WCH at AMBA Annual Conferencepage 6

WCH PANTHERS IN ACTION

page 3Educational Conferencepage 2

Referral

programpage 5

WCH invites you for an educational conference

How to Overcome the OccurringHealthcare Industry Challenges

WhenthOctober 29 , 2013

at 6:30-9:30PM

WhereBank of America Tower 1 Bryant Park (W 43st),

New York, NY

Direction:

42 St - Bryant Pk

(B, D, F, M) 5 Av (7, 7X)Times Sq - 42 St (S)

Click here to register TODAY!Register on our website www.wchsb.com

For information call us at718-934-6714 Ex. 1202 or 1214

Or e-mail ilanak@wchsb.com

Light dinner will be served.There is no cost to attend this event.

You may bring guests with you!

Featured Speakers:

Olga Khabinskay,COO, WCH Service Bureau Inc.Solving todays challenges between doctors and insurances.

Kenneth Music,Vice President, Bank of AmericaPractice SolutionsMedical Practice financing solutions.

Mathew J. Levy,Principal/Partner, Kern Augustine Conroy & Schoppmann, P.C.A legal view on physician practice audits from insurancecompanies.

John V. Pellitteri,CPA, Grassi & Co.Merger Mania- is it the right option for your practice?

Peter Bechtel,President of Well Track OneMedicare annual visit programcompliance and patients health improvement.

42 St - Bryant Pk

IN THIS ISSUE

Follow Us:

Get your CEU credits TODAYFor more information please contact Marianna Shapiro at 718-934-6714 ex. 1202

or by e-mail to: mariannash@wchsb.com

2

WCH Buzz

WCH panthers

in action

3

ICD-10

4

iSmart

EMR

5

Referral

Program

6

WCH at

AMBA annual

conference

7-13

Healthcare

News

14-15

News by

Specialty

16-17

Questions &

Answers

September 8th, 2013 5 mile Walk/Run

Central park

This September, WCH panthers contribute to the

outstanding success of the Race for the Cure!

WCH team members had a fantastic time on a

beautiful Sunday sunny morning in central park.

WCH appreciates all the contribution and commitment,

it's our support that really has an impact.

At the end of the day, the Race is all about providing

breast health services for at-risk and unreserved women

who would not otherwise get them. WCH panthers team

are already making a difference.

Together, we will realize our vision

of a world without breast cancer.

Thank you for being part of our team!

WCH Buzz

WCH efforts in preparing and implementing the ICD-10 As we reported earlier this summer, WCH was selected by CMS to be interviewed by their contracted

market research consultants Alan Newman Research on the ICD-10. Olga Khabinskay provided on in-depth look of how WCH is internally and externally preparing for the migration process to ICD-10. During these complex times of transition, WCH is making efforts to prepare early for the sake of our clients for a smooth, successful transition. We understand that a well-planned and well-managed implementation process is inevitable for the success of the process completion.

We present to you parts of our implementation plan for ICD-10 transition:

1

2

3

4

Market research and analysis: WCH billing department are in constant contact with our clearing houses. We work with specialist in order to get instant updates for ICD-10 transition. All commercial payers will follow CMS transition and they will be compliant for ICD-10 by October 2014. WCH will begin the testing period with all commercial payers who will be ready by the beginning of 2014.

Ongoing education for the coding and anatomy/pathophysiology to all WCH staff conducted on a regular basis by Yuliya Kiseleva MD. Moreover, this education will be repeated in 2014 as well. Upon education completion all WCH employees will have better understanding of anatomy, body systems and disease process. WCH employees are being trained to convert Diagnosis codes from ICD-9 to ICD-10 and will follow AMA and CMS guidelines for correct Diagnosis coding. Necessary trainings and ICD-10 updates are regularly implemented to all WCH employees in the billing department.

