ASC Coding, Billing & Collections

The number of people with high-deductible health insurance plans increased from 4.5 million to 10 million from 2007-2010, according to a survey of America's Health Insurance Plan members.

In the May edition of Diabetes Practice Options, AAPC member Jennifer Hume, CPC, CPCO, CPMA, CEMC, discussed four common coding myths that cause revenue loss, according to an AAPC release.

The Veterans Affairs Department is losing more than $110 million annually by failing to bill third-party payors for medical care, according to a study by the VA Inspector General reported in Army Times.

The Ambulatory Surgery Association has nominated Denise Lascar, president of MedStar Surgery Center in Washington, D.C., to serve on the advisory panel on Ambulatory Payment Classification, according to the ASCA's Government Update.

Health IT advisors are discussing whether a delay of Stage 2 of meaningful use could give healthcare providers more time to transition to ICD-10 code sets, according to a report by Government Health IT.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina has added on-site billing services at Duke University Health System, the fourth location to benefit from the "on-site service model" provided by the payor, according to a Triangle Business Journal report.

Don't hire coders from hospitals or practices. "A coder with inpatient hospital certification can't handle an ASC, says Eva-Marie Alexander, West Coast regional director for American Academy of Professional Coders Physician Services, based in Redondo Beach, Calif. "They need to…

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.