Coding for consults: Physicians must have a better option
Single-payer, government-run health care: I can't wait! Twelve years of post-grad training for this?
Regarding the article, "Urology takes heavy hit in 2010 Medicare updates", so what is CMS's response to the coding issue for consults? One, do away with consult codes entirely, and two, hire "bounty hunters" (aka Recovery Audit Contractors) to harass physicians who are already laboring under inadequate fee schedules.
At present, the consult codes are replaced with the new visit codes, which are reimbursed at substantially lower rates. So a major revenue reduction is imminent. We now have two sets of records side by side: one to help us actually treat patients coherently and two to qualify for whatever code we use.
Single-payer, government-run health care: I can't wait! Twelve years of post-grad training for this? These two events are additional examples of the need for single, appropriate fees for new and follow-up visits. Our societies should consider supporting this option.
Jack Francis, MD
Greenbelt, MD
From evidence to practice: Dr. Makarov discusses implementation science in urology
July 25th 2024“What our major contribution is, I think as urologists doing implementation science, is determining the important questions, which we are particularly well-suited to do because we're taking care of the patients,” says Danil V. Makarov, MD, MHS.