Perform necessary updates in our electronic claim form, data base of our billing software (PMBOS) and perform all necessary review and upload specific updates for ICD-10 EDI standards if any. Add applications and option for selective billing using ICD-10. After all program installation and updates will be made, WCH Service Bureau will be ready to submit ICD-10 claims.

Convert each individual WCH clients SB form ICD-9 to ICD-10. Due to the fact that number of ICD-10 diagnoses will be increased by 5 times in comparison with ICD-9, we strongly recommend to our clients to use our Electronic superbill. The ICD-10 definition of each diagnosis code will be more expanded and will cause problem for the providers who are still using paper superbills. Each of our providers will get updated superbill with converted diagnosis codes and will be contacted by assigned account representative for further discussion and transition process consulting.

3WCH Bulletin September 2013 www.wchsb.com

In the last issue, we have introduced the WCH . As we mentioned

before, WCH IT department, continues to work as much as 15 hours a day to the

complete the Electronic Medical Record that is easy to navigate, efficient to use and

is integrated with our billing service.

WCH is currently undergoing the process of certification to ensure that

the necessary technological capability, functionality and security standards are met.

WCH is scheduled to be completely certified by the end of Fall of 2013.

WCH is more than 50%

complete and is currently being further

developed. It is currently undergoing the

process of certification by Dr. First (e-

prescribing vendor). At this time we began

the certification process with Drummond

group Inc. This upcoming fall the WCH

is going to be fully certified.

To inquire about WCH ,

please contact Ilya Mirolyubov

E-mail:

Skype: wchsb.ilyam

phone: (718) 934-6714 ext. 1111

iSmart EMR

iSmart EMR

iSmart EMR

iSmart EMR

iSmart EMR

iSmart EMR

ilyam@wchsb.com

WCH

iSmart EMR

is on its way!

4 WCH Bulletin September 2013 www.wchsb.com

WCH Referral Program

for our clients

Refer WCH to Your Colleagues and

Friends for billing service!

Only happy clients refer others, and we want to make

sure we exceed the expectations of every client who

passes through our doors. We understand that, we only

grow if you are happy with our service. If you know

anyone who needs billing service, WCH is here to help.

We are grateful for referrals that come our way and

pleased to offera Referral Reward Program. WCH will

provide you with

WCH GOLD certificate that has added value.

For more information

contact Ilana Kozak

General Manager

skype: ilanak.wchsb

(718) 934-6714 ext. 1214

ilanak@wchsb.com

5WCH Bulletin September 2013 www.wchsb.com

Olga Khabinskay presenting at AMBA 2013 13th Annual

National Medical Billing Conference in October Las Vegas

WCH Service Bureau has been selected among many other

candidates to speak at the Annual conference to share our

knowledge and expertise. As a trusted member of the American

Medical Billing Association, Olga Khabinskay was appointed to

speak on behave of WCH, sharing our experience and tips about the

complex process of provider credentialing and enrollment. Since

2006 WCH has been a trusted member of the biggest Medical

Billing Associations in the country. Over the years WCH has

developed a relationship with the association director as a result of

continuous work together. As a result, the AMBA has developed

trust and confidence in the level of service and expertise allowing

WCH to share the knowable and experience with their members at the annual national

medical billing conference.

After carefully verifying her credentials and knowledge on the topic, Olga has been

asked to speak at the conference. Olga will present "Credential Successfully with

Confidence." Often, credentialing is viewed as an unwelcome distraction, but it shouldn't

be. Attendees will learn the general rules of credentialing and understand the strict

requirements and regulations as well as learning how to increase revenue by negotiating

fees with insurers and finally, how to successfully complete a credentialing process. We

all know how time-consuming credentialing is. Learn shortcuts that will help you submit

successful applications.

With only a month left to the event,

Olga is in the process of preparation with

support from WCH credentialing department

staff. Olga is expected to present on Friday

October 11, 2013 from 9am-10AM.

