ASC Coding, Billing & Collections

Two physicians have resigned following contentious contract negotiations at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, Wash., that ask emergency room physicians to accept more responsibility for unpaid patient bills, according to a Spokesman-Review report.

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin has signed into law legislation that moves the state toward a single-payor health system, according to a New York Times report.

New Jersey health officials want to tighten eligibility requirements for new Medicaid enrollees, part of Gov. Christopher Christie's administration's effort to save $300 million by reforming the state healthcare program, according to a Forbes report.

San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera has sued three medical insurers, alleging the companies have systematically underpaid San Francisco General Hospital and other public hospitals for emergency services, according to an SF Appeal report.

On Monday, Connecticut insurance regulators rejected a request by American Republic Insurance to increase health premiums by an average of 35 percent for 117 Connecticut residents, according to a Hartford Courant report.

Jessica Edmiston is manager, coding, for National Medical Billing Services.   Q: Concerning screening colonoscopies, our ambulatory surgery center is having no problem using the -PT modifier for Medicare but third-party payors are not accepting the -33 modifier. Do you…

An Oklahoma Senate bill would update workers' compensation guidelines by requiring physicians to adhere to nationally recognized treatment guidelines and limiting when an injured worker can change from the physician chosen by his or her employer, according to a NewsOK…

State providers and healthcare experts are debating the merits of a bill introduced by Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) that would create a single-payor healthcare system in California, according to a California Heathline report.

Ninety-three percent of healthcare payors have chosen an approach for their ICD-10 migration efforts, up from 75 percent in the third quarter of 2009, according to survey results from The TriZetto Group.

CPT copyright 2010 American Medical Association. All rights reserved. CPT is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association.   The following article is written by Stephanie Ellis, RN, CPC, president of Ellis Medical Consulting. Cage implants are used in…