Full spine x-rays are not considered to be of diagnostic quality. This is expecially true of 14×36 film. So if a chiropractor decides to x-ray the patient’s entire spine, he should take sectional views and bill the exam using three codes as follows: 72040 Radiologic examination, spine, cervical; 2 or 3 views 72070 Radiologic examination, […]
Continue readingIndividuals who have worked 10 or more years of railroad service receive their Medicare benefits through the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) instead of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The Railroad Medicare card has the Railroad Retirement Board logo in the upper left hand corner instead of the HHS logo and “RAILROAD RETIREMENT […]
Continue readingInsurance policies are written in segments or riders. Chiropractic services are covered under the chiropractic or physician portion of the policy but therapies are generally covered under a therapy portion. The therapy portion of the policy covers all therapy no matter who provides the service. This means that when a patient comes to you they […]
Continue readingIf diagnostic services are shown on the claim form, the ordering physician’s name should appear in block 17 and his NPI number in block 17b. Block 17 should be qualified with DK which indicates that the chiropractor is the Ordering Provider. The only diagnostic services that a chiropractor will probably do is x-rays (and blood […]
Continue readingHere are some basic things you must understand about billing Medicare for services to a patient that is or may be covered by liability insurance: Any liability coverage is the primary coverage – Medicare is secondary. You must wait 120 days from the date of service before you can bill Medicare (this is known as […]
Continue readingZero State Before you begin treating patients, you should setup the structure of your practice. First off, you should decide if you want to incorporate. A corporation provides a layer of protection for your assets. The laws governing incorporation vary state to state and there are multiple types of corporations so this decision should be […]
Continue readingModifiers are used to indicate that a service or procedure that has been performed has been altered by some specific circumstance but has not changed in its definition or code. Under normal circumstances, an Evaluation and Management service (E/M – exam) is filed without a modifier (99203 in this example). However, if you adjust the […]
Continue readingA Medicare overpayment is a payment that exceeds amounts properly payable under Medicare statutes and regulations. When Medicare identifies an overpayment, the amount becomes a debt you owe the Federal government. Federal law requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to recover all identified overpayments. Medicare overpayments commonly occur due to: Incorrect coding […]
Continue readingWhen a vehicle is rented, the person renting the vehicle can purchase insurance from the rental company or use their own insurance. At the time of the rental, the person or persons who will be operating the vehicle are identified (or designated) to the rental company. If your patient has been injured by a rented […]
Continue readingAll office records, test results, x-ray films etc. are the property of the clinic. The doctor is required by law to maintain the records for a period of time after the course of treatment has expired. Patients may request and are entitled to copies of their records but not the originals. This includes x-rays! Typically, the […]
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