џ

џ

“The RACs have a low accuracy rate as it is:

CMS’ FY2010 Recovery Auditor Report to Congress

reported that 46 percent of the Medicare RAC

determinations appealed were decided in the

provider’s favor. RAC review of E&M codes will

undoubtedly lead to erroneous recoupments and

lengthy, expensive appeals for both physicians and

CMS.”

“Each E&M visit is different based on the

unique needs of the patient. Assignment of levels of

E&M services is based on six components… Due to

the variability and balance of these components

from one visit to the next based on the needs of

each patient, the use of the extrapolation method in

an audit for comparison of visits among different

patients has a high outcome probability of error and

should not be used.”

Despite the AMA’s and state and specialty

medical societies’ historic and unwavering

opposition to the RAC audits of E&M services, there

has been a recent increased pressure on CMS to

review physicians’ coding of E&M services.

Specifically, the Health and Human Services Office

of Inspector General issued a report in May on this

topic that specifically urged CMS to encourage its

contractors to conduct these reviews and “if CMS

determines that inappropriate claims have been

paid, it should take steps to recover those

overpayments.”

The take away for all providers – document,

document, document…. Ensure that in the event that

your E&M coding is questioned, your documentation

will support your/your staff’s coding determinations.

Healthcare News

Reminder: Medicare Has Approved

The Auditing Of E/M Services…

Be Sure Your Documentation

Justifies The Code!

Last September, the Centers for Medicare and

Medicaid Services (CMS) approved Virginia’s

Medicare Recovery Auditor (RAC) – Connolly – to

begin conducting audits of coding for evaluation and

management (E & M) services in physician offices,

specifically CPT code 99215. As such, the plan was

for Connolly to begin in October 2012 a complex

medical review of CPT code 99215, from which

Connolly will be permitted to extrapolate their findings

based on a statistical sample of such claims.

The AMA sent a letter to CMS Acting

Administrator Marilyn Tavenner strongly objecting

to these audits and urging CMS to rescind approval

of RAC review of E&M codes. Among the

complaints voiced by the AMA were the following:

That “physician choices regarding

appropriate code designation can be a

subjective matter based on the complexity of the

patient visit. Physicians who provide E&M care

apply complex decision-making based on myriad

clinical approaches… and because of the

complexity of this type of care, it does not lend

itself easily to medical review.”

Because “the RACs are not required to have

same-specialty physicians review RAC

determinations, we have no confidence that the

RACs will be up to the task of understanding these

variables or their clinical relevance.”

џ

џ

www.medicbilling.wordpress.comSource:

7WCH Bulletin September 2013 www.wchsb.com

Such statement must include the following

components:

the full printed name of the provider

sufficient information to identify the beneficiary

date of service

signature and date by the author of the medical

record entry (i.e., generally the provider)

In order to expedite the submission of such

requests, it behooves you to provide your billing

company with an executed blank signature

attestation statement that the billing company can

keep on file for future use.

џ

џ

џ

џ

CMS Signature Requirements –

A Reminder For Compliant Records

As we all know, there are certain signature

requirements imposed by CMS and other payers.

The purpose of a rendering/treating/ordering

practitioner’s signature in patients’ medical records,

operative reports, orders, test findings, etc., is to

demonstrate that services submitted to Medicare

have been accurately and fully documented, reviewed

and authenticated. Furthermore, it confirms the

provider has certified the medical necessity and

reasonableness for the service(s) submitted to the

Medicare program for payment consideration. Such

signature must be legible and should include the

practitioner’s first and last name. For clarification

purposes, it is recommended that providers include

their applicable credentials (e.g., P.A., D.O., or M.D.).

These signatures can be electronic or

written – both of which have a set of acceptable

formats. Examples of acceptable written

signatures are: legible fill signature, legible first

initial and last name, illegible signature over a typed

or printed name, illegible signature on letterhead

that otherwise identifies the signatory (if multiple

providers on letterhead, the signatory’s name must

be circled), etc… Conversely, an illegible signature

with no accompanying typed or printed name or

letterhead is unacceptable absent an attestation

statement.

