Mar 30, 2021 | Uncategorized
This year, we celebrate National Doctor’s Day by recognizing all the hard work and sacrifices during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 and 2021. Doctor’s hard work and selflessness have made the biggest differences in our communities as we overcome the hardships of the past year. From frontline work to research, doctors have been working hard to keep our communities safe and healthy.nnFor this National Doctor’s Day, keep in mind the ways doctors have impacted you and how much doctors mean to our society. While we are thankful for all doctors, we would like to send a special “THANK YOU” to our clients as we celebrate YOU on this special day!
Mar 30, 2021 | Uncategorized
The AMA has released new updates for the 2021 Evaluation and Management guidelines. Stay up to date with the newest guidelines and AMA definition clarifications. Welter Healthcare Partners will also be hosting a webinar to review these changes with a link and sign-up available. Read more below to learn more. nnMarch 9,2021 – American Medical Association (AMA) released an update to the 2021 Evaluation and Management (E&M) guidelines with clarification of definitions within the previously released guidelines. These updates, although vast, appear to really focus in on the Data elements of our Medical Decision Making (MDM).nnThe updated guidelines list the following revisions.n
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- Clarifying when reporting a test that is considered, but not selected after shared decision making.
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- Providing a definition of “Analyzed” for reporting tests in the data column.
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- Clarifying the definition of a “unique” test.
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- Clarifying what is meant by “discussion” between physicians, and other qualified health care professionals and patients.
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- Providing a definition of major vs minor surgery.
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n Welter Healthcare Partners will be hosting one more webinar to review these changes and provide examples of when these changes will be relevant to your practice.
Mar 26, 2021 | Uncategorized
Burnout has been the reality for millions of people this past year. Whether it is a change in lifestyle or working too much, it can change the way we approach and do things in our everyday lives. What is burnout exactly and how can we approach these emotions going forward? Read below to learn more.nnHow are you doing? This simple question gets asked a lot these days, and for some of us our standard answer is “ok”. We are asked this at work, by friends, by family, and even strangers in limited interactions while at the grocery store. But what does it really mean? Does the person asking us really care? When it comes to our work life, are we truly aware of how we are doing? Burnout is nothing new.nnWorld Health Organization (WHO) defines burnout as an occupational phenomenon.nIt is included in ICD-10 and identified by code Z73.0. With the release of ICD-11, Burnout received a more detailed definition.nnAccording to the WHO’s website, Burnout is characterized by three dimensions:n1) feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion.n2) increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job.n3) reduced professional efficacy.nnPersonally, this is not something I ever thought about. Until I listened to a recent episode of NPR’s Life Kit, host Rhitu Chatterjee spoke with professionals regarding burnout and how it affected them personally and psychiatrist on ways to cope with this in your own lives.
Mar 22, 2021 | Uncategorized
The webinar training has been announced for the 2021 E/M technical corrections! Join Welter Healthcare Partners in a webinar training event to go over the newest changes in E/M guidelines and stay up to date on the newest coding changes. Check below for times and dates for the upcoming webinar training and register your practice/organization! nnBy Ginger Avery, CPC, CPMA, CRC nMarch 17, 2021nnSince the release of the January 1, 2021 updated E/M guidelines for office or other outpatient (CPT codes 99202-99215) and prolonged services (CPT codes 99354, 99355, 99356, 99417), the AMA has received an abundance of feedback from clinicians on areas of confusion. The AMA’s CPT Editorial Panel has made several technical corrections to add clarity to these exciting updates. These technical corrections were released March 9th and are effective January 1, 2021.nnThe summary of updates listed below reveals that most of the new information is concentrated on medical decision making (MDM) definitions:nn
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- Total Encounter Time Reporting: Clarification has been made when to NOT count time.
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- Five new MDM definitions added:n
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- Analyzed – referred to in the data element of Table 2 of the guidelines
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- Combination of data elements
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- Discussion
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- Unique Test and Unique Source
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- Surgery: minor vs. major
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- Revised Definitions have been created to clarify the following terms:n
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- Drug therapy requiring intensive monitoring for toxicity
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- Independent Historian
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- Risk
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- Test
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- Clarification provided for separately reported tests and interpretation.
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nMake sure your organization is up-to-date with these recent revisions and has a solid understanding of the new 2021 E/M Guidelines for office visit services. These monumental changes cannot go unnoticed! Register below for a one-hour webinar presented by Welter Healthcare Partners on these crucial updates. If you have any submission issues with the contact form, please email Cody at cwhitworth@rtwelter.com to register. nnAll webinar registrants will receive 5 of Welter Healthcare Partners’s 2021 Office Visit E/M Coding Tools!nn[dt_divider style=”thin” /]nn[gravityform id=”18″ title=”false” description=”false”]nnThese unpredictable updates to our ever-changing healthcare environment should serve as a reminder to visit AMA’s Errata & Technical Corrections regularly for any noted changes. nn
Mar 18, 2021 | Uncategorized
Several technical corrections have been made in the recently released 2021 E/M guidelines. With feedback from clinicians to clarify these new guidelines, new summary updates have been presented to clear up any confusion. Stay updated with the clarified E/M guidelines today. Continue reading below to learn more.nnBy Ginger Avery, CPC, CPMA, CRCnMarch 17, 2021nnSince the release of the January 1, 2021, updated E/M guidelines for office or other outpatient (CPT codes 99202-99215) and prolonged services (CPT codes 99354, 99355, 99356, 99417), the AMA has received an abundance of feedback from clinicians on areas of confusion. The AMA’s CPT Editorial Panel has made several technical corrections to add clarity to these exciting updates. These technical corrections were released March 9th and are effective January 1, 2021.nnThe summary of updates listed below reveals that most of the new information is concentrated on medical decision making (MDM) definitions:n
n
- Total Encounter Time Reporting: Clarification has been made when to NOT count time.
n
- Five new MDM definitions added:n
n
- Analyzed – referred to in the data element of Table 2 of the guidelines
n
- Combination of data elements
n
- Discussion
n
- Unique Test and Unique Source
n
- Surgery: minor vs. major
n
n
n
- Revised Definitions have been created to clarify the following terms:n
n
- Drug therapy requiring intensive monitoring for toxicity
n
- Independent Historian
n
- Risk
n
- Test
n
n
n
- Clarification provided for separately reported tests and interpretation.
n
nMake sure your organization is up-to-date with these recent revisions and has a solid understanding of the new 2021 E/M Guidelines for office visit services. These monumental changes cannot go unnoticed! Register below for a one-hour webinar presented by Welter Healthcare Partners on these crucial updates. If you have any submission issues with the contact form, please email Cody at cwhitworth@rtwelter.com to register. nnAll webinar registrants will receive 5 of Welter Healthcare Partners’s 2021 Office Visit E/M Coding Tools!nn[dt_divider style=”thin” /]nn[gravityform id=”18″ title=”false” description=”false”]nnThese unpredictable updates to our ever-changing healthcare environment should serve as a reminder to visit AMA’s Errata & Technical Corrections regularly for any noted changes. nn
