Practice Management

Washington-The results of this month's presidential and congressional elections will go a long way toward determining the fate of efforts to curb medical liability lawsuits and judgments, as well as the related issue of protecting patient safety.

You collect your money at the time of service, and you have no accounts receivable for Medicare patients.

Three separate coding and reimbursement issues are impacting urologists now and will continue to affect practices in 2005. This article will focus on these three issues-ICD-9 changes for 2005, drugs purchased by physicians, and the -59 modifier.

Bladder ultrasound is noninvasive and relatively easy to perform, which may explain its increased usage in recent years. However, the American Board of Urology has expressed concern that urologists may be overusing the test. In this exclusive Urology Times interview, Pat Fulgham, MD, president of Urology Clinics of North Texas, Dallas, discusses data on the dramatic shift in bladder ultrasound usage by some urologists. Dr. Fulgham, who teaches an annual AUA course on ultrasound, also discusses clinical and reimbursement guidelines clinicians should follow. The interview was conducted by UT Editorial Consultant Robert C. Flanigan, MD, professor and chairman of the department of urology, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL.

Computer labels withstandchemicals, extreme temps

Cross training is good for the physician, because it provides more flexibility in managing the efficiency of the practice when employees are absent.

Washington--Even though the new Medicare physician fee schedule rule increases physician payments by 1.5% overall for Medicare services, urologists are facing a 13% reduction, according to AUA officials.

Q A pediatric urologist I code for is concerned that we cannot bill/code for both orchiopexy and a hernia repair done during the same operating room session. Do you have any documentation on this matter? When you look up 54640 in CPT 2004, it references, "For inguinal hernia repair performed in conjunction with inguinal orchiopexy, see 49495-49525." In the Medicare Correct Coding Guidelines, I do not see any edits stating not to bill both procedures together.

The American Medical Association has updated its Model Managed Care Contract to reflect recent legal and other changes. New portions of the model contract, now in its third edition, address changes in medical necessity, HIPAA regulations, and prompt payment.

CMS estimates that Medicare payments to urologists will decrease 13% in 2005.

The procedure should be of a durationand complexity that will permit the patient to recover and be discharged.

Minnetonka, MN-The FDA has cleared for marketing American Medical Systems' 700 Tactile Pump, the latest addition to the AMS 700 line of penile prostheses.

Minnetonka, MN-The FDA has cleared for marketing American Medical Systems' 700 Tactile Pump, the latest addition to the AMS 700 line of penile prostheses.

Only by qualifying for a special modifier would a procedure be 'pulled' from the global

CMS clarification emphasizes medical necessity as 'overarching' criterion for payment

The American Society of Clinical Oncology has submitted a series of proposals to an AMA workgroup aimed at changing a number of CPT codes for infused drugs.

You know how important it is to offer competitive salaries and benefits. The trick is figuring out how much is enough.

Settlements create monetary funds, prevent companies from engaging in harmful practices

New Jersey, Ohio, and Oklahoma have recently passed medical liability legislative reforms.

Outside experts can focus on office tasks, while physicians, staff focuson patient care

Louis Potters, MD has been appointed to the Centers for Medicare &Medicaid Services Advisory Panel on Ambulatory Payment Classification Groups,or APC Panel.

Without it, employees can sue you for negligence, causing large damageawards

Reduced reimbursement for chemo will cause urologists to make drasticchanges, AUA says

Documents in 'Word,' other formats may contain hidden data not intendedfor recipients

Here's some important advice for urologists while we await final detailson new payment system

Recognizing specific conditions or personality traits may help reduceyour exposure

Consider making an outright contribution or transferring stock to a charitabletrust

If you're looking for articles about urologic surgery in this issue ofUrology Times, you may be disappointed. The "leading newsmagazine forurologists" is still just that-an important source of news and informationfor individuals who practice what has always been a surgical specialty.But the articles in this issue's special "State of Urology" seriesclearly show that surgery-especially traditional open surgery-continuesto give way to drug therapy and minimally invasive procedures for managingmost common urologic conditions.

Events around San Francisco in May

ASCO pushes Congress to enact new legislation; hopes dim for medicalliability reform