Occasionally we have seen situations in

which a carrier seeks additional information in the

form of notes, which are deemed illegible. In this

case, it is advisable for your billing company to have

on file an attestation statement confirming the

nature of that illegible signature. This is key

because once your billing company has been asked

for this attestation statement, you are only allowed

20 calendar days in which to provide it.

www.medicbilling.wordpress.comSource:

8 WCH Bulletin September 2013 www.wchsb.com

in the study accept new patients and are

represented by broad geographic distribution—from

New Jersey to California.

The goal of the study has been to document

the costs, implementation of best practices, and

use of select EHR systems through nine

participating companies including ABEL, Aprima,

athenahealth, Amazing Charts, CureMD, McKesson,

MedNet Medical Solutions, Practice Fusion, and

Vitera.

While the study participants did not pay for

the systems for the 2-year period, they were asked

to document all of the other expenses associated

with the implementation and use of the system.

Over the course of the study, those out-of-

pocket expenses have been steadily climbing. In

fact, on average out-of-pocket expenditures related

to the EHR tallied up to $9,116 in July 2013. The

75th percentile noted expenditures of $15,000, while

the bottom 25th percentile was closer to $1,250.

A closer look at the results. Here are some

salient data points gleaned from the latest survey:

Yes: 77%

No: 23%

Median: $124 (up from a median of $100 nearly 5

months ago)

Median: $75 (the average was $79)

Median: 6.2%.

Q: Do you have the ability to determine

eligibility prior to a patient’s visit?

Q: What is your average charge per patient?

Q: What was the average reimbursement per

patient?

Q: On average what were the practice’s denied

claims as a percentage of total claims?

An Update From Doctors Surveyed

On EHR Best Practices Doctors

Surveyed EHR Best Practices

Physicians address costs, hours worked, and

advancement in meaningful use objectives in

Medical Economics EHR Best Practices Study.

The median number of hours worked has

finally stabilized, according to 23 physicians

reporting as part of the Medical Economics EHR

Best Practices Study.

In fact, after nearly 17 months since the

study began, the median number of hours worked is

nearing pre-implementation levels at 43.4 hours per

week on average.

Total non-clinical hours worked per week

has also been on the decline from an average of

11.4 hours per week during the pre-implementation

phase to 9.6 hours per week. In addition, the number

of direct patient contact hours per week was 34 and

has remained relatively flat throughout the study.

The 2-year Medical Economics Best

Practices Study began in January 2012 with the

first phase of data gathered in March 2012 by 29

solo, office-based physicians. All of the physicians www.medicbilling.wordpress.comSource:

9WCH Bulletin September 2013 www.wchsb.com

Patient Payments

At The Time Of Services No need to send a bill after the visit. Use our tool to get a real-time estimate of

what your patient will owe, and collect patient payments at the time of service.

Quick facts about our Payment Estimator

• Access the tool on our secure provider website:

• Estimates will tell you:

- Patient responsibility: copayments, coinsurance and remaining deductibles

- Our payment amount with contractual adjustments

• Estimates are based on your office's fee schedule and your patient's benefits

• The tool works for both outpatient and inpatient services

• Print a patient-friendly copy that you can use to ask for payment before

providing services

• Available to you any time: run estimates throughout the year as your patients'

benefits change Where to get more information

• Learn more about our Payment Estimator at

• Get other helpful tips on using the tool from

• For questions, use the Contact Us link on

https://connect.NaviNet.net

www.NaviNet.net/aetnaestimator

www.AetnaPaymentEstimator.com

www.Aetna.com

10 WCH Bulletin 2013 September www.wchsb.com

EMPlRE BULLETlN

AUDIENCE:

SUBJECT:

EFFECTIVE DATE:

PLAN NEWS:

•

•

•

•

• •

•

www.empireblue.com

Empire Participating Network Physicians

Modification of Physician Fee Schedule and Unilateral Amendment to Add Pathway and Pathway

Enhanced Networks

November 1st, 2013 for Modification of Physician Fee Schedule January 1st, 2014 for

Pathway and Pathway Enhanced Networks

Effective November 1st, 2013, Empire will update its HMO, PPO, Healthy NY, and Indemnity

physician fee schedules. Although this update will result in a net increase of our physician network fees, the

actual impact to any particular physician will depend on the codes most frequently billed by that physician.

