or patient's family. The provider needs to bewell versed in the many rules and regulations that govern the billing ofwarts (e.g., medical necessity issues, CPT and ICD-9 coding) while the patientneeds to be educated on the nature of the condition and the complexitiesassociated with the treatment arsenal.