ASC Coding, Billing & Collections Archives - Page 628 of 736

With ICD-10 Coming, What is a Coder's Earning Potential?

The following article is written by Rhonda Buckholtz, CPC, CPMA, CPC-I, of AAPC. AAPC recently released its yearly salary survey and the results of over 12,000 respondents indicated that even during this time of recession, the salaries of coders…

Massachusetts Insurers Receive Average 4.8% Increase in Base Premiums

Massachusetts regulators announced yesterday they have approved an average 4.8 percent increase in base premiums for individuals and small businesses proposed by state insurers, according to a Boston Herald report.

Physician Orders Account for Nearly 70% of Healthcare Premium Dollar

Services ordered during physician visits can account for 60-70 percent of the total healthcare premium dollar, according to an editorial written by Ted Norman, MD, an internist with Big Thompson Medical Group in The Coloradoan.

Administrative Expenses for Medicare Plans Continue to Fluctuate

Administrative expenses for Medicare plans grew by 0.9 percent per member in 2010, following a decrease of 4.1 percent in 2009, according to a MarketWatch report.

Report: Less Than 10% of Providers Are Halfway Completed in ICD-10 Transition

Less than 10 percent of healthcare providers are more than halfway ready in terms of being fully prepared for ICD-10, according to a KLAS report.

CMS Releases Four ICD-10 Implementation Handbooks to Ease Transition

CMS recently created and released four ICD-10 implementation handbooks to help providers make the transition to ICD-10. The four different templates are geared toward four different audiences.

Vermont's Universal Healthcare Could Cost $9.5B a Year by 2020

New projections by the state of Vermont predict that a public, universal healthcare system could cost between $8.2 billion and $9.5 billion annually by 2020, according to a Washington Post report.

Super Committee Encouraged to Raise Medicare Eligibility Age

Erskine Bowles, Democratic co-chair of President Obama's fiscal commission, says Democrats should consider increasing the Medicare eligibility age due to changes through the Affordable Care Act, according to a TPM report.

CMS Final Rule Increases ASC Payment Rates by 1.6% in 2012, Establishes Quality Reporting Program

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a final rule with comment period today that will update payment policies and payment rates for services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries in hospital outpatient departments and surgery centers beginning Jan. 1, 2012,…

Minnesota Governor Appoints Task Force to Set Up Health Insurance Exchange

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton has appointed a 17-member task force to develop proposals to improve quality of care, reduce health disparities among Minnesota residents and cut costs, according to a Star Tribune report.