Please note that this update does not include our Child Health Plus, Behavioral Health and Medicare Advantage

fee schedules. Included among the fee schedule increases are the following:

Select Generic Chemotherapy In-office Drugs-J9070, J9206, J9265 & J9045

Select Ambulatory Skin procedures-11042, 11046, 12036 & 15050, & 96910

Select Major Breast procedures-19301, 19303, 19340, 19342, & 19357

An updated fee schedule listing the top 500 utilized codes will be available upon request. Please contact

your Network Management Consultant by calling (800)-552-6630 and following the below prompts:

Option 1: Medical Providers

Option 4: Provider Updates and Other Information

Option 1: Participation and Credentialing Information

Enter your zip code

The complete updaled fee schedule will be available on our Physician Online-Services at

upon their effective date of November 1st, 2013.

You can find more details on CPT codes and all of the current rates pursuant to your participating provider

agreement with Empire by logging onto www.empireblue.com and utilizing Empire's interactive fee schedule tool.

As an alternative, please direct such written requests via facsimile to (888)-438-5205 and include the list of

specific codes to assist Empire with providing you with a copy of the corresponding fee schedule information.

In addition, please be advised that you have been selected to participate in Empire's "Pathway", "Pathway X",

"Pathway X Enhanced" and "Pathway Enhanced" networks which shall support new individual and small group

health benefit plans issued by Empire and/or an Affiliate on or after January 1, 2014. The attached unilateral

amendment that shall take effect January 1, 2014 hereby adds the new networks set forth above and outlines the

corresponding rates of reimbursement.

Source: www.empireblue.com

11WCH Bulletin September 2013 www.wchsb.com

Physician/Practice Notice of Privacy Practices (NPP) Must Be Updated by September, 23, 2013

All medical practices must update their NPP, and soon! There are 5 significant changes that need attention.

You must update information on your use and disclosure of PHI that requires authorization:

a. Most uses and disclosure of psychotherapy notes

b. Uses and disclosures for marketing purposes

c. Disclosures that constitute a sale of PHI

Separate statements for certain uses and disclosures:

a. Intention to send patients treatment communications while receiving remuneration

b. Intention to contact individuals to raise capital or funds

c. Individual's right to opt out of such communications

Enhanced patient rights:

a. Inclusion that you, as a Covered Entity (CE), must agree to a patient's restriction of release or disclosure of PHI

to a health plan where the patient pays out of their own pocket for a service

b. Include statements about a patient's right to receive electronic medical records (if you are capable of providing

such), along with other updated patient rights

Include information about how and when you will inform patients in the event of a breach of unsecured PHI

Appointment reminders and other alternatives:

a. You no longer need to include a statement

about notifying patients to remind them of an

appointment, treatment alternatives or other

services that may be of interest to the patient

We will be including additional information on

new HITECH requirements over the next few

weeks.

Notice of Privacy Practices (NPP)

12 WCH Bulletin 2013 September www.wchsb.com

The Internal Revenue Service has finalized penalties for individuals who do not obtain health insurance

under healthcare reform.

Under the , the shared responsibility payment for not maintaining essential coverage under the

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is based on the greater of either a flat dollar amount or a percentage

of household income over the taxpayer's applicable filing threshold.

The penalty for not obtaining coverage is $95 per person or 1 percent of household income in 2014 and jumps to

$325 or 2 percent of income in 2015. In 2016, the IRS will fine nonexempt individuals without coverage either

$695 or 2.5 percent of household income. After 2016, the penalty will be determined by a cost-of-living formula.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates less than 2 percent of Americans will forgo coverage and

owe a shared responsibility payment, according to an IRS released Wednesday. Individuals have

minimum essential coverage for a calendar month if they're enrolled in or covered by a health plan for at least one

day during that month, according to the final rules. The IRS noted the one-day rule will ease administrative

burdens for both taxpayers and the agency.

The IRS final rules do make some exceptions to the individual mandate. Those who will not have to make

a shared responsibility payment include:

џ Individuals who cannot afford coverage;

џ Taxpayers with income below the filing threshold;

џ Members of Indian tribes;

џ Individuals who suffer hardship;

џ Individuals who experience short coverage gaps;

џ Members of religious sects or divisions;

џ Members of a healthcare sharing ministry;

џ Incarcerated individuals; and

џ Individuals who are not lawfully present.

"These rules will ease implementation and help

ensure that the payment applies only to the limited group

of taxpayers who choose to spend a substantial period of

time without coverage despite having ready access to

affordable coverage," the agency said in the fact sheet.

For more:

- here are the (.pdf)

- check out the IRS

final rules

fact sheet

final rules

fact sheet

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

13WCH Bulletin September 2013 www.wchsb.com

News by Specialty

Is there a code for stenting of the common

carotid-mid portion?

Stenting of the mid-portion of the

common carotid (cervical portion) would be

37215 or 37216, depending on whether or not an

embolic protection device was used.

What is the correct charge for an incision

and drainage (I & D) of a pacer pocket that was

only packed with iodoform gauze? One of our

patients, with an existing pocket with permanent

pacemaker device in place, fell and hit his chest

at the generator site. The doctor thought it was

serous fluid from trauma and performed an I & D

with the pacemaker still in place.

The best code for the procedure you

describe is 10140 (Incision and drainage of

hematoma, seroma or fluid collection). If guidance

was used, code the modality-specific code (76942,

77002, or 77012).

Cardiology

What code should be used when a

screening sinus CT study is performed?

In this case, three options exist for charging.

Be sure to ask your local third-party payer which

option it requires.

џ Use the anatomic site-specific CPT code

70486 and assign modifier 52 (reduced services) to it.

џ Submit this code with no modifier (other

than modifier 26 for professional billing).

џ Submit the generic, non-site-specific code

of 76380.

Will CMS change the way it calculates

hospital relative weights for radiology next year?

It is unknown at this time and will not be

known until November when the Centers for

Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issues the

final rule for the outpatient prospective payment

system (OPPS). However, CMS has proposed

using distinct cost-to-charge ratios (CCRs) to

Radiology

Source: www.panaceahealthsolutions.com

Source: www.panaceahealthsolutions.com

Source: www.panaceahealthsolutions.com

14 WCH Bulletin 2013 September www.wchsb.com

I am not sure what to charge for the

following case. A patient came in on one day for a

stress test. We did the resting injection/imaging,

and then cardiology had to cancel the stress test

portion. The patient returned two days later and

had the stress test with imaging. What would we

charge for this? I know we would charge two

injections on the dates of services, but what

about the imaging portion?

You would still code 78452 (if SPECT was

done) or 78454 (if SPECT was not performed). Both

rest and stress were performed. They do not have to

be on the same day or even on two successive

days. If the intent was to do both, and they were

done within a week to 10 days, then you assign the

combination code.

o calculate the hospital OPPS relative payment

weights. According to CMS, this would apply to

cardiac catheterization, computed tomography (CT)

scans, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

This is not good news for radiology groups,

according to the American College of Radiology (ACR).

It says, “This proposal would cut hospital outpatient

payments for CT and MR studies by 18 to 38 percent.”

Source: www.panaceahealthsolutions.com

Source: www.panaceahealthsolutions.com

15WCH Bulletin September 2013 www.wchsb.com

Questions & AnswersQuestion:

Answer:Physicians sometimes must discard an

unused portion of a drug. If the physician (rather

than the patient and/or facility) supplies the drug,

Medicare may allow compensation for this

“wasted” portion.

As instructed by the National Medicare

guidelines for reporting drug waste found in the

Claims Processing Manual, chapter 17, § 40.0, drug

waste is reported in addition to the drug

administered. Using the appropriate HCPCS Level II

supply code, list the drug administered with the

correct number of units in box 24D of the CMS-

1500 claim form. You should enter the number of

wasted units as a second line item. Provider

documentation must verify the exact dosage of the

drug injected, and the exact amount and reason for

any waste.

Medicare contractors generally require that

you append modifier JW Drug or biological amount

discarded/not administered to any patient to

identify an unused drug from single-use vials or

single-use packages that are appropriately

discarded.

For example, from a single-use vial that is

labeled to contain 100 units, 95 units are

administered to the patient and five units are

discarded. The-95 unit dose is billed on one line,

and the five discarded units are billed on another

line with modifier JW. Both line items would be

processed for payment.

Does Medicare compensate for unused

portion of drug that must be discard?

Viktoriya Uzakova

Billing Department Supervisor

Skype: wchsb.vikau

e-mail: vikau@wchsb.com

You should not apply modifier JW when the actual

dose of the drug or biological administered is less

than the billing unit. “For example,” the Claims

Processing Manual advises, “one billing unit for a

drug is equal to 10 mg of the drug in a single use

vial. A 7 mg dose is administered to a patient while

3 mg of the remaining drug is discarded. The 7 mg

dose is billed using one billing unit that represents

10 mg on a single line item. The single line item of 1

unit would be processed for payment of the total 10

mg of drug administered and discarded. Billing

another unit on a separate line item with the JW

modifier for the discarded 3 mg of drug is not

permitted because it would result in overpayment.

When the billing unit is equal to or greater than the

total actual dose that was administered and the

amount discarded, the use of the JW modifier is not

permitted.”

Note that Medicare will reimburse only for

drugs supplied in “single-use vials,” and CMS

officially encourages “physicians, hospitals and

other providers to schedule patients in such a way

that they can use drugs or biologicals most

efficiently, in a clinically appropriate manner.”

Caution: Unique billing rules apply when

reporting discarded erythropoietin stimulating

agents for home dialysis. See the Medicare Claims

Processing Manual, chapter 17, § 40.1 for more

details

Source: www.aapc.com

16 WCH Bulletin 2013 September www.wchsb.com

Question:

Answer:The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid

Services (CMS) have many helpful tools at

http://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coding/ICD10/Pro

viderResources.html, including an information

sheet that should answer your question: Planning

Your ICD-10 Transition Activities for 2013.

According to CMS, by April 1, 2013, healthcare

providers should have been testing ICD-10 with

colleagues/staff within your practice or facility. By

October 1, 2013, ICD-10 testing should begin with

business trading partners like payers,

clearinghouses, and billing services.processed for

payment.

Where can we find a timeline related to

ICD-10 implementation?

Elizaveta Bannova

Billing Department Vice Manager,

CMRS, CFPC

Skype: wchsb.lizab

e-mail: lizab@wchsb.com

Source: www.panaceahealthsolutions.com

17WCH Bulletin September 2013 www.wchsb.com

FEEDBACKYour feedback is very important to us! In our continued dedication to

improve, we want your feedback, opinions, ideas, news and comments. Please

send us your feedback today. Let us know what you want to see in upcoming

issues or changes to the format that you would like to see.

You can simply E-mail your comments to us at

or send it by mail to our office addressmariannash@wchsb.com

3047 Avenue U Brooklyn, NY 11229

Message:

E-mail:

